What Is Australia's Ageing Population

Australia’s wealthy economy conveys advanced, up to date medical and surgical technology, whereas Portugal’s technology has not been updated since 1988. Furthermore, Australia has more hospitals, 741 public and 525 private compared to Portugal’s 89 public and 82 private hospitals. With Australia’s advanced technology and abundance of hospitals, comes a greater life expectancy of 83 for females and 78 for males compared to Portugal’s life expectancy of 78.2.

Healthcare funding approaches differ from country to country with regular debate over health reform and healthcare for the future. As additional funding is not always a feasible option, health resource allocation and health finance need to be well managed to achieve efficient outputs. Health resource allocation is the allocation and management of healthcare resources or healthcare rationing (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014). Health finance refers to ‘function of a health system concerned with the mobilization, accumulation and allocation of money to cover the health needs of people in the health system’ (Health Systems Financing, 2008). This essay will discuss the Australian healthcare reform

Like many healthcare systems around the world, Australia has a complex system in place for the funding healthcare to meet the needs of its citizens. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), in 2011-12 Australia spent an estimated $140.2 billion on healthcare, accounting for approximately 9.5% of the gross domestic product (AIHW, 2014). Australia has seen substantial growth in the cost of healthcare over the last decade due to an aging population, increased prevalence of chorionic conditions, changes in personal incomes, technology, and other economic trends (AIHW, 2014). Government sources account for the bulk of all healthcare funding, with the Australian Government contributing 42.4%, and state and territory

The four components of the United States health care system dramatically vary from the components of the health care system in Australia. The health care system of Australia is classified as a national health care system. Unlike the United States, Australia’s health care system is referred to as a single-payer system or a system that is governed by a single central agency; the Australian government. The government finances health care through the means of general taxes, even though health care is delivered by private providers. The benefit of a central agency governing the health care system is that it eliminates the complexity by eliminating components that exists in the multi-payer system of the United States health care system. Although the citizens of the United States are free to choose the method of obtaining health care, countless individuals are left without any means of health care.

Canada is on the verge of running into a large increase in the number of elderly people who will need quality health care in the next few years. In fact, in the report “Canada's population estimates: Age and sex, 2014”, (Statistics Canada Demography Division 2014) it states that, “on July 1, 2014, 15.7% of Canada’s population (nearly one in six Canadians) was aged 65 and older... Furthermore, seniors would account for between 24% and 28% of the population by the year 2063”. This report targets the challenges the elderly population in Canada face in their health care system, how these issues are going to get worse with the expected aging population, as well as some possible improvements that will prepare the health care system of Canada to meet

With the population aging, the dependency ratio will decrease greatly as those that are supporting those dependent on the government age themselves which means that there may be less people to carry Australia’s

(Australian PolityVolume 2 (Number 1), 2011) Australia’s government has a health system which is the equal to that of any other in the world when at its best. Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the public hospitals in Australia all provide easy access to life saving treatments. However despite these positive attributes there is still much that can be done to improve the current health system. The Australian health care system has been perceived to have a lack of integration, with the health care system described as “a series of disjointed silos and structural relationships” (Australian PolityVolume 2 (Number 1), 2011). Medicare provides access to medical and hospital services for all Australian residents as well as coverage to certain visitors to Australia depending on the classification of their visa. The system administering Medicare and payments of Medicare benefits on behalf of the Department of Health, which is responsible for developing Medicare

As Australia’s population ages, healthcare promotion and access are a public target. A study by Kent, F & Keating, J. (2013) targets patients over 70 recently discharged from hospital in a student-run clinic where differing disciplines participated in a collaborative workplace to assess physical, functional and social health. This collaboration, referred to as interprofessional care, ensures a holistic view of patients and access to appropriate services. Evident in this study, interprofessional care ensures patients understand their condition and the required management and medical attention, ensuring the prevention of further health issues. This report aims to investigate Keating and Kent’s methodology, evidence and conclusions

Australia, like most other developed countries, is experiencing an increase in the demand for health care4 in conjunction with a rise in health care costs which are a result of ageing population, increase in multi disease burden such as the likes on Non-communicable diseases and the need for complex and sometimes expensive forms of medical treatment.

While the US and Australia have strong economies, their population varies enormously, impacting on their economic growth. America's burgeoning population of 318.9 million highlights that there will be a high demand for health care and services, resulting in the US government spending even more for health care. The US government already spends $9,086 per person on healthcare annually, which is 50% more than Australia. Moreover, the working age population in the US, which is defined as the people between the age of 15-65 years, is estimated to grow annually by only 33%. Similarly, it is estimated by 2020 that the working age population of Australia (currently 67%) will also drop by 1%. The slow growth in the working age population will lead to

The current structure and administration of the Australian Health Care System is very sophisticated and highly respected amongst its Australian citizens. Each level of government has its own responsibilities and duties. This essay will outline key features of the Australian health care system with regards to economic, political and ethical considerations, compared with the Unites States of America, North Korea and China.

The causes of ageing population in Australia is multiple but can be summed up to three main

Health care is a significant aspect in every country that wants to maintain and grow. Without it, a nation would struggle to develop or even withstand. Therefore the types of health care systems a country chooses can be very critical and will also affects the performance of the country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Australia is ranked fourth in healthcare (WHO, 2013) and is broadly regarded in high effectiveness and efficiency (Medicare Australia, 2010). This is all resulted from combining responsibilities from both public and private sector in health services. Allowing Australia to offers a variety ways to fund and provide regulatory mechanism within the healthcare system. However there are still major challenges in the funding and delivery of health care that Australia still has to meet.

Healthy and productive ageing is highly dependent upon timely and affordable access to health care. However, often cost and accessibility can prove barriers to accessing medical care. The growth in the ageing population places heavier demands on the public health care system and increases health care, which further exacerbate the barriers to affordable and accessible health care. These cost and accessibility issues can be of major concern to many individuals, as the majority of Australians have contact with the health system each year.

Australia is one of the developed countries that have a growing ageing population, and this has a decided impact on the Australian Health System and Services, which is in fact expected to increase in the future. "...the increase in certain risk factors and the prolonging of life due to improvements in medical interventions, the prevalence of chronic disease is expected to increase in the future (Key indicators of progress for chronic disease and associated determinants, 2011, p. 1). An alarming statistic that should be taken into account is that, "...it is estimated that chronic diseases currently account for 70% of the total burden of ill health in Australia, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years, and this is expected to increase to 80%