Remember all that federal Labor arty talk about finally fixing the financing of the public hospital system? Well, forget them. The first state to make a mockery of the new system was Tasmania, writes Richard Farmer.
Public hospital reform
Your guide to the health/aged care reforms
Melissa Sweet offers a rather brutal summary of health reforms: a lot of money is being spent for most uncertain outcomes, while reforms seem to benefit the pharmaceutical industries more than the public purse.
Penberthy: Roxon the party pooper
Do-gooder Health minister Nicola Roxon is ruining it for all Australians who want to destroy their health with booze, bacon and cigarettes, says David Penberthy
Budget 2010: why the health funding was such a ‘surreal’ experience
Policy announcements don’t mean a lot until you see the actual money committed in the Budget, and this time the health sector was pleasantly surprised, writes Carol Bennett.
Health continues to top the charts
On top of the public hospital reform spending already announced with the COAG agreement, the 2010 Budget invests a further $2.2 billion over four years in health and hospital reform.
Are we going back to the 1960s in mental health?
The Health Department may be able to write a chook raffle policy, but it has few employees with much experience of running health services, and too many decision-making generic career bureaucrats without any clinical background, says psychiatrist Alan Rosen.
How hospital emergency departments are forced to “sell” patients
Cost-shifting, blame-shifting and patient-shifting are an integral part of our health system, and the COAG health reforms are unlikely to signal their demise, writes Sydney emergency registrar Dr Clare Skinner.
Essential: Voters back health plan, optimistic about change
Kevin Rudd has won support for his sweeping health reforms among voters, according to a new Essential Research poll, with most believing it will have a positive impact on health services.
Health reforms: all posturing and political theatre
Why couldn’t Victoria — a state with a strong track record of managing hospitals — continue to operate its health care system as normal as a trial? Why didn’t we embrace competitive federalism? asks Graeme Orr.
Grattan: Both parties are sick when it comes to health
Kevin Rudd is coming out of the health reforms looking a little awkward — lots of extra cash was given away and WA still isn’t on board — but he still looks a lot healthier than backed-into-a-corner Tony Abbott, writes Michelle Grattan.
The new pin-up girl of Australian politics
Daily Media Wrap: Kristina Keneally has become the golden girl of Australian politics in the last few days after her importance in cinching the national health reform deal. Is she the next Powerfox?
Cassidy: Bursting Abbott’s thought bubbles
Tony Abbott is an expert in distraction, dangling the tasty “no dole for under 30s” lollipop in front of us just as Kevin Rudd’s historic health reform deal has been passed. Except, the distractions don’t detract from Rudd’s clever deal, says Barrie Cassidy.
Waiting for Ruddo — mental health misses out at COAG
Yesterday may have been an historic occasion for some hospital patients, but for the four million Australians who have a mental illness, the wait for real reform goes on, writes Sebastian Rosenberg.
Crikey Says: A ‘planned negotiation process’ — so that’s what it was…
So that’s that whole health reform deal was. A “planned negotiation process” that started and ended with posturing by premiers who needed to appear macho to their constituencies.
revealed How the health deal was done
Simon Benson has the inside story of how the health deal was struck, with Kristina Keneally’s powerful secret handshakes, John Brumby walking out of meetings and the last minute $800m sweetener.
Deal and no deal between PM and Premiers
Daily media wrap: All sides are declaring victory in the battle over public hospital reform, except no one seems to have actually won — yet.
States stick it up Rudd
All those commitments Kevin Rudd is making to the states to buy their support for health reform will add up to more middle-class welfare. Whoever wins out of this, taxpayers will be the losers.
Political snippets: Waiting for COAG
Failure to convince the Premiers on hospital reform would not really be a failure for Kevin Rudd, a coming of age for the Greens, mixing sport and politics (and Twitter) in India and more nuggets of political news.
How voters feel about state governments: it’s not healthy respect
Voters’ attitudes towards their state governments vary considerably, depending on how they handle important issues. But everyone agrees they don’t handle health well.
Penberthy: Next stop, Kevin Rudd the musical
Kevin Rudd’s personal style is making his health reform plans terminal. Rudd’s setting himself to be the next Paul Keating: the popular PM who couldn’t convince voters of challenging ideas, says David Penberthy.
Mungo MacCallum: Health debate shows up unfinished job of federation
The Great Health and Hospitals War has been a pretty unedifying affair. But it has had one useful outcome: even the staunchest conservatives are now having second thoughts on reserving so much power for the states.
Do we still need state govts?
It isn’t the GST that should make the premiers fear the “thin end of the wedge”; the entire purpose of their existence is in question.
Remember us? We’re called nurses
Nurses are the people who will be critical to achieving health reform on the ground, since doctors aren’t alone in providing front-line health care, writes mental health nurse Kim Ryan.
