By Peggy McDaniel, BSN, RN, who writes the occasional post for this blog and currently works as a clinical liaison support manager of infusion in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia Pacific.
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I recently found myself sitting on a boat, enjoying a “sausage sizzle,” dressed as a pirate no less. In Australia, a party that includes barbecued meat usually includes sausage; thus the name. The pirate theme was an added bonus. As an American and a nurse, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself seated at the same table as two Australian nurses. What were the chances of that? The conversation that evening gave me some insight into the Australian health care system, which I am just getting familiar with.
Comparing health care systems. Once we all realized we were experienced nurses and shared the belief that quality patient care should always be the primary focus of health care, the conversation turned to cost. In Australia, there is a public health option that all Australians can access. It is paid for by taxes. If you choose to do so, you can also purchase a private plan to supplement this public option. I have yet to determine what part, if any, employers play in paying for health care or private insurance. However, a sick Australian will always get care and not incur a lifetime of debt for that care within their public health care system.
My fellow nurses were amazed to hear that in the U.S., you may not have health insurance for a variety of reasons. One of the nurses purchases private insurance as a “backup” to public care. She used this coverage for an elective procedure, chose her own surgeon and private hospital, and was able to schedule the procedure in a timely manner. This same nurse admitted that if you need a new hip or knee and you only have public coverage, you may have to wait for up to a year. However, if you have cancer and need treatment, it will start promptly after diagnosis, whether or not you have private insurance or not.
Both nurses asserted that the care for acute and emergent issues is of high quality in the public hospitals. They were able to give me examples of how the system works, from a personal and work perspective.
As in the U.S., hospitals here in Australia are struggling with the rising costs of health care. The public hospitals in each state utilize their group buying power to purchase supplies and equipment, which helps keep costs down. The private hospitals often have a bit more polish and shine, but all the hospitals strive to give Australians high quality care and the nurses I’ve met are passionate about that goal.
Imitate the American system? One of the nurses I chatted with exclaimed, “Our politicians keep telling us that we should be more like the American system, but I think that’s a mistake. What do you think?” Admittedly, I have much to learn about Australian health care, but so far I have to agree with her. As an American who has gone without health insurance because I was rejected due to preexisting conditions and was not employed full-time, I thought this system sounded pretty reasonable. The Australian nurses certainly felt that anything less would be unacceptable. Read the rest of this entry ?
We’d already guessed there was a problem at the health post—we hadn’t received the last several monthly statistical reports. As a Peace Corps volunteer in the Central African Republic in the early 1990s, I reviewed these reports as part of my job at the regional health office. Another part of my job was to join a supervisory team as it traveled over dirt roads to check on health facilities from hospitals down to the village health posts staffed by a single nurse. A few months into my assignment, on our way to the provincial hospital, the team decided to stop by this particular health post to find out why we weren’t receiving reports.
