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"Health Costs and Policy in an Ageing Australia" Mr Garry Banks, Chairman, Productivity Commission, held on Thursday 26 June 2008 in The Finkel Lecture Theatre at
The John Curtin School of Medical Research
Associate Professor Roger Magnussen, Faculty of Law, University of Sydney, held on Monday 17
September, 2007 at the University of Sydney.
Mr Andrew Podger AO gave the inaugural Menzies Health Policy Oration
The Menzies Centre for Health Policy was opened by His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC, Governor General & patron of the Menzies Foundation, on Friday 3 March 2006 at Old Parliament House, Canberra.
The MCHP 3rd Annual Emerging Health Research Conference
Australia’s only conference for early career health policy researchers was held this year at The University of Sydney on 9 October 2008. The Emerging Health Policy Researchers Conference, which is the third hosted by The Menzies Centre for Health Policy, is unique because it brings PhD students, post-doctoral researchers, policy-makers and senior academics together to discuss research on a range of health policy issues.
At this year’s conference, early career researchers from universities across Australia had the rare opportunity to test their ideas out with those responsible for making health policy. One participant explained that as well as being “an excellent opportunity to learn about health policy research going on across Australia”, she received invaluable feedback on her research project from conference attendees.
Policy-makers and academics who attended the conference were able to learn about new research findings from a wide range of health policy areas, including: health policy development, evaluation and reform; health services; chronic disease prevention and management; health workforce; tobacco control; and international nutrition and trade policy.
The Menzies Centre for Health Policy is committed to ongoing sponsorship of the Emerging Health Policy Researchers Conference because of the important contribution it makes to developing Australia’s health policy research capacity.
There were two keynote addresses during the day. Professor Don Nutbeam, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney and Dr Helen Zorbas, Director of the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre.
To view Prof Nutbeam's presentation, click here.
To view Dr Zorbas' presentation, click here.
Emerging Health Policy Research Conference 2008 - Prof. Stephen Leeder and Prof. Don Nutbeam. To view video, click here. To hear audio, click here.
Emerging Health Policy Research Conference 2008 - Dr. Helen Zorbas. To view video, click here.
To hear audio, click here.
Sustainable Funding for Australia's Future Health Care
On 9 September 2008, the Menzies Centre for Health Policy in conjunction with the Australian Centre for Economic Research on Health hosted a seminar that Australia is facing significant increased costs in the future in maintaining the health of its people. In coming decades Australia will have more people suffering from chronic and debilitating health conditions such as diabetes, a higher proportion of older people with complex health care needs and burgeoning costs from new diagnostic and treatment technologies including pharmaceuticals.
Another motivation for concern with current health financing arrangements is duplication in health insurance coverage. Duplication arises because the Medicare coverage for public hospital services cannot be used for private hospital services. Those who purchase private health insurance therefore have to pay a premium that covers the full cost of private hospital services and not just the additional cost of those services. A large part of private health insurance coverage is therefore duplicate coverage while only a small part is supplementary coverage.
Australia already spends around ten percent of its GDP on health care and some estimates show this increasing to over fifteen per cent by 2020- an additional $50 billion each year.
How will we pay for this? Are there better ways of financing and providing health care?
This seminar discussed financing options based on Australian and international research undertaken through the Australian Centre for Economic Research on Health (ACERH) at the ANU.
Speakers were:
Professor Jim Butler, Director ACERH (Reforming hospital financing – a Medicare Hospital Benefits Scheme?). To view Prof Butler's slides, click here.
Dr Francesco Paolucci, research fellow ACERH (Reforming health care financing – allowing opting out of Medicare with risk-adjusted subsidies). To view Dr Paolucci's slides, click here.
Henry Ergas, Chairman, Concept Economics (Financing, Regulation and Competition in Health Care). To view Mr Ergas' slides, click here.
The Hospital Admission Merry-Go Round: How to Get Off
On 27 August, The Menzies Centre for Health Policy, in conjunction with The Australian Health Policy Institute presented "The Hospital Admissions Merry-go-Round: How to Get Off".
The current focus on health reform looks to better integrate and coordinate care across all aspects of the health sector, particularly between primary care and hospital services to reduce avoidable hospitalizations, readmissions to hospital and non-urgent accident and emergency presentations.
There is a considerable portfolio of Australian work in this area, with information about health outcomes and health care costs and savings. However what is striking is how much government money has been spent on short-term initiatives that have not been effectively used by policy makers to inform policy development.
Indigenous Health: Closing the Gap for Metropolitan Communities
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has committed to ‘closing the gap’ on Indigenous health and disadvantage,
but to date the focus has been primarily on the remote communities of the Northern Territory. The majority of Indigenous people live in heavily settled areas, where they form a small minority of the total population. Their disadvantage is just as great and their health care needs are just as serious as those in remote communities. ‘Closing the gap’ requires that we attend to the needs of all Indigenous people. These issues (and how to tackle them) were addressed by:
Mr Anthony Dillon, Lecturer in Indigenous Studies, University of Sydney
To view Mr Dillon's slides, click here.
Ms Lesley Podesta, First Assistant Secretary, Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Department of Health & Ageing.
Ms Dea Delaney Thiele, CEO, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
To view Ms Thiele's slides, click here.
Moderated by Dr Lesley Russell, Menzies Foundation Fellow.
To view Dr Lesley Russell's notes, click here. To view Dr Lesley Russell's slides, click here.
To view references and useful seminar information, click here.
Re-finding the plot: How to regain direction in mental health policy for Australia
On Tuesday, 22 July 08, The Menzies Centre for Health Policy in conjunction with The Brain and Mind Research Institute hosted a seminar which examined, discussed the realities of mental health policy in Australia. This event was chaired by Menzies Foundation Fellow Dr Lesley Russell,
Panel experts discussed current mental health policy (including an analysis of successes and failures which have led us to our current position), provided an overview of what is now needed in mental health policy, and presented a critical examination of the issues of equity and social justice in this area.
Menzies Centre for Health Policy: Public Health Policy Oration
Topic: Health Costs and Policy in an Ageing Australia
Mr Garry Banks from the Productivity Commission will chair the Oration.
Gary Banks has been Chairman of the Productivity Commission since its inception in 1998. In addition to his role as Chief Executive he has personally headed national inquiries on major policy and regulatory topics – including Private Health Insurance, National Competition Policy and the Economic Implications of an Ageing Australia. Gary chaired the 2006 Taskforce on Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Business and was a member of the West Review of higher education in 1997. He chairs the inter-governmental Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, and was the initial convenor for its report Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage.
New Policy Buzz Words: Prevention and Primary Care
On 28 May 2008, The Menzies Centre for Health Policy
In conjunction with The Australian Health Policy Institute
hosted the second seminar in 2008 examining the health challenges facing the new government. Professor Stephen Leeder, Professor Mark Harris & Professor George Rubin all delivered presentations, and the seminar was moderated by Dr Lesley Russell.
This event addressed three main themes in regards to prevention and primary care:
Health Conundrums: Exploring the policy and legal framework behind Australia's health and ageing system
The Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Minter Ellison hosted the first session of a new national series, Health Conundrums: Exploring the policy and legal framework behind Australia's health and ageing system on 6 May 2008. This session examined:
"Regulation of - Therapeutic Goods and Nanotechnology"
The guest speaker of the evening was Senator Jan McLucas - Federal Parliamentary Secretary, Department of Health and Ageing.
Senator McLucas was appointed Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing in the newly elected Rudd Labor Government on 4 December 2007. Prior to her appointment as Shadow Minister for Ageing, Disabilities and Carers in November 2004, she chaired the Community Affairs References Committee, conducting the inquiries into Poverty, Children in Institutional Care, and Aged Care. She also chaired the Senate Select Committee of Inquiry into Medicare.
This seminar also had commentary by: Lynne Peach - Partner, Minter Ellison.
Lynne joined Minter Ellison as a Partner in 2008. She has a particular emphasis in the pharmaceutical arena, where she is experienced in representing pharmaceutical companies in relation to regulatory issues including the registration of therapeutic goods and devices, the inclusion of goods on the PBS, regulatory matters arising in connection with pharmaceutical patents and associated administrative law challenges.
Does PHC Mean Powerless to Hear the Community?
This seminar was delivered by Professor Gavin Mooney, on 27 March 2008. in the Normal Gregg Lecture Theatre. Gavin is currently the Director of SPHERE and Professor of Health Economics, Curtin University of Technology.
Primary Health Care in Australia has lost its way. Bedevilled by first, fee for service medicine; by second, a lack of awareness of what the community (qua community) wants from it; by third, (largely) powerless Divisions of General Practice; by fourth, inequities (from the patient’s perspective) in fee structures between doctors and other professionals in the community; and by last, a too great emphasis on treatment and not enough on access. There is a need for serious reform of PHC in Australia.
PHC in Australia is currently driven largely by what GPs want and too little by what the community wants. There is much to learn from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, especially in shifting from primary health care to primary care for health. There is also much to learn from listening to the voices of the informed community.
This talk argued that the need for reform in PHC in Australia must start with the current distribution of power in health services. The balance of resources and the balance of power are too skewed in favour of hospital medicine. A major reason for this is that the health service remains too much a medical institution and too little a social institution. Thirty years on from Alma Ata, there is a need for PHC to embrace much more the social determinants of health.
Reality Bites: Translating Election Commitments into Health Policies and Programs
The Menzies Centre for Health Policy in association with The Australian Health Policy Institute held the first in a series of health policy seminars on 26 March 2008, examining the health challenges facing the new federal Government.
The keynote speaker for the evening was Dr Lesley Russell, Menzies Foundation Fellow, Menzies Centre for Health Policy.
Dr Russell's presentation was followed by a panel discussion that focused on the processes and issues involved in health reform.
The panel consisted of:
Professor Stephen Leeder, Director, Australian Health Policy Institute and Co-Director, Menzies Centre for Health Policy
Dr Mary Haines, Health Services Research Director, The Sax Institute
Dr Mel Miller, Chief Executive Officer, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Paul Grogan: Director, Advocacy, The Cancer Council Australia
Associate Professor Simon Willcock, Discipline of General Practice, University of Sydney
Anne-Marie Boxall, Australian Health Policy Institute
Mr Bob Wells, Co-Director, Menzies Centre for Health Policy at the Australian National University, chaired the discussion.
Click here to view Dr Russell's PowerPoint slides, and here to view the notes from the Seminar.
Oxford Health Alliance Summit
The Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA) has held four annual summits to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to confront the global epidemic of chronic disease. The Australian Health Policy Institute hosted the most recent of these on the theme of 'Building a healthy future: chronic disease and our environment'.
The Summit was held at the Intercontinental Sydney 25-27 February 2008.
A strife of interests? How interest group dynamics in Australia led to Medicare. A presentation by Anne-Marie Boxall at the Emerging Health Policy Research Conference, 12 October, 2007. A copy of Anne-Marie’s abstract and presentation are available.
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