Abstract
Good health is not guaranteed for all Australians. Policy must address issues of access and appropriate care so no one is left behind.
Health inequity is the unfair and unequal distribution of healthy living throughout a population. Inequity mainly exists due to factors beyond individual choice and is influenced by the social demographic groups you are part of.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that existing health inequities interact with policy concerns around unstable work, disability, aged care and autoimmune disease. Telehealth was a temporary measure that enabled health care during the pandemic and it has been largely successful in providing treatment while reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Even publicly funded health care remains unaffordable for many. Bulk-billing practices are rare, can involve long wait lists and public hospital outpatient services tend to limit access to publicly funded health care.
Bold policy reform offers the opportunity for doing things differently. Existing inequities are socially created, partly because of policies that have excluded marginalised groups.
Health inequity is the unfair and unequal distribution of healthy living throughout a population. Inequity mainly exists due to factors beyond individual choice and is influenced by the social demographic groups you are part of.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that existing health inequities interact with policy concerns around unstable work, disability, aged care and autoimmune disease. Telehealth was a temporary measure that enabled health care during the pandemic and it has been largely successful in providing treatment while reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Even publicly funded health care remains unaffordable for many. Bulk-billing practices are rare, can involve long wait lists and public hospital outpatient services tend to limit access to publicly funded health care.
Bold policy reform offers the opportunity for doing things differently. Existing inequities are socially created, partly because of policies that have excluded marginalised groups.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Type | Briefing paper |
| Media of output | Online |
| Publisher | Centre for Social Impact |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 26 Apr 2022 |
Keywords
- Australian federal election 2022
- Health services accessibility
- Health inequity
- Health services administration
- Australia
