affordable medical insurance

Medicare is Australia's publicly-funded, universal health scheme, providing affordable treatment by doctors and in public hospitals for all citizens and permanent residents except for those on Norfolk Island[1]. Visitors from countries which have reciprocal arrangements with Australia have limited access to Medicare.

History

Medibank

Medicare, originally called Medibank, was introduced by the Labour Whitlam Government on 1 July 1975, at the commencement of the Health Insurance Act 1973. Affordable Medical Insurance, High Deductible Health Insurance: Celtic. The introduction of Medicare was fraught: the Senate rejected the changes multiple times and they were passed only after a joint sitting after the 1974 double dissolution election.

Despite this hostile response to its introduction, Medibank/Medicare was supported by subsequent governments and has become a key feature of Australia’s public policy landscape. The exact structure of Medicare, in terms of the size of the rebate to doctors and hospitals and the way it has administered, has varied over the years. Although considerable changes were enacted after the Whitlam government lost power, the Fraser Government reviewed Medibank and decided to retain it despite the Liberal Party’s previous opposition. In October 1976 the parliament introduced a ‘Medicare levy’ to help fund the program, a measure the Liberal party had previously refused to support under the Whitlam government.