To the Editor: The impact of population ageing on health care expenditure was a hot topic in the late 1990s in Australia.1 Previous studies have adopted various modelling approaches to estimate age- and sex-specific health care costs to inform population health care expenditure projections.2-4 Medicare funds about 3800 medical services, including consultations provided by general practitioners and specialists, medical diagnostic services (such as medical imaging and pathology), dental surgery, optometry and selected allied health services through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). It also funds about 2100 pharmaceutical therapies, or about 80% of all prescription medications dispensed in Australia, through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Coory MD. Ageing and healthcare costs in Australia: a case of policy-based evidence? Med J Aust 2004; 180: 581-583. <MJA full text>
- 2. Cooper C, Hagan P. The ageing Australian population and future health costs: 1996–2051. Canberra: Department of Health and Aged Care, 1999. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-historicpubs-hfsocc-ocpanew7.htm (accessed Jan 2012).
- 3. Badham J. Future financial impact of the current health financing system. Aust Health Rev 1998; 21: 96-110.
- 4. Richardson J, Robertson I. Ageing and the cost of health services. Melbourne: Centre for Health Program Evaluation, 1999. http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/centres/che/pubs/wp90.pdf (accessed Jan 2012).
- 5. Keating CL, Moodie ML, Bulfone L, et al. Healthcare utilization and costs in severely obese subjects before bariatric surgery. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2012; 20: 2412-2419.
I thank Medicare Australia staff, who assisted with the identification of samples analysed in this study and provided detailed medical and pharmaceutical data for each sample.
No relevant disclosures.