House Standing Committee on Health and Ageing

Committee activities (inquiries and reports)

Inquiry into Health Funding

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Terms of Reference

The Committee shall inquire into and report on how the Commonwealth government can take a leading role in improving the efficient and effective delivery of highest-quality health care to all Australians.

The Committee shall have reference to the unique characteristics of the Australian health system, particularly its strong mix of public and private funding and service delivery.

The Committee shall give particular consideration to:

1. examining the roles and responsibilities of the different levels of government (including local government) for health and related services;
2. simplifying funding arrangements, and better defining roles and responsibilities, between the different levels of government, with a particular emphasis on hospitals;
3. considering how and whether accountability to the Australian community for the quality and delivery of public hospitals and medical services can be improved;
4. how best to ensure that a strong private health sector can be sustained into the future, based on positive relationships between private health funds, private and public hospitals, medical practitioners, other health professionals and agencies in various levels of government; and
5. while accepting the continuation of the Commonwealth commitment to the 30 per cent and Senior’s Private Health Insurance Rebates, and Lifetime Health Cover, identify innovative ways to make private health insurance a still more attractive option to Australians who can afford to take some responsibility for their own health cover.

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