SYDNEY, March 7 (Xinhua) – A new report from the Australian think tank Grattan Institute has shown how hundreds of thousands of Australians have delayed or declined medical treatment because of the cost.
The report, which was released on Sunday, revealed that in 2020-21, 400,000 Australians missed or delayed a doctor’s visit at least once, with almost 600,000 delaying the purchase of prescription drugs due to high costs.
The researchers attributed this to Australia’s high deductibles compared to other developed countries, with 28 per cent of Australia’s total healthcare expenditure left to the individual or 7 billion Australian dollars (about 5.2 billion US dollars) per year.
In South Korea, this figure is 27 percent, Sweden 22 percent, France 17 percent and Germany 15 percent.
“Over one million Australians spend more than a thousand dollars each year on services and medicines provided outside the hospital,” said the author of the report, Linda Lin of the Grattan Institute.
She said these costs are actually rising and have increased by an average of 50 percent in real terms over the past decade.
The report noted that rather than discouraging unnecessary care, the cost of patients caused many Australians to postpone important check-ups and medications, which ultimately cost taxpayers more as unresolved health problems require more treatment in the future.
“High deductibles for out-of-hospital care can unnecessarily pressure people against hospital care,” the report said.
It noted that it can be particularly harmful for people with chronic diseases, such as asthma and diabetes, who need early and constant intervention.
It cited that skipped healthcare costs the country’s healthcare system an estimated 10.4 billion Australian dollars (about 7.7 billion US dollars) per year.
The researchers urged the government to reduce the gap between healthcare benefits and patients’ deductibles when they see GPs or specialists.
Another author of the report, Anika Stobart, said this would make Australia’s healthcare both more efficient and improve the quality of care.
“We have actually identified many ways in which the government can reduce out-of-pocket (costs), while not having to face up and bear that cost ourselves … Many of our recommendations are therefore close to cost-neutral,” he said. Stobart.