Australia: Where have we been?

Abstract

The Australian medical system in the twentieth century was to a large extent inherited from the British system prior to the advent of the National Health Service (NHS). Health Care had to be paid for, and about 75 % of the population had private health insurance to help cover this. In the period since the First World War the system was such that the government paid about a third of health care costs, insurance for whoever had it paid another third and the individual paid the remainder. Those truly unable to pay were treated free, by both doctors and hospitals, and particularly by the charitable institutions and benevolent funds. Up to 17 % of the population was uninsured but elf funded, and a number of these were caught in the gap and ended up with the least opportunity for health care access [1].