Rudd Government Plan for Health Reform (12/3/2010)

02 January 2013

rudd_roxon_ABC_300w_1_.jpgThe National Health and Hospitals Network will deliver better hospitals by establishing a national hospital network, funded nationally and run locally. This is the most significant reform to our nations health system since the introduction of Medicare.

For more information including speeches, reports and media releases, click here.

The National Health and Hospitals Network will:

    • Create a single national network of hospitals, instead of eight separate systems

    • Be funded nationally, with the Australian Government shouldering the majority of the funding burden, which will mean more money is available to meet rising health costs

    • Make sure local doctors and nurses with local expertise are making the important decisions for our local hospitals



The National Health & Hospitals Network will mean that:

The Australian Government takes majority funding responsibility

    • The Government will pay for 60 per cent of all public hospitals

    • This will make the Australian Government the majority funder of the whole public hospital system for the first time

    • The Government will take full funding responsibility for all health services provided outside hospitals, like GPs and community health clinics



Local hospitals will work in local networks and be paid directly

    • The Australian Government will take control of hospitals from central bureaucracies and hand it to Local Hospital Networks run by health and financial professionals

    • The Australian Government will pay Local Hospital Networks directly for each service they provide, rather than providing a cheque to the States



Our health system is financially sustainable

    • The Australian Government will retain one third of GST and invest this directly into health and hospitals

    • Health is the fastest growing area of all governments budgets



Australias health and hospitals will be required to meet tough national standards

    • The Australian Government will set national standards for Australias hospitals, including for elective surgery and emergency departments.

For more information click here.