Healthcare in Australia

The Australian population has a generally good health status, with life expectancy at birth at 75.2 years for boys born in 1994--96 and 81 years for girls born in that period. There are some groups with poor health status, notably Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Otherwise the pattern of disease is similar to that of other developed countries.

Many patients’ first contact with the health system is through a general practitioner (GP/family physician). Patients can choose their own GP and are reimbursed for all or part of the GP’s fee by Medicare, depending on the GP’s billing arrangements.

For specialised care, patients can be referred to specialists, other health professionals, hospitals or community-based healthcare organisations.

Community-based services---a range of which can also be accessed directly by patients---provide care and treatment in areas such as mental health, alcohol and other drugs, and family planning.

Visits to dentists and other private sector health professionals, such as physiotherapists, chiropractors and natural therapists, are usually paid for by the patients themselves or with the support of private health insurance.

There are the special healthcare arrangements for members of the defence forces, and for war veterans and their dependants.