Health Matters Podcast

The number of older Australians stuck in hospital beds they don't medically need has jumped more than 50 per cent, with some waiting up to 100 days for an aged care or disability place that isn't there. A new 196-page health reform agreement was meant to fix exactly this. Today we break down what that agreement actually delivers, the cut to the over-65 private health rebate, why specialist...

A new federal inquiry into the affordability of specialist care opens with a data problem: reported average in-hospital out-of-pockets sit around $270, while patients in the breast cancer community routinely pay $30,000 to $50,000. Chapters (00:00) - Intro (02:18) - Cracks at the edges of our world-class system (05:51) - Gap shock: when the bill arrives after diagnosis (14:13) - The $270 versus $3...

Australia spends billions managing the consequences of a fragmented health system while comparable countries collect the gas revenue we leave on the table. Health economist Luke Slawomirski on the 2026 budget, the PHI rebate, and what a serious reform agenda would actually look like. Guest: Dr Luke Slawomirski, Health Economist at the Australia Institute. Chapters (00:00) - Intro (01:10) - The pat...

Health economist James Downie joins Dr Katharine Bassett to examine how legacy funding models, workforce shortages, and fragmented care pathways are structurally driving inefficiency across Australian healthcare. Chapters (00:00) Intro (01:12) The private hospital viability crisis (04:35) Why current pricing models are failing (07:58) What a Private National Efficient Price would do (11:22) Transp...