19 September 2017 — Report

Tipping the Scales - Australian Obesity Prevention Consensus

Obesity Policy Coalition

Australia’s health, wellbeing and productivity is being threatened by an epidemic of weight-related illness. Most Australian adults (63.4%) are above a healthy weight with 27.9% obese and 35.5% overweight. More than a quarter (27%) of Australian children are overweight or obese. If current...

18 September 2017 — Submission

Options to reduce pressure on private health insurance premiums by addressing the growth of private patients in public hospitals discussion paper

Consumers Health Forum

First and foremost, we would like to remind the government and policy makers that consumers, the people who use the health system and for whom it was created, should be at the centre of all of decisions. As advocates for consumers, who do not have a financial stake in this, we offer suggestions...

14 September 2017 — Presentations and Speeches

Webinar - Accreditation Systems Review: What’s in the draft report?

Professor Mike Woods and the Accreditation Systems Review

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/c3eliNq_jsc. Professor Woods provides a synopsis of the draft report and outlines the impact of proposed options for health consumers.  It was also be an opportunity for participants to provide feedback and comment on the...

11 September 2017 — Submission

Submission to the Independent Review of Health Providers' Access to Medicare Card Numbers

Consumers Health Forum
This is a response to the discussion paper released 18 August 2017. CHF agrees with the Discussion Paper that there is a balance to be struck between security protections surrounding health professionals’ access to patients’ Medicare card numbers to avoid unauthorised, inappropriate or fraudulent use, and timely access to Medicare benefits for patients who are unable to present their Medicare card at the time of service.
6 September 2017 — Consumers Shaping Health

Consumers Shaping Health, vol 11, Issue 2, September 2017

Consumers Health Forum
CHF is proud be part of the push to build a consumer-centred health system in Australia.
23 August 2017 — Report

Consumer Priorities for a National Health Plan - Summary

Consumers Health Forum
This is a one-pager that summarises the key points from the full Report, 'Consumer Priorities for a National Health Plan'. '
23 August 2017 — Report

Consumer Priorities for a National Health Plan

Consumers Health Forum
This issues paper outlines a consumer perspective on the key design principles and elements which should be incorporated in the four pillars envisaged as part of a national health plan for Australia.
31 July 2017 — Submission

Submission to the Senate Inquiry into Value and Affordability of Private Health Insurance and Out-of-Pocket Medical Costs

Consumers Health Forum
Australian consumers find that Private Health Insurance (PHI) is increasingly unaffordable, confusing and are unsure about the value that it provides. Despite considerable government investment in the PHI industry, there is yet to be conclusive evidence that this investment is providing sufficient returns. We are concerned that government outlays in this area continues to increase, not decrease, despite this question of value not having been well established. Because of this, reforms to PHI must centre around two key questions – how can PHI provide better value for the taxpayer, and how can it provide better value to consumers? Our submission explores the terms of reference and the key issues for consumers in light of these questions.
26 July 2017 — Submission

Submission to MBS Review Taskforce - Urgent after-hours Primary Care services

Consumers Health Forum
The Taskforce’s report acknowledges that after-hours GP services are essential services and highly valued by consumers. While there has been an increase in the number of urgent after-hours services provided under the MBS, CHF notes that this increase on its own does not mean that these services were unjustified. Other factors, such as better access to and availability of after-hours services, could explain the increase. Moreover, an increase is not of itself surprising given the Government’s policy initiatives in recent decades to increase access to better organised after-hours services. Without these services many people, including parents and young families, the elderly including residents in aged care facilities, carers and people with terminal or chronic conditions, have faced great difficulty in getting the care they need.
24 July 2017 — Submission

Submission to the Review of Pharmacy of Remuneration and Regulation - Interim Report

Consumers Health Forum

The Interim Report correctly identifies the challenges of the current approach and makes a strong case for the need to change. This is not to say that the current system fails consumers or that it is a system in disarray, Indeed we know from the many surveys done by the Pharmacy Guild and others...

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