May 2013 News

Labor's plans to cut Australia's private health insurance rebate system by $700 million during the next four years just got one step closer to becoming a reality.

The private health insurance rebate is a government-funded initiative that helps Australians cover health insurance payments.

A study conducted by the Australian Health Review has revealed that hospital waiting lists and times are not getting any shorter, and this could be having a negative impact on patient health and quality of life.

Dr Julie Walters, who hails from the School of Health Sciences at the University of South Australia, said that "government policies aimed at reducing waiting have had limited success". It is hoped that this study will shed some light on which areas need to be improved.

National Palliative Care Week is once again upon us - an annual event organised by Palliative Care Australia to raise awareness about end-of-life issues.

Running from May 19 to 25, this year's event is centred on the idea that palliative care is "everyone's business" - that it will affect us all at some time.

A recent survey conducted by Palliative Care Australia revealed that an astonishing one in two respondents had not discussed any end-of-life-care decisions with their loved ones.

Professor Mike Daube, a leading anti-tobacco campaigner, has today (May 17) revealed a 10-point plan that could see Australia being completely smoke-free within 15 years.

This plan was part of a paper, titled A Smoke-Free Australia: How Do We Get There?, which was presented at the Heart Foundation Conference this morning. This is a three-day event that is currently underway in Adelaide.