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With the Federal Election being held tomorrow, the issue of Medicare and (by extension) Private Health Insurance has once again been thrown into the spotlight with both the Coalition and Labor promising to keep Medicare public and ensure that our system and ensure that our system is free from privatisation.
We spoke to Dr Paul Gross, the Director of the Institute of Health Economics and Technology Assessment in Australia and
Greater China for his thoughts on the complex relationship between Medicare and Private Health insurance, and what he believes must be done to protect our healthcare services. Listen to his thoughts here.
We also spoke to Dr Avnesh Ratnanesan, the Chief Executive Officer of Energesse about his 
thoughts on the current challenges facing the health insurance industry in Australia, and the best way to ensure that consumers are getting real value out of their policies. Access this interview here.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme was updated today, listing the new additions, delegation and alterations to the PBS. Professor Andrew Wilson, the Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee will explain these new changes to the scheme and detail the impact that it will have on our healthcare system at out upcoming Pharmaceutical Law, Reform and Regulation Summit.
One pharmaceutical issue that has received much attention recently is the advent of biosimilars. Differing from generic medication in that they are a copy of a biological medicine that is similar but not identical to the original medication, biosimilars are expected help provide more treatment choice for both consumers and doctors. The regulation of biosimilars, the factors influencing its market entry strategies and the new regime for reimbursement will all be addressed at the upcoming Summit.
Finally in exciting news, the much-anticipated NDIS began its official roll-out across Australia yesterday. According to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Chairman Bruce Bonyhady, the NDIS will revolutionise disability support in Australia and will transform the lives of 460,000 Australians with disability, their families and carers over the next three years.
“Today we move away from the old one-size-fits-all approach to a new approach which is based on choice and control for people with disability on a scale not seen anywhere in the world,” he said.
It will be interesting to see how discussions on this issues evolve post election and so join us at these forums:
Health Insurance Summit, 28 – 29 July 2016 I Swissotel Sydney – http://ow.ly/gfft301P55d
Pharmaceutical Law, Reform & Regulation, – 2 September 2016 | Swissotel Sydney – http://ow.ly/3Xqm301P57E
