Healthcare: Exploring Funding, Population Health Indicators, and System Governance

RUNNING HEAD: Healthcare 0
Healthcare

Healthcare 1
Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Funding.................................................................................................................................................2
Funding system / health insurance.....................................................................................................2
GDP spent on health..........................................................................................................................3
System governance arrangements in the country.................................................................................5
Population health indicators.................................................................................................................6
Maternal mortality rate.....................................................................................................................6
Infant mortality rate..........................................................................................................................6
Life expectancy at birth.....................................................................................................................8
Health system performance indicators..................................................................................................9
Low birth weight infants....................................................................................................................9
Obesity..............................................................................................................................................9
Diabetes.............................................................................................................................................9
Asthma............................................................................................................................................10
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)................................................................................................10
Cancer..............................................................................................................................................10
Management of quality and safety in the health system....................................................................11
References...........................................................................................................................................12

Healthcare 2
Introduction
The health leaders direct the accomplishments of a group towards a common goal. The
features of the leadership role comprise persuading group activities and managing with the
change. The healthcare systems are serene of several professional groups, departments and
spheres. The healthcare leaders internationally identify the people’s experience of healthcare
delivery are significant and invest resources to monitor. The aspects of the healthcare
delivery are relative to each other. The healthcare leaders are intricate in all the aspects of the
healthcare comprising budgeting, patientcare, job skills, national and local healthcare laws,
policies, quality measures and outcomes. These are required to be knowledgeable along with
adaptable. Several parts of the healthcare are ever varying so the leaders have ability to make
and lead required challenges. It necessitates healthcare leaders to communicate effectively
and evidently.
The health care is highly demanded. The universal health care lacks due to the high charges.
The healthcare performance data is analysed between Australia and U.S. Both the countries
are broke down on the basis of the areas given below:
Funding
Funding system / health insurance
The health system of Australia is considered as one of the best worldwide. It offers quality,
safe and affordable health care for individuals and family. The healthcare in Australia is
conveyed as a mixed system comprising universal healthcare (public) and private providers
(insurance). Mostly healthcare is offered publically whereas remaining are offered by the
private sector. The Australian, state and territory governments are accountable for running
health system in the country (Duckett & Willcox, 2015). The public sector insurance in Australia
is generally known as Medicare. It offers healthcare advantage to the citizens, expatriates and
permanent residents. Such people have communal healthcare coverage contract with the
country. The Medicare is sponsored from tax dollars and by imposing 1.5% of each person’s
income who have not acquired private insurance (Bennett, 2013). The Medicare comprises of
two constituents, disbursements to public hospitals by states and territories. The other one is
direct payments to the doctors and other health specialists. The Medicare is subsidised
through the taxation and levy (Hesson, et al. 2018). The budget of the Australian government

Healthcare 3
for the 2013-2014 to 2015-2016, the Medicare levy was correspondingly 2.94%, 3.85% and
4% of total tax revenue.
The common wealth and state and territories have come into the national health reform
agreement (NHRA) concerning arrangement of funding of hospitals in Australia. The NHRA
is responsible for funding and administration of the public hospitals in the country (Donato &
Segal, 2013).
The costs of the healthcare are higher in U.S than other countries. Such higher costs are
sometimes regarded as unsustainable. The health care in U.S is remunerated by the
government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurance plans and
through individual’s own funds. The health care is advanced in U.S but equally expensive.
The percentage of GDP spent on the healthcare is suggestively advanced than other nations.
The system in U.S is a mix of public and private insurance. The government offers insurance
coverage via Medicare and Medicaid (Betancourt, 2016).
GDP spent on health
The total spending of $170.4 billion was made on the health by Australia in 2015-2016. It was 3.6%
higher than the spending made in 2014-15. It was the 4th constant year that progress was less than
the average of 4.7%. In spite of the low growth, the GDP was signified by health 10.3%. It sustained
to grow due to the slow GDP growth that is 2.7%. It represented that health expenditure in Australia
remain to be lower in 2015-16 when it is compared to the ten year average (The Guardian, 2017).