It’s time complementary medicines were covered by a tougher regulatory regime, argues Ken Harvey. more
KJHarvey
Articles by KJHarvey:
Drug companies’ free lunches have expensive side-effects
It may only take an apple a day to keep the doctors away – but should it really take a $200 dinner to keep them on their seats? Last week the ACCC threw some sand into the well-oiled wheels of drug company promotion, but Ken Harvey says more action is needed.
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The Sale of Medibank Private
Dr Ken Harvey examines the pros and cons of selling off Medibank Private. Privatising the government-owned fund may lead to better, more affordable service for its members, but Harvey argues that to bring about real change the sale should be accompanied by regulatory incentives to encourage all funds to become more innovative and cost-effective
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Private Health Insurance: Where are we now and where should we be going?
Ken Harvey explains the development of private health insurance since 1997 when the Howard government first acted to support it. He explores the arguments for and against government support for the scheme and presents a range of policy options for an alternative government including eliminating the existing rebate and transferring funds to the public health sector, gradually reducing the rebate so as to increase the role of market forces and linking the rebate to specific performance indicators for funds.
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