Expenditure on health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people varies with remoteness, but the patterns differ between each
of the major types of health spending, according to estimates
released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
(AIHW).
'It really is a mixed picture,' said Richard Juckes, Head of the
AIHW's Expenditure and Economics Unit.
'Our report, Expenditure on health for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people 2006-07: an analysis by remoteness and
disease, shows that Indigenous vs non-Indigenous health
spending patterns are quite different from city to regional and
remote areas, depending on whether we are talking about Medicare,
the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or hospital spending.'
'For example, with Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) expenditure
in 2006-07, overall per person spending was lower for Indigenous
Australians at 58 cents to every dollar spent on non-Indigenous
Australians. But in remote areas it was more like 77 cents to every
dollar.'
'For GP services, the per-person amounts spent were virtually
equal between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in Outer
Regional, and Remote/Very Remote areas. But for the category of
Medicare-funded services that includes surgical operations and
other procedures, Indigenous spending was less than one-third of
non-Indigenous spending in most areas.'
The report shows that expenditure on pharmaceuticals available
through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) increased with
remoteness for Indigenous Australians ($159 per person in major
cities, $223 in Remote/Very remote areas), but fell with remoteness
for non-Indigenous Australians ($285 per person down to $200 per
person).
Mr Juckes said the higher PBS expenditure for Indigenous
Australians in remote areas was driven by government arrangements
which allow patients attending an approved remote-area Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander health service to receive PBS medicines
without the need for a prescription form, and at no charge.
According to the report, over 40% of hospital admissions for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2006-07 were for
the disease grouping that includes diseases where kidney dialysis
is a treatment. This category was also responsible for the highest
health expenditure, accounting for 10% of total Indigenous admitted
patient expenditure.
For their non-Indigenous counterparts, these diseases were also
responsible for the highest proportion of hospital admissions,
accounting for 16% of all admissions, while cardiovascular diseases
had the highest expenditure, accounting for 12% of total admitted
patient expenditure.
Canberra, 6 October 2010
Further information: Richard Juckes, AIHW, tel.
(02) 6249 5126, mob. 0422 007 924
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer 02 6244 1032
Expenditure on health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people 2006-07: an analysis by remoteness and
disease
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