Australia is in many ways similar in many similar to United States. Both Australia and United States have capital (capitalist) economy. Both enjoy stable democratic government. Both are developed nation having similar cultural roots. GDP per capita income in United States was 52,800 while Australia GDP Per capita was 43,700 (2013 est). 1 Both countries also have similar domestic issues such as immigration, unemployment, aging population etc. Some suggests that Australia is a cousin country to United States. These similarities make Australia a perfect candidate for comparing its health care and delivery system with United States.
Healthcare System Australia offers tax funded public universal health coverage to all its citizens via program called Medicare. Overall healthcare is provided with mix of public and private sector complementing each other. Medicare covers physician, prescription drugs and hospital services, while private sector covers dental care, eye and other non covered services; Although Central government also subsidizes private health care services. Australia spends approximately…show more content… Health care in United States is thought to be a privilege. Access to healthcare is largely through either private health care insurance subsidized by employer or safety nets for elderly and poor such as Medicare and Medicaid respectively. Subsidies and quality of the coverage is generally varies since it is dependent on employer, state regulations and religious beliefs. Recent healthcare reform is making government role complex and constantly evolving. It is estimated that, 56% of the US Population receives primary care through private for profit health Insurance, while 31% of US population were covered under publicly funded safety net programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Almost 45 million residents or 17% were uninsured in 2013. United States spends 17.2% of GPD in overall healthcare