Exports of health services
Industry Commission inquiry report
Signed 05 / 12 / 1991
The report contains the findings of the Industry Commission's public inquiry.
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- Contents
Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Signing Page, Contents, List of Abbreviations, Terms of Reference, Overview and Recommendations
1 The Inquiry
1.1 Origin of the reference
1.2 Inquiry information
1.3 The Industry Commission's approach
1.4 The national health strategy
2 Health Care and Health Insurance
2.1 Features of health care and health insurance
2.2 Health care in Australia
2.3 Government objectives and involvement in health
3 Australian Exports of Health Services
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Why do foreign patients come to Australia?
3.3 Visitors who obtain treatment in Australia
3.4 Provision of health care to foreign demand for Australia's health services
3.5 What is the potential foreign demand for Australia's health services
3.6 Capacity of the Australian hospital system to serve foreign patients
4 Direct Impediments to Exports of Health Services
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Immigration procedures
4.3 The sale of health insurance to foreigners
4.4 Guaranteeing access to public hospitals
4.5 Limits on the training of foreign doctors
4.6 Restrictions on the accreditation of foreign trained doctors
4.7 Restrictions on advertising
4.8 Ambivalence to exports of health services
5 The Efficient Provision of Health Service to Foreigners
5.1 Fees paid by foreign patients
5.2 Bad debts incurred by foreign patients
5.3 Provision of health services and health insurance to foreign students
6 Efficient Delivery of Health Care and Health Insurance
6.1 Introduction
6.2 What does efficiency in the health care system involve?
6.3 Incentives for overuse of health services
6.4 Accreditation procedures and regulation of the medical profession
6.5 Use of inputs
6.6 Funding of public hospitals
6.7 Pricing of services provided by public hospitals
6.8 Regulation of private health insurance
6.9 Incentives for efficiency within Medicare
6.10 Conclusions
A List of the participants
B The Australian hospital system
C Health insurance
D Regulation of the medical and nursing professions
E The labour market
F International perspectives on health care
References