Ray wrote: > The change of seasons is not as obvious here as it seemed to be in the > States as we toured around last year. We don't go from ridiculous negative > temperatures to extreme heat as for example in Colorado. It's gradually > getting warmer now (the low 20s C) and it looks like we might be expecting > another horror bushfire season. Melbourne's dams are still below 30% full > after 12 years of drought.
We're having a bit of a drought here in California as well, but nothing like what you're experiencing. Of course we experience nasty wildfires every year too. > Um, I'd like my health care to be unnecessary! If only... > > If you mean "do I like Australia's system?", then overall, I'd say yes. > There is universal health coverage under the government mandated Medicare > system, and as well as that, many people also to take out private health > cover (which is subsidised by a 30% gov contribution). I won't go into > detail here, but I encourage those on both sides of the "debate" to perhaps > check out: > http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/healthsystem-overview-1-Introduction > or http://tinyurl.com/qppnmu This seems like a very reasonable system. Its obvious that there _must_ be some large degree of subsidy by the government because insurance companies can't make money insuring low and no income people. > Being a government site, it perhaps paints too rosy a picture, but it does > give the outline of the system. > > From discussions with many people during our US trip last year, it was > amazing to us what a worry it was to US citizens about how to pay for their > health care. Some of the premiums discussed were to our ears, unbelievable. > Relying so much on employer-sponsored health benefits seems to me a strange > system. The employed surely are far more able to pay for their own health > coverage than the unemployed. Here in Australia, at least everyone is > entitled to basic care, usually with little copayment required. It obviously > does help if you can afford to take out private health insurance was well, > as it increases the range of choices you have for treatment. The system here is a mess, a complicated mess. I agree that employee sponsored care is not the best approach, but how do you change it? The reform measures they're working on now are a strange amalgamation of public and private systems, but hopefully it will eventually lead to a system similar to yours. Doug _______________________________________________ http://mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
