A central tenant of the health care system in Australia, which is based on a hybrid
public-private model underpinned by the mandatory public insurance scheme of Medicare,
is equitable access and affordable health care for all [
[1]
]. Medicare provides universal basic health care coverage to citizens, permanent residents,
and refugees. Over and above this, private health insurance offers the opportunity
to individuals to expand their health care coverage including the ability to choose
their treating physicians, location of care and faster access to care in the form
of shorter waiting lists through private hospitals. As of 2019–20, there are 695 public
hospitals in Australia and 657 private hospitals [
[2]
]. Of the 11.1 million hospitalisations in 2019–20, 6.7 million were in the public
system and 4.4 million were private [
[2]
]. Data examining equity of access for crucial health care procedures is a vital marker
of health system performance.Keywords
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© 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ).
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- An Observational Study of Clinical and Health System Factors Associated With Catheter Ablation and Early Ablation Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation in AustraliaHeart, Lung and CirculationVol. 31Issue 9Open Access
