Peter Sivey

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The new funding meets some of the shortfall left by the 2014 budget cuts. AAP/Lucas Coch

Hospital funding deal: experts respond

Peter Sivey, La Trobe University; Lesley Russell, University of Sydney, and Stephen Leeder, University of Sydney

States will receive an additional A$2.9 billion from July 2017 to June 2020, with growth in Commonwealth funding capped at 6.5%. The Conversation’s experts respond.
Patients often rely on their GP to make the choice of specialist for them through the referral process with little or no discussion of prices. gtfour/Shutterstock

How much?! Seeing private specialists often costs more than you bargained for

Peter Sivey, La Trobe University

Why is it so difficult to find out exactly how much it’s going to cost to have that suspicious mole removed or to be admitted to hospital for that colonoscopy or hip replacement?
A blueprint for Medicare reform must include cost control, but also support quality and equity. Dave Hunt/AAP

New funding models are a long‑term alternative to Medicare co‑payments

Peter Sivey, La Trobe University

The Abbott government is struggling with its Medicare co-payment reform, scrapping the latest version for a period of consultation, starting this week. The government claims it wants to make Medicare sustainable…
‘Going private’ may speed up your time to treatment, but Medicare shouldn’t pick up the tab. Shutterstock

Want Medicare savings? Stop paying for private hospitals

Peter Sivey, La Trobe University

The polls this week suggest half of Australians think the Abbott government should reduce the cost of Medicare. My solution? Claw back some of the A$9 billion the government pays to private hospitals…
The current fee-for-service model makes it difficult to contain costs and boost the quality of care. Image from shutterstock.com

Phase out GP consultation fees for a better Medicare

Peter Sivey, The University of Melbourne

In the fourth part of our series Health Rationing, Peter Sivey explains why it might be time to abandon Medicare’s fee-for-service model. Teachers aren’t paid a fee for each lesson they teach, nor are…
The recent rise in the number of GPs could be welcomed as addressing the shortage. Image from shutterstock.com

Is the national doctor shortage a myth?

Peter Sivey, The University of Melbourne and Anthony Scott, The University of Melbourne

Monash University demographer Bob Birrell is quoted in today’s Australian newspaper as saying the national doctor shortage is “a myth”. He points out a large recent increase in the number of GPs, a rise…
A strong health system can balance public and private care – just look at Australia. AAP

Private sector reforms don’t spell the end of the NHS

Peter Sivey, The University of Melbourne and Terence C. Cheng, The University of Melbourne

After a long, painful political and legislative process, the United Kingdom’s Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition government has finally been given the green light to proceed with its National Health…
Current fee-for-service payments for doctors don’t reward quality care. Flickr/larique

Should doctors be paid to keep patients healthy?

Peter Sivey, The University of Melbourne

Going to the doctor is, in many ways, like visiting a car sales yard. The customer has a limited knowledge of the product and the supplier may have a financial incentive to over-service or overcharge…

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