Australia: Health Care System, Political status, and the Economy

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Australia's government is a federal parliamentary democracy and the Commonwealth based on English model. Australia is divided up into six states into territories including: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania Victoria and Western Australia. The economics of Australia are related to growth and has a low unemployment rate and a very stable economic growth since 2012. Australia is involved in the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as other global economic associations. Australia’s main products are wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruit, sheep, and poultry along with industrial mining and chemical processing. Exports include will gold and meat. The majorities of Australians speak English and are Protestant. Australia has many major urban areas including Sydney and Melbourne, but also a wide area of rural living on the coastline (“The world factbook,” 2013). With regards to the countries healthcare, they have a system of universal health care. Tax dollars provide a free public healthcare system, known as Medicare, to citizens. Many citizens also subside with private insurance. This includes access to a physician, specialists and care in a public hospital. The staff, including physicians, who are employed by the public health system are paid an hourly wage. Those doctors in the private sector are paid on a fee per service method. Care is regulated and managed by general practitioner as primary healthcare providers with referral to specialists a part of the requirements. The public health system covers access to a primary care physician, specialist with referral, diagnostic testing and hospitalization and surgery in a public hospital setting. Private insuranc... ... middle of paper ... ...013). Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Fellowships/Australian-American-Health-Policy-Fellowships/The-Health-Care-System-and-Health-Policy-in-Australia.aspx Jacobson, K. H. (2008). Socioeconomic context of disease. Introduction to Global Health. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. Royal flying doctor service. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/ Smith, C., Fisher, C., & Mercer, A. (2011). Rediscovering nursing: A study of overseas nurses working in Western Australia. Nursing & Health Sciences, 13(3), 289-295. doi:10.1111/j.1442-2018.2011.00613.x Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2010). Foundations of nursing in the community: Community- oriented practice (3rd ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby. The world factbook: Australia . (2013). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html ("The world factbook," 2013)

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