Health Matters Podcast

A new federal inquiry into the affordability of specialist care opens with a data problem: reported average in-hospital out-of-pockets sit around $270, while patients in the breast cancer community routinely pay $30,000 to $50,000. Chapters(00:00) - Intro(02:18) - Cracks at the edges of our world-class system(05:51) - Gap shock: when the bill arrives after diagnosis(14:13) - The $270 versus $30,000 out-of-pocket data gap(22:11) - Why workforce shortages never quite get solved(27:34) - Diagnosis day and the case for a navigator role(31:50) - Why a regular GP is the missing piece of care(37:38) - Why your submission to the inquiry matters most--Subscribe to Amplieo+ to unlock members-only content for theshow:https://amplieo.substack.com/s/health-matters--Stay across Health Matters:Instagram - www.instagram.com/healthmattersausYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@healthmattersausHealth Matters is an Amplieo Original podcast produced byAmplieo Media Group and presented by Catholic Health Australia.Learn more about Amplieo ➡️ https://www.amplieo.com

Australia spends billions managing the consequences of a fragmented health system while comparable countries collect the gas revenue we leave on the table. Health economist Luke Slawomirski on the 2026 budget, the PHI rebate, and what a serious reform agenda would actually look like. Guest: Dr Luke Slawomirski, Health Economist at the Australia Institute.Chapters(00:00) - Intro(01:10) - The patch budget: trims, not structural reform(03:46) - How health systems fail: unevenly, not all at once(06:59) - A 25% gas export levy and the revenue problem(10:42) - Single purchaser: why Taiwan works and we don't(17:05) - The PHI rebate: regional reliance, bad targeting(24:42) - Why prevention keeps losing to acute care politics(29:41) - Where the next $3 billion should go on prevention--Follow the show:- Instagram- YouTubeHealth Matters is an Amplieo Original podcast produced by Amplieo Media Group and presented by Catholic Health Australia.Subscribe to Amplieo+ to unlock members-only content for the show.Learn more about Amplieo ➡️ https://www.amplieo.com

Health economist James Downie joins Dr Katharine Bassett to examine how legacy funding models, workforce shortages, and fragmented care pathways are structurally driving inefficiency across Australian healthcare.Chapters(00:00) Intro(01:12) The private hospital viability crisis(04:35) Why current pricing models are failing(07:58) What a Private National Efficient Price would do(11:22) Transparency vs market dynamics(14:46) The role of DRGs in pricing standardisation(18:05) Negotiating with insurers under a benchmark model(21:30) Public vs private system alignment(24:10) What happens without reform--Follow the show:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/healthmattersausYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@healthmattersausHealth Matters is an Amplieo Original podcast produced by Amplieo Media Group and presented by Catholic Health Australia.Subscribe to Amplieo+ to unlock members-only content for the show : https://amplieo.substack.com/s/in-the...Learn more about Amplieo ➡️ https://www.amplieo.com