“Australia is one of the countries with a high UHC SCI [Universal Health Coverage Service Coverage Index] (89%) [4]. In 2021, Australia’s overall health system performance was the third among eleven high-income countries (HICs) [5]. Such high health system performance is possible through its Medicare program, a universal public health insurance scheme favouring values of universality and equity [6]. The provision of Medicare allows all Australian citizens and permanent residents to access health services at little or no cost [7], providing free inpatient care and medication subsidies as defined in the Medical Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceuticals Benefit Schedule [8]. The federal policy also supports private health insurance (PHI) initiatives by ensuring greater access to hospital care and allied health services through PHIs that are not included in the Medicare program (e.g., dental and physiotherapy services) [9, 10].”
Source: Khatri RB, Assefa Y. Drivers of the Australian Health System towards Health Care for All: A Scoping Review and Qualitative Synthesis. Biomed Res Int. 2023;2023:6648138. Published 2023 Oct 20. doi:10.1155/2023/6648138
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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other OECD member nations.
Page last updated June 30, 2026 by Doug McVay, Editor.