$5.1 billion spent on dental services - ABS
The Australian Bureau of Statistics today released a snapshot of the health expenditure of Australian households.
Based mainly on data from the 2003-04 Australian Bureau of Statistics Household Expenditure Survey and the 2004-05 ABS National Health Survey, the snapshot focuses on medical care and health costs.
Of the $5.1 billion spent on dental services in 2004-05, 67% was paid by individuals. Private health insurance funds contributed about 14%.
Households spent an average of $14 a week on health practitioners’ fees, mainly for dental treatment (40%) and specialist doctor’s fees (30%). Fees for general practitioners accounted for 11% of health practitioners’ fees reflecting the higher level of government subsidisation of GP services.
Health expenditure in 2004-05 was $81 billion – 9% of GDP. State and Federal Governments funded the majority (68%) of health spending. Individual out-of-pocket payments accounted for just over half (53%) of the remaining $26.2 billion non-government sector funding.
Australian households spent $46, on average, on medical care and health expenses. This was about 5% of an average household’s expenditure on goods and services each week. The main items contributing to the household’s overall medical care and health expenditure were accident and health insurance (averaging 39%), health practitioners’ fees (31%) and medicines, pharmaceutical products and therapeutic appliances (25%).
Based mainly on data from the 2003-04 Australian Bureau of Statistics Household Expenditure Survey and the 2004-05 ABS National Health Survey, the snapshot focuses on medical care and health costs.
Of the $5.1 billion spent on dental services in 2004-05, 67% was paid by individuals. Private health insurance funds contributed about 14%.
Households spent an average of $14 a week on health practitioners’ fees, mainly for dental treatment (40%) and specialist doctor’s fees (30%). Fees for general practitioners accounted for 11% of health practitioners’ fees reflecting the higher level of government subsidisation of GP services.
Health expenditure in 2004-05 was $81 billion – 9% of GDP. State and Federal Governments funded the majority (68%) of health spending. Individual out-of-pocket payments accounted for just over half (53%) of the remaining $26.2 billion non-government sector funding.
Australian households spent $46, on average, on medical care and health expenses. This was about 5% of an average household’s expenditure on goods and services each week. The main items contributing to the household’s overall medical care and health expenditure were accident and health insurance (averaging 39%), health practitioners’ fees (31%) and medicines, pharmaceutical products and therapeutic appliances (25%).
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