Inequality+in+Australian+Healthcare+-+How+Marxism+will+Bridge+the+Gap

Student Number: n8302766
Tutor: Katie Page

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Keeping the Bastards Honest: What do Labor, the Liberals, and the Greens Bring to the Public Health Table? Who should we vote for from a Public Health Perspective and Why? =====

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Tell us why it is important to follow the political beliefs and policies of Karl Marx to continue to improve Australian population health. Tell us what Marx would have suggested if he had been alive today, and apply his theories to the current healthcare system in Australia. Explain how Marx might have generated a more equitable health care system in Australia, and highlight the Gap campaign for Indigenous Health? =====

Artefact


This artefact is a photograph of protestors rallying in the streets. The photograph represents the notion that healthcare should not just be for those who can afford it. This is depicted in the artefact via the words “healthcare is a right, not a privilege”, which can be seen as highly relevant to Australia’s current healthcare system. The words convey the image that the current healthcare system may be inequitable, in that citizens who can’t afford private health insurance aren’t allowed access to the same standard of healthcare as those who can.

Public Health Issue
The public health issue that arises from this artefact is one of inequality within Australian society. Currently, Australia’s healthcare policy is a free-enterprise regime run by a democratic government, which (simply put), means that citizens who can afford private health receive a higher quality of healthcare service than those who can’t. This system, while beneficial for the private healthcare holders, has detrimental impacts on those who can’t afford it. The lower standard of service results in various health issues occurring, in some cases resulting in death due to large constraints on hospitals. These issues must be resolved immediately, before more lives are put in jeopardy. This wiki aims at addressing and eliminating the inequality trends that are present within Australia’s current healthcare policy.

Overview With this being said, it is essential that the ideologies and theories of Karl Marx be put into power. The German born philosopher, who has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history, believed that equality is of extremely high importance, as he envisioned a society based on economic plenty shared by all. With this being said, the implementation of his policies will result in a healthcare system which will reflect these ambitions, and one which will be more equitable for all Australians.

Literature Review
The current Australian healthcare system is run under the Labor party’s control. This system is comprised of both public and private sector providers who deliver health services (Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, 2000.) As mentioned above, while this system works favorably for the population who can afford private health insurance, it has potentially detrimental impacts on those who can’t afford it. Underprivileged groups throughout Australia, such as some indigenous communities, fall under this category; as most don’t receive a high enough standard of health service in which they need. It is unethical to let the disadvantaged population of Australia go on for any longer without the standard of healthcare service that they require; healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

In saying this, although the current Labor governing party has made slightly positive effects on infrastructure and facilities with regards to public health, this is negated by the fact that despite the billions of dollars that are spent on health services each year, by all levels of government and non-government sources, many people report that they are unable to access the care they require (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2011.) This inability to access healthcare has had a major influence on the popularity of the Labor party – which has seen to be slowly deteriorating since Julia Gillard’s appointment as Prime Minister. This is shown by the results of the latest Newspoll, which revealed, //“68 per cent of survey respondents were dissatisfied with Julia Gillard’s performance.”// The poll also goes on to say that she is lagging behind opposition leader Tony Abbot as preferred prime minister, with her 34 percent compared with his 43 percent. //“If a federal election were held now, polling reveals that the Australian Labor Party (ALP) would receive only 27 per cent of the primary vote.”// (Colleen Ricci, 2011) This goes to show that the current governing party has an inequitable healthcare system in place, is low in popularity among a large percentage of its citizens and is unable to deliver the necessary standard of health care to those who require it, despite the billions of dollars currently being invested.

In addition, there are a multitude of various other health issues in the current policy that must be addressed. A main example includes reports that indicate a high percentage of patients currently find it difficult to work out which level of government is accountable for their care. Under Gillard’s system, Australia presently consists of eight different state and territory health systems. This causes unnecessary confusion throughout the public, as they do not understand which system relates to their specific problem; therefore resulting in less effective service. According to the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (AGDHA), Australia’s population is projected to grow from 22 million people today to 36 million by 2050. This growth will create the need for more health services, new investment in health infrastructure and an expanded health workforce. If Labor’s current healthcare policy can’t even effectively manage with today’s population, how are they going to be able to cope with an additional 14 million?

Following on, another problem that arises due to the current healthcare system is that increasing amounts of individuals who reside in rural and regional areas are struggling to use primary healthcare, as they are unable to access out of hours GP services. Shortages of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are also evident. Issues such as these need to be addressed, as according to the ABS, “individual's access to health professionals and services are important factors in the successful prevention and management of health conditions.” (2004-2005) Also, under the current healthcare system, citizens who are privately insured are taxed less. Consequently, citizens who are under the public system are taxed more. This creates a clear problem for the public health system users as many of them are currently underprivileged and from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This means that the citizens with private health insurance receive an exceptionally higher standard of healthcare and are also taxed less, which is unfair on those who can't afford it. It puts more money back into the pockets of the wealthy, and less back to those who need it the most.

Presently, 25% of persons aged 18 years and over are obese and 37% are overweight (ABS, 2009.) The highest rate was recorded in the 65-74 age groups. Additionally, results attained from the 2010 Intergenerational Report forecasts the proportion of our population aged over 65 will increase from 14 percent in 2010 to 23 percent by 2050 (AGDHA, 2010.) These statistics show that substantial pressure will be placed on public health facilities in the coming years as the population of society continues to age. This, coupled with the fact that as mentioned above there are already large constraints on public hospitals throughout Australia, will result in not only expanding waiting lists for elective surgery, but it will also result in waiting times for emergency departments (National Health and Hospitals Network for Australia’s Future.) These delays can potentially mean the difference between life and death for some citizens under the public heath regime, which is another reason why the current healthcare policy needs to be abolished.

Cultural and Social Analysis
To address the issue of inequality within Australian society, the political ideologies and theories created by Karl Marx must be implemented. Marx’s socialistic approach to healthcare will see the inequality barrier that exists between wealthy and non-wealthy Australians be torn down and replaced with more equal benefits for all. Australia is a capitalistic society, which consequently creates major discrepancies between numerous social groups (Mullen, K. 1993). While it not only results in an imbalanced society, from a public health perspective, it also results in lower socioeconomic groups continuing to be underprivileged. With the implementation of Marx’s theory into Australian society, a communistic approach to healthcare would be introduced. This would allow less focus on individuals, as in a capitalistic society, and more focus on society as a whole.

Individuals from a lower socioeconomic background stand to benefit greatly from this communistic approach to healthcare. This is seen as the system would remove all focus on individuals and personal profit, and instead aim it at society as a whole. This would lead to a healthier society in that disadvantaged social groups, such as some indigenous Australian communities, would become a priority. This would see wealth being redistributed throughout the lower socioeconomic backgrounds and therefore reversing the trend of inequality that is currently present within todays society. Another benefit of switching over to Marxism is that all of Australia’s healthcare will fall under federal government control; resulting in easier management and less confusion throughout the public. This is because the population will no longer have to stress over which of Australia’s eight current health care systems to go to for assistance. Marx’s policy also focuses comprehensively on primary health care. Research shows that those health systems with strong primary health care are //“more efficient, have lower rates of hospitalisation, fewer health inequalities and better health outcomes including lower mortality, than those that do not”// (AGDHA, 2009.) It is imperative that the current Australian healthcare system be abolished and replaced with Karl Marx’s communistic healthcare system, or as according to K. Rogoff (2005), //“the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.”// Even though it is highly doubtful that such a major revolution from capitalism to communism will occur, it can be seen that if Australia embraces some of the key concepts from Karl Marx’s communistic ideologies, than the inequality barrier that exists between wealthy and non-wealthy Australians will potentially subside. This will lead to more positive health outcomes for Australians who cannot afford private health, and will assist in bridging the gap between wealthy and non-wealthy Australians.

Analysis of the Artefact & Learning Reflections
This artefact represents the notion that healthcare should not just be for those who can afford it. Healthcare should be a right that everyone has access too, no matter what economic or social background they come from. Personally, I agree with what these protestors are rallying for; in that I believe equality, not only throughout the healthcare system, but also throughout society in general should be more evident. It was a society such as this that Karl Marx envisioned; where economic plenty was shared by all. Marx believed that in such a society, individuals would achieve true freedom. I believe Australia can too share his vision by implementing his healthcare policy.

This assignment has allowed me to gain a broader understanding of politics and the public health issues present within Australian society. I have learnt much about equality and how important it is to bridge the gap between not only the wealthy and non-wealthy, but also the indigenous and non-indigenous citizens of Australia. Personally, I think that even by introducing just a few elements of Karl Marx’s communistic theories into today’s policies, the health and wellbeing of the Australian population will substantially increase and become more sustainable, efficient and equitable for the future. This is why I support my chosen artefact, in that I too believe that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege.

Reference List
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011). Australian Social Trends, March 2011. Retrieved November 4th, 2011 from: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features20Mar+2011

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). National health survey: summary of results, 2007-2008. Retrieved October 29th, 2011 from: []

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2004-05. Retrieved November 2nd, 2011 from: []

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (2010). A National Health and Hospitals Network for Australia's Future. Retrieved November 3rd 2011 from: []

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (2009). Primary Health Care Reform in Australia - Report to Support Australia’s First National Primary Health Care Strategy. Retrieved 3rd November 2011 from: []

Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care (2010). The Australian Health Care System – An Outline. Retrieved November 3rd 2011 from: []

Mullen, K. (1993) Unemployment and health: notes towards a Marxist critique. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy.

Ricci, C. (2011). Julia Gillard - The Age Education Resource Centre. Retrieved November 4th from []

Rogoff, K. (2005) A Prescription for Marxism. Foreign Policy, (146), 74-75.