Much has been written about the problems of the Private Health Insurance (PHI) industry. Desperate attempts to make an inherently inefficient product less inefficient have been proposed. Such suggestions do nothing for the inherent unfairness of taxpayer subsidised PHI. But something needs to be done and it should address both the inefficiencies and the inequities . Private Health Insurance enables patients to bypass the public hospital queues, particularly for elective surgery. Taxpayer support for PHI through the 30% rebate means about $11 billion is not available to be spent on the public system where the needs are greatest. It gives those who can afford PHI a choice of doctor and perhaps timing of their admission. There is no evidence it gives better care except for timely access to elective surgery. Claims that PHI in Australia is in a death spiral ignore reality. PHI can exist even when it only […]