title: Transferring the burden of risk in private health care: medical indemnity insurance reform.
abstract: This article provides an overview and critique of the recent medical indemnity insurance reforms implemented by the Commonwealth Government. The first part of the article sets out a number of the practical difficulties associated with the reforms whilst in the second part an analysis is given of the social philosophies and economic approaches that underlie them. The weaknesses and strengths of shifting the medical indemnity insurance market from a free-market approach to be more in line with the liberal-welfarist approach are considered, as is the need for each approach to be supplemented with a more comprehensive understanding of the human good.
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney. r.patterson@uws.edu.au
authors.forename: Rachael M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Patterson
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics; D004470:Economics, Medical; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000458:organization & administration; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D020379:Risk Adjustment / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*