title: The effect of increased private health insurance coverage on Victorian public hospitals.
abstract: It was anticipated that the recent reforms to private health insurance arrangements would reduce the demand pressures on Australian public hospitals. However, this has not been demonstrated by trends in elective surgery waiting lists in Victorian public hospitals. Moreover, it appears that the increased caseload assumed by Victorian private hospitals since the reforms took effect mainly reflects an increase in low cost same day episodes.
authors.affiliation: Victorian Department of Human Services.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.forename: Vijaya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sundararajan
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gillett
authors.forename: Ric
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007350:Insurance, Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D014739:Victoria; D014850:Waiting Lists