Options for Finance in Primary Care in Australia: Summary

Abstract

A number of policy initiatives aimed at reform of primary health care financing are currently either being debated nationally, or trialled in different jurisdictions. Commonwealth Government austerity and an interest from a wide range of stakeholders to mobilise capital from different parts of the economy have provided an incentive to explore new finance policy options for primary health care. However, recent reviews of primary health care finance have focused on contrasting the different payment systems, rather than the financing of primary health care in a more systemic sense. Finance is more than just an approach to payment, reflecting the flows of capital that structure service. Debates ..