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Thursday 15 May 2008

Private Health Insurance

One of the contentious announcements in this week's Budget was a doubling of the income threshold for the Medicare surcharge ... the health funds say it'll spark an exodus from private cover, adding pressure to an overburdened public health system. But with a boost to public hospital funding how important is private health cover?

Wednesday 14 May 2008

Balancing the Budget

Swan lite, a nip and tuck, a highwire act, or a morphing Robin Hood - it depends on your perspective but those are some of the lines being used to describe Treasurer, Wayne Swan, and his first federal budget.

Tuesday 13 May 2008

Gender pay gap

A current global study of 63 nations and a government annual report have produced the same results: women are still earning up to one third less than men. Is wage equity achievable or are the different social and family demands on women preventing it?

Monday 12 May 2008

Alcohol - it's a drug too

As we await the release of the revised National Alcohol guidelines next month the Cancer Institute of NSW has just released sobering new evidence that as little as two alcoholic drinks a day can dramatically increase your risk of cancer. Along with personal health effects, it's estimated that alcohol costs the Australian economy 7 billion dollars a year. So it's not surprising that the government wants to cut consumption.

Thursday 08 May 2008

On the waiting list

Fifty thousand dollars for a kidney -- the idea was raised this week by Canberra doctor Gavin Carney. Under the scheme young, healthy people would be permitted to sell a kidney for transplant, easing long waiting lists and potentially saving lives. Selling organs is illegal in Australia and there's a penalty of six months jail -- so while the idea didn't gain much support, it did serve to reinvigorate the discussion about our low organ donation rate.

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