Championing the importance of an efficient and equitable healthcare system.
Australia’s healthcare sector is the beating heart of our economy. At 10% of GDP and employing 13% of our workforce, it is the country’s biggest employer.
Our research provides vital insights into the funding and organisation of our healthcare system to ensure high-quality and equitable healthcare provision.
By viewing healthcare through an economic lens and harnessing the latest strategies in big data, we deliver sound research that informs effective health policy reform.
Featured Projects
-
Evaluation of the Right Care Better Health Program
We have partnered with the Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, to support and optimise the care of patients with complex and chronic health needs, ensuring appropriate access to clinical, social and community services.
-
Price transparency on specialist price variations and out-of- pocket medical costs
While much publicity has been given to the undesirable outcomes of high and variable specialist fees in Australia, little is known about the sources of this variation and how they are determined.
-
Unpacking specialist fees: influence of region, specialty, doctor and patient
Specialist fee variation in Australia has not been well understood due to historical data limitations. This study decomposes the sources of specialist fee variation to help establish an evidence base for policy.
-
Health insurance design: choices, consumer behavior and policy challenges
Rising health costs are a global challenge. Creating an efficient health insurance system is a key policy concern in all developed countries.
-
IPART Out-of-Home Care Review: Cost of Caring
The current NSW foster care allowance underestimates the true cost of providing quality care, especially for older children and those in high-cost regions.
MABEL Longitudinal Survey (2007 to 2019)
Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) longitudinal survey incorporates survey data from 10,500 doctors across Australia. This 12-year dataset concluded in 2019 but continues to supply much-needed evidence of the factors that influence doctors' work practices.
The University of Melbourne Health Economics Group (UMHEG)
Established by the Melbourne Institute, UMHEG is a cross-faculty network of health economists based at The University of Melbourne that conducts collaborative applied and methodological health economic research.
Our strength is turning rigorous research into real-world policy solutions. We honour the Melbourne Institute's legacy of creating Medicare by continuing to shape a fair and efficient healthcare system for all Australians.