Patient waiting times at public hospitals and the demand for private care

公立医院的等待时间损害了所有澳大利亚人可获得医疗保健的目标。过去的政策侧重于私人保险激励措施，以缓解公立医院的压力。目前的政策侧重于额外的公共供应。这将是澳大利亚首次对等待时间对私人医疗保险的影响以及在私立和公立医院治疗之间的选择进行建模。我们将分析不同收入、医疗程序和地区的等待时间差异，并量化不同方法减少等待名单所带来的好处。这项研究将为有效的政策设计提供证据基础，并导致更好地定向医疗投资。

Public hospital waiting times compromise the objective of accessible health care for all Australians. Past policy focused on private insurance incentives to ease pressure on public hospitals. Current policy focuses on extra public provision. This will be the first Australian research to model the impact of waiting times on private health insurance and the choice between private and public hospital treatment. We will analyse how waiting times differ by income, medical procedure and region, and quantify the benefits associated with different ways of reducing waiting lists. This research will provide an evidence base for effective policy design and lead to better targeting of health care investments.