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

公立医院的等候时间损害了所有澳大利亚人都能获得医疗保健的目标。过去的政策侧重于私人保险激励，以减轻公立医院的压力。目前的政策侧重于额外的公共供应。这将是澳大利亚第一项研究，以模拟等待时间对私人医疗保险的影响以及私立和公立医院治疗之间的选择。我们将分析等待时间如何因收入，医疗程序和地区而异，并量化与减少等待名单的不同方法相关的好处。这项研究将为有效的政策设计提供证据基础，并导致更好地确定保健投资的目标。

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.