Publication:	news.com.au
Date:	30 September 2009
Section:	Breaking News

 

CANBERRA'S share of national health spending has risen for the first time in seven years as the states and consumers spent less, a report shows. The nation's health bill was $104 billion in 2007/08, an all time high, data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released on Wednesday shows. Canberra's spending share rose to 43.2 per cent, up from 42 per cent. This was the first time in seven years the Federal Government's share of national health spending had risen.... Australia spends nine per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health, a level similar to New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. But the level is well below that of the United States, which spends 16 per cent of GDP on health, mainly through subsidies to private health insurers.