Opinion: The health system in my native Australia has a lot to learn from the U.S.
Compared to Australia, I pay less in California to see a physician, it's easier to make appointments for health care services, and I pay substantially less for my medications.
As an Australian living in California and doing research on health policy, I’ve taken an interest in the ongoing debate among Californians about the benefits of moving to a single-payer health care system.
In my home country, the government’s Medicare policy covers health care costs for its citizens. There’s a set fee for physician consultations, and most medicines and procedures are subsidized. While it was perhaps a blessing to grow up with this system, it didn’t prepare me for health care coverage in the United
