Confirmation of Candidature - Candidate : Abiola Olaleye

This doctoral study will evaluate the impact of changes to Medicare policies on the access to healthcare services and associated costs in Australia. Medicare is the Australia's taxpayer-funded healthcare system providing access to health care services to all Australians and permanent residents. In recent times, there have been changes to its policies with potential consequences on access to services and related costs.
The study aims to assess the impact of Medicare policy changes on health care services for selected conditions (mental health conditions, diabetes, obstetric services, and breast cancer screening) and related coats from 2017 to 2022. The associations between selected policy revisions and use of services and related costs to Medicare and the individual patients will be studied to provide knowledge about the impact of the policy changes on the selected health conditions.
This study will involve a review of literature and an analysis of retrospective data collected by Medicare and other data collection system including the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) as well as Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) datasets available publicly and upon request. Datasets from recent Australian-census data linked to Medicare claims will also be used for the study. Trends and relationships between policy changes health care access and costs will be examined. 
The expected outcomes of this research include: i) A clear understanding of the impact of MBS policy changes on health care services in Australia in recent times (2017-2022); ii) An identification of gaps and challenges in the implementation of Medicare policy changes; iii) Recommendations for future policy reforms based on evidence generated by the study; iv) Contribution to global literature on health care reforms and related impacts. The study will provide relevant outputs to support improved decision making on health care policy in Australia for improved health outcome for the population.

For more information, please email the Graduate Research School or phone 0746 311088.