National affairs
29 October 2015
Private health insurers are simply intermediaries between consumers and well-organised suppliers, write Ian McAuley, Jennifer Doggett and John Menadue.…
National affairs
14 July 2015
The Coalition has been fighting on the same terrain for nearly two years, writes Peter Browne, but it hasn’t shaken Labor’s lead in the polls
International
29 June 2015
The US Supreme Court annoyed conservatives twice last week, fuelling an even more divisive presidential race, writes Lesley Russell
Essays & reportage
5 February 2015
In her winning entry for the Gavin Mooney Memorial Essay Competition, El Gibbs looks at the link between housing security and mental health
From the archive
17 December 2014
Atul Gawande has written an important book about the limits of medicine
Books & arts
6 November 2014
Two accounts of getting, and being, pregnant tell only part of the story about conception and childbirth
Books & arts
6 November 2014
Adam Reich vividly describes the way different kinds of hospitals work in the United States, writes Lesley Russell. But what happened to the patients?
National affairs
26 September 2014
Lesley Russell looks at what the draft recommendations of the competition policy review mean for health policy and services
Essays & reportage
27 August 2014
With one-in-two people dying within days of becoming ill, it’s little wonder that Ebola causes panic. But the real threat can only be assessed if we understand the history…
Books & arts
28 July 2014
Why do so many dementia researchers hold to a single theory so fervently? An unsettling new book throws light on entrenched beliefs, writes David Le Couteur
National affairs
17 July 2014
The evidence has been clear for years: without a cutback in the use of antibiotics, healthcare faces major disruption
National affairs
12 July 2014
When the Australian waded into the tobacco packaging debate it was met with a barrage of well-informed criticism. The paper’s response was to dig in
Essays & reportage
17 April 2014
This eBook features Tim Senior’s recently announced prize-winning entry in the Gavin Mooney Essay Prize for 2013, together with the four runners-up
Essays & reportage
18 March 2014
Screening for cervical cancer saves lives every day, so surely men should be screened for prostate cancer? Unfortunately it’s a bit more complicated than that, writes…
Books & arts
20 February 2014
Gwendolyn Gray Jamieson reviews an account of the genesis and chequered career of Labor’s national health insurance scheme
International
7 January 2014
Americans see Obamacare as either the president’s greatest achievement or his biggest failure, writes Lesley Russell. But the signs are growing that its success…
National affairs
17 September 2013
The new government’s aged-care decisions suggest it will prioritise providers over consumers, writes Lesley Russell
National affairs
6 September 2013
Opposition to vaccination has something in common with well-funded anti-science lobbies, writes John Quiggin, but its roots in genuine confusion mean it should be handled…
National affairs
20 August 2013
So far, healthcare has gone missing in the election campaign, writes Lesley Russell
National affairs
12 July 2013
Means testing is all very well, says Ian McAuley, but do we need private health insurance at all?
International
3 June 2013
Opponents of Obamacare will have to face the fact that the scheme is being implemented across the United States, even in some unlikely places, writes Lesley Russell
National affairs
19 April 2013
The evidence is clear and health professionals are taking notice, writes Melissa Sweet. Now it’s time for government to act
Essays & reportage
1 March 2013
Overuse of antibiotics is not only creating resistant bacteria but also changing the ecology of the human body, writes Melissa Sweet
Essays & reportage
8 October 2012
In 1990 a team of researchers began tracking a group of babies born in two inner suburbs of Melbourne. Their latest results paint a complex picture of obstacles, opportunities and…
Essays & reportage
4 June 2012
The principles behind an American campaign to reduce unnecessary and often expensive medical interventions are gaining support in Australia, writes Melissa Sweet
Essays & reportage
4 April 2012
Can local networks pull off the healthcare reforms that have eluded state and national governments, asks Melissa Sweet
National affairs
24 February 2012
Lesley Russell analyses the figures in the prime minister’s 2012 report
Essays & reportage
29 November 2011
Mental health had a big win in this year’s budget – and that’s when the fights began, writes Melissa Sweet in this joint investigation with Crikey
National affairs
26 September 2011
How should the World Health Organization adapt to a challenging international environment, asks Stephen Leeder
Books & arts
17 August 2011
Jon Ronson has chased psychopathology from Gothenburg to Florida. Brett Evans reviews his new book