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Since 1984, Australia’s health financing system has been unique among developed nations in that is has combined universal, tax financed health insurance, known as Medicare, with a significant private health insurance sector. Following the introduction of Medicare, the proportion of the population with private health insurance has declined steadily. The decline has always been an issue of discussion and debate, but in the last 3 years it has been viewed by many, including the current national government, as a problem that must be addressed. Thus, the government has embarked on a number of schemes aimed at increasing private health insurance coverage, using both positive incentives to encourage uptake and financial penalties for those choosing not to take up private health insurance—‘carrots and sticks’.

The purposes of this paper are: first, to describe the system of private health insurance prior to the …