Health Funds and Industry News

Insulin pumps are detachable, electronic medical devices that deliver insulin to users 24 hours a day.

How does it work? The pump is programmed to deliver exactly the right amount of insulin to the patient at a constant rate (which is called the basal rate). This insulin is delivered through a needle that can stay under the skin for up to three days before it needs to be replaced.

Users can also make the pump deliver an on-demand dosage of insulin (which is called a bolus dose) in order to counteract any food intake that is high in carbohydrates.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has revealed today (May 1) that Australia's Medicare levy is set to increase from 1.5 per cent to 2.0 per cent.

It is expected that this new legislation will be introduced on July 1 of next year; however, Ms Gillard said that Australians will be given the opportunity to have their say in September this year.

The billions of dollars this proposed tax hike is projected to raise will go towards funding the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Victoria's Premier Denis Napthine announced on April 24 that Epping's Northern Hospital is in for a major upgrade.

The growing population of Melbourne's northern suburbs has motivated Victoria's government to fund the addition of a three-storey wing onto the hospital.

Mr Napthine stated yesterday that the government is making a preemptive strike, as it were, "to make sure that people and families in Melbourne’s north continue to have access to top-quality health services in the long-term".

A study compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - titled the "Australian Hospital Statistics 2011-12" report - demonstrates that Victorian public hospitals are top in the country when it comes to emergency patient treatment.