@matildagirl Thanks for sharing. I love these commercials every year. I'm a Yank... but I LOVE lamb, too!
Australians living with recurrent melanoma will have a new treatment option subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
The health minister, Mark Butler, said without the subsidy, these same patients could pay about $315,000 for a course of treatment.
The current patient fees and charges?
Patient co-payments
The co-payment is the amount you pay towards the cost of your PBS subsidised medicine. Many PBS medicines cost significantly more than the co-payment amount.
From 1 January 2024, you may pay up to $31.60 for most PBS medicines, or $7.70 if you have a concession card. The Australian Government pays the remaining cost (with the exception of brand premiums and certain other allowable charges).
This is the type of Scheme I think would really benefit Americans if the government got its act together.
Regards to all
Matildagirl
I thought you might like the quote from a former Prime Minister of Australia after a phone call with Trump when he was President.
"Big bullying billionaires, they all think they're God's gift to humanity," says Turnbull of his infamous call with Donald Trump over Australia's refugee swap deal with Washington.
Regards
Matildagirl
@freya @matildagirl, I loved that commercial. Loved seeing Australians young v old, such a contrast. We can get a bit insular over here in the Northern Hemisphere.
https://apple.news/AWVVYK9FCRuaMWDZK4lpoVg
A new government inquiry will examine women’s pain and treatment. How and why is it different?
The Victorian government has announced an inquiry into women’s pain. Given women are disproportionately affected by pain, such a thorough investigation is long overdue.
The inquiry, the first of its kind in Australia and the first we’re aware of internationally, is expected to take a year. It aims to improve care and services for Victorian girls and women experiencing pain in the future.
Medical misogyny
Women in pain are viewed and treated differently to men. Women are more likely to be told their pain is psychological and dismissed as not being real or “all in their head”.
Hollywood actor Selma Blair recently shared her experience of having her symptoms repeatedly dismissed by doctors and put down to “menstrual issues”, before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018.
It’s an experience familiar to many women in Australia, where medical misogyny still runs deep. Our research has repeatedly shown Australian women with pelvic pain are similarly dismissed, leading to lengthy diagnostic delays and serious impacts on their quality of life.
Maybe we will get changes that benefit all women, fingers crossed.
Regards to all
Matildagirl
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-09/ir-laws-employers-could-face-criminal-penalties/103445984
SYDNEY, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Australia will introduce laws giving workers the right to ignore unreasonable calls and messages from their bosses outside of work hours without penalty, with potential fines for employers that breach the rule.
Regards to all
Matildagirl
I didn’t know where to put this it’s not really Australian news but of the World.
Elections in 2024 will test democracy like never before, as almost half the world goes to polls
“The world is more democratic than it was 100 years ago, but it has recently declined.
The trend is "very serious", said Tony Banbury, president of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.
"We see in country after country someone gaining power through the ballot box, through a democratic process, and then once in power, they start to dismantle the democratic institutions of their country," he said.
He said most leaders tend to follow an "authoritarian playbook" by going after the systems that help promote free and fair elections.
That includes election management bodies, the judiciary, and the free press.
"They change laws, change the constitution, and make the country less and less democratic via democratic means, and that is very worrying," he said.
Ahead of elections, voters are also increasingly being targeted with disinformation and misinformation campaigns from both domestic and foreign sources.”
“With so many nations going to the polls, there is little doubt that this year has the potential to change the course of history.“
It is not just America.
This article is really worth reading.
Regards to all
Matildagirl
On a happier note
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-15/anthony-albanese-engaged-to-partner-jodie-haydon/103469246
The prime minister has taken to social media to announce his engagement to his partner Jodie Haydon.
Regards
Matildagirl
This is an exciting development Daniel Timms has invented an artificial heart which is going to human trials this year.
https://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/dr-daniel-timms
Regards to all
Matildagirl