Healthcare and the limits of competition

What do the draft recommendations of the competition policy review mean for health policy and services? THE DRAFT report of the federal government’s competition policy review, released this week for public consultation, is a massive opus, intimidating to all but insiders and the cognoscenti. In its chapter on human services, the review panel, headed by economist Ian Harper, takes on some sacred cows – pharmacy groups have already geared up to resist recommended changes – but also largely accepts the standard arguments for privatisation, and for market-based commissioning and procurement… Read the full articl