Unpublished data, Children's Immunisation Survey, Australia, April 1995. In general, people from the more disadvantaged areas were less likely to have taken preventative health actions such as immunising children against contagious diseases, or having certain cancer screening tests. Women from the more disadvantaged areas were less likely to have had certain recommended cancer screening tests than others. Those in the most disadvantaged areas were also less likely to check their skin regularly for cancers, although the difference between quintiles was relatively small. Unpublished data, National Health Survey, 1995.
Health insurance Taking out private health insurance is one way of planning for health expenses.
Those with hospital cover may be able to have some hospital-based services, such as surgery, performed in a more timely fashion, through recourse to services in private hospitals. People in the areas of greatest disadvantage were least likely to have private health insurance. Apart from Medicare, there are some other government health schemes which make it easier to access some health services. Most of these apply income tests to ensure that assistance is restricted to those less able to afford medical expenses. Data from the health survey confirmed that those from the most disadvantaged areas were most likely to be covered by a government health care card or a veteran's concession card.