Pointing out that the current health reform process started in 2007, Catholic Health Australia noted that public hospital performance has not improved. CHA argued that the Federal Government becoming the single funder of all public hospitals was the best way to control and improve the public hospital system. In its 2010/11 Budget submission, CHA proposed six programs it recommended the Government fund as its first phase of health reform.

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Explaining that Catholic Health Australia welcomes the Government's efforts to tackle climate change in its Green Paper, CHA also pointed out the financial impacts on the not-for-profit sector could be significant and should be quantified and provided for in advance of any cap-and-trade scheme's implementation.

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Catholic Health Australia explained the likely consequences of the Tax Laws Amendment (Medicare Levy Surcharge Thresholds) Bill, including increases in public hospital surgery waiting times, longer waiting times for those needing cataract surgery or joint replacements, increased costs on public hospitals and over $400 million lost from the operational budgets of private hospitals.

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Responding to the development of a new women's health policy, Catholic Health Australia is broadly supportive of the key elements in the discussion paper, particularly a focus on gender equity. But CHA argues that social factors such as education level, home life and their financial resources are sometimes stronger influencers on a person's health and well-being than biomedical factors.

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¹ The central place of health in Australia's social policy agenda: Addressing the social determinants of health to achieve social inclusion.

Labelling the identification, training, employment and retention of staff as the most challenging issue confronting health and aged care services, Catholic Health Australia led its Budget submission with two immediate, low-cost measures to help address the health workforce shortage.

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Catholic Health Australia issued a submission in response to the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report, congratulating the commissioners on their paper but acknowleding that the Government still has to form and finance its response to the recommendation. CHA said beyond a focus on hospital funding, the Government should ameliorate the social determinants of health; reduce regulation on aged care services; and give new recognition to palliative care to prioritise dignity of the dying.

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Catholic Health Australia made a submission in response to the National Medical and Health Research Council's paper, National Guidance on Collaborative Maternity Care.

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Further funding cuts to pathology will lead to the sector being dominated by one or two corporate entities and would be especially difficult for Catholic not for profit providers, Catholic Health Australia has warned the Department of Health and Ageing.

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