Luke Slawomirski

“But beyond these shocking examples, Australia has a widespread problem with unnecessary and inappropriate medical interventions,” writes Luke Slawomirski, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at The Australia Institute.

Read the full piece on The Point: https://theaus.in/4tZwSuT

Four Corners case highlights a deeper problem in Australian healthcare The Four Corners program aired on Monday night detailed how Melbourne gynaecologist Simon Gordon performed surgeries to remove the ovaries and uteruses of dozens of young women who did not need these ...

My reflections on the recent Four Corners episode ‘Scarred’

@australiainstitute.org.au

thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

“Lifting interest rates to slow inflation is often referred to as a blunt instrument. In this instance, the blunt instrument is being used to smash the wrong culprit,” said Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute.

Read more: https://theaus.in/40tD40I

guess where i was yesterday?

A wide range of studies show that private schools don’t actually offer a better education than public schools; their advantages on standardised tests come almost entirely from the wealthier backgrounds of their students.

Read the full piece on The Point: https://theaus.in/4aZs4y9

After revealing penalties on PwC inc a Ban after their Global Tax Scandal - never eventuated - Australia Institute’s Rod Campbell pushes for new legislation so consequences can proceed
“There is zero consequence for any economist who essentially lies for their client.”💥 #auspol

Paid an arm and a leg to see a specialist? Fee transparency could help The 78% fee increase since 2010 shows that specialists are simply charging what the market will bear.

My thoughts on specialist fee transparency

thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

@thepointau.bsky.social @australiainstitute.org.au

Can creative destruction heal? Schumpeter, Smith and the limits of market logic in medicine This piece is based on the Australian healthcare landscape but most of the concepts can be applied to any hybrid system. It’s becoming clear that Australia’s private healthcare sector is in a moment o...

Schumpeter, Smith and the limits of market logic in medicine.

www.linkedin.com/pulse/can-cr...

Medical authority as moral authority: the prescience of 'The Magic Mountain' - Medical Republic ‘Illness is nature’s attempt to heal us.’ – Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain.

Thomas Mann's 'Der Zauberberg' is an incredible book.

Should be part of medical school curricula.

www.medicalrepublic.com.au/medical-auth...

The political economy of health is failing us - Medical Republic Medical care contributes relatively little to population health compared to social determinants of health. Yet we continue to privilege medical care. Governments devote billions to hospitals and pharm...

On the political economy of health in Australia 🦘

www.medicalrepublic.com.au/the-politica...

We built an illness system, not a health system. And we’re paying for it Australia’s health system is beginning to resemble the US. We must change course

Been away a while so posting some recent writing activity starting with this:

thepoint.com.au/opinions/251...

The last stop on the train line of Australia’s social failures: Tales of a homelessness case worker on the NSW South Coast Life as a homelessness case worker is brutal. You often feel like the last stop on the train line of our country’s social failures. Hardest of all is knowing that people aren’t helped as well as they ...

Policy analysis from actual homelessness case worker.

Proud to have helped with this piece.
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

cancel culture alive and well in US politics … Jimmy Kimmel

#jimmykimmel

(re) Viva Wittgenstein I attended a health policy conference recently where concepts like 'value', 'productivity', 'efficiency' and ‘equity’ were invoked in just about every session.

I wrote something about language and epistemics in health care ...

#healthpolicy #healtheconomics #valuebasedcare #cancerdrugs #philosophy

open.substack.com/pub/lukeslaw...

Big pharma claims innovation will be stifled by drug price mediation. But that's not true A new US law enables the country's largest health insurer to negotiate the price of certain drugs based on their benefit to the user. The pharmaceutical industry isn't happy.

It seems an opportune time to repost this

@crikey.com.au

www.crikey.com.au/2022/09/13/t...

Routine Surveillance for Cancer Metastases — Does It Help or Harm Patients? | NEJM Research generally suggests that routine surveillance after cancer treatment finds more recurrences — leading to more surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation — without affecting the risk of death.

Routine Surveillance for Cancer Metastases — Does It Help or Harm Patients?

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

The Value Zeitgeist — Considering the Slowdown in Health Care Spending Growth | NEJM Over the past two decades, the health care spending growth rate in the United States has declined. But reducing the emphasis on value-based care could lead to a resurgence in spending growth.

The Value Zeitgeist — Considering the Slowdown in Health Care Spending Growth

@nejm.org

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Wow

Old mobile phones and keyboards. Overlaid text reads: FT Exclusive: EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones to avoid espionage

Breaking news: The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage — a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China www.ft.com/content/20d0...

This warms the cockles

Cash is king … until inflation kicks in

This Administration is just DEI for mediocre white dudes isn’t it

looooooool is about all you can say to that

… or a sneaker factory

MAMS

(Make Australia More Stupid)

First, jab more babies As aid shrinks, donors and recipients should focus more on health

each dollar spent on vaccination yields a $54 return

First, jab more babies
economist.com/leaders/2025...

How hospitals inflate America’s giant health-care bill Non-profit institutions are no help

How hospitals inflate America’s giant health-care bill

economist.com/business/202...

Of course Australia's PBS is despised — it values safety, low prices and best value

It's not perfect, but the PBS is an example of successful public policy. That's why US big pharma is coming after it.

Rumours on social media could cause sick people to feel worse They are powerful triggers of an inverse placebo effect

Rumours on social media could cause sick people to feel worse

free access for 7 days

economist.com/science-and-...

Of course Australia's PBS is despised — it values safety, low prices and best value

Big pharma is lobbying Trump to go after the PBS. There can be no higher praise for a scheme that works in the interests of sick Australians, not pharmaceutical companies.