Methodology & sources
What the numbers are
Service-utilisation RATE (MBS services per 1,000 population), NOT a unique-patient probability; a cohort can exceed 1000/1,000.
Why a one-month 2016 window? The published MBS clinical-category service counts used here are a single representative monthly extract from 2016 — the vintage at which this category-level breakdown is openly available — while the population denominator uses the latest ABS estimates (2025). It is a deliberate prototype choice to get the joins and rankings into a trustworthy, queryable state, not a data error; the mismatched periods are why the rates are presented as directional rather than headline-accurate.
How a cohort ranking is derived
For a given age and sex, we take the MBS service counts for that cohort, divide by the ABS resident population for the same age band and sex to get a rate per 1,000, and rank the clinical categories by that rate. A household averages each category's rate across the entered people. The data resolves 10 age bands and Male/Female cohorts only.
PHI tier overlay
Each clinical category carries the lowest PHI product tier (Basic → Bronze → Silver → Gold, cumulative) that must cover it under the Private Health Insurance (Complying Product) Rules. Coverage % is the share of expected PHI service volume covered at a tier — eligibility to claim, not payment of every item, and not a probability of needing care. Gold-tier categories are tied to specific individual needs and are listed separately.
Sources
| Source | File | Period | Downloaded |
|---|---|---|---|
| abs_population_age_sex | source.csv | 2025-09 | 2026-05-24T01:39:56+00:00 |
| abs_population_age_sex | source.xml | 2025-09 | 2026-05-24T01:39:56+00:00 |
| abs_regional_population_age_sex | lga.xlsx | 2024 | 2026-05-24T02:28:59+00:00 |
| abs_regional_population_age_sex | sa2.xlsx | 2024 | 2026-05-24T02:28:59+00:00 |
| mbs_patient_demographics | source.csv | 2016 | 2026-05-24T01:39:55+00:00 |
| phi_clinical_category | source.xlsx | 2026-03-01 | 2026-05-24T01:39:55+00:00 |
| phi_clinical_category_definitions | source.docx | 2026-03-01 | 2026-05-24T02:28:52+00:00 |
Model built: 2026-05-24T04:40:15+00:00. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.