It does. Our healthcare is subsidised by the government. A visit to the doctor isn't free, though - as most (almost all) doctors charge more for a consult than what the government covers. Someone struggling financially as much as the author of this article should be eligible for a Health Care Card though, which should give an almost 100% discount on all things medical.

I don't know that the point of the article was healthcare specifically, or more of a "people are poor, yo!" piece. Because ultimately there are times where people do genuinely struggle financially and may not avail themselves of all the support services the government provides, because they see their circumstances as temporary, or are too embarrassed to admit they need help or other personal reasons.

It does but unfortunately it is far from perfect. Dental is not covered for example.

Specialist fees (and nowadays a lot of GP fees for that matter) are not fully covered by the Medicare rebate. Typically you'll pay about $300 for an standard consultation appointment and get not quite half of that back.

Yes, but not for specialist care in all cases. And most practices don't bulk bill anymore so that can be an issue if you have no savings.