For all of you anywise interested in funds and fees, I suggest you watch or record Four Corners on ABC television tonight. The subject is about the health industry in Oz.
Santa said
11:28 AM May 28, 2018
Ah yes! I can already hear the outraged howls of protest, seems there is little a GN loves more than something to whinge about.
mezza56 said
04:40 PM May 28, 2018
I reckon we're lucky here to have a public system at all , what if we went the American way , where you get turned away from hospitals unless your've got a cheque book handy .What about the screams then .
Ron-D said
04:42 PM May 28, 2018
Medicare has covered everything we have done all our long lives,we must be many many thousands of dollars in front by now ,over the last fourty years,was it a silly risk I dont think so ,maybe we have just been lucky,but Were not battlers so we were always in a position to pay up if we had too...
hako said
06:38 PM May 28, 2018
We've had full health cover for 52 years and the only year we've taken more than the premiums was 2 years ago when I had a colon cancer removed.
I don't mind at all really as it is insurance and is designed to share the cost of misfortune in the community - my premiums help pay others' medical costs, like taxes.
In todays dollars we've paid $260,000 over the years in premiums.
Good Luck
EJP said
07:14 PM May 28, 2018
Likewise, we have had full health cover for 45 years and apart from childbirth and normal children injuries/illnesses we have contributed far more than received, up untill the last 5 years when I had a radical prostatectomy and my wife 2 heart operations and a hip replacement. I think we have recouped a substancial proportion of our contributions and are not complaining, including gap payments. Although some think it is expensive, the main advantage of our system I think is that our issues where diagnosed and dealt with early and with appropriate postoperative care, rehab, physio etc.
Regards EJP
Cupie said
10:37 PM May 28, 2018
I too was an early adopter of private health insurance, having been a member since its inception but rarely needed to claim till just recently.
I am currently going through the cataract removal thing and encountered one Ophthalmologist who charged $500 out of pocket for each eye. I was sort of OK with that but then the Anaesthetist bunged on another $500 for each eye I baulked. When queried the Anaesthetist's receptionist said 'we just follow the Ophthalmologist. If he charges $500 gap then so do we".
They were unconcerned when I cancelled after finding one who charged only a $250 Administration fee & nothing for the Anaesthetist.
Of course there are a range of other visit fees & chemist prescriptions.
Medicare pays for the eye tests and my health fund pays for the hospital / surgery costs.
So all in all I am quite happy with the outcome, but it does pay to shop around. It just saved me at least $1500.
But then when I had to take SWMBO to an after hours Private Hospital Emergency facility we were sort of OK with a $200 bill for what was outstanding service but were a bit miffed when an additional bill for $90 (CAT scan) was received in the mail a week later. Might be able to get some of that back from Medicare though.
It was a very interesting program on 4 Corners tonight. It will be interesting to see what the Parliament's gap investigation task force comes up with at the end of the year.
Tony Bev said
04:29 PM May 29, 2018
It is all very well someone telling us to shop around
But...
When we require medical attention, the cost is usually the last thing we think of
Below is a link to an ABC news article, about the same thing
-- Edited by Tony Bev on Tuesday 29th of May 2018 04:31:42 PM
I agree about the impracticability of shopping round in emergency situations, but for things like my eye operation, this latest experience has taught me a lesson & in similar cases I will certainly take the trouble to shop around.
PeterD said
09:19 PM May 29, 2018
Cupie wrote:I agree about the impracticability of shopping round in emergency situations, but for things like my eye operation, this latest experience has taught me a lesson & in similar cases I will certainly take the trouble to shop around.
If it's a real emergency you end up being a public patient and covered by medicare. You simply do not admit to being covered by health insurance.
When it comes to shopping around I use this site. It has worked so far.
For all of you anywise interested in funds and fees, I suggest you watch or record Four Corners on ABC television tonight. The subject is about the health industry in Oz.
Ah yes! I can already hear the outraged howls of protest, seems there is little a GN loves more than something to whinge about.
I reckon we're lucky here to have a public system at all , what if we went the American way , where you get turned away from hospitals unless your've got a cheque book handy .What about the screams then .
Medicare has covered everything we have done all our long lives,we must be many many thousands of dollars in front by now ,over the last fourty years,was it a silly risk I dont think so ,maybe we have just been lucky,but Were not battlers so we were always in a position to pay up if we had too...
I don't mind at all really as it is insurance and is designed to share the cost of misfortune in the community - my premiums help pay others' medical costs, like taxes.
In todays dollars we've paid $260,000 over the years in premiums.
Good Luck
Regards EJP
I too was an early adopter of private health insurance, having been a member since its inception but rarely needed to claim till just recently.
I am currently going through the cataract removal thing and encountered one Ophthalmologist who charged $500 out of pocket for each eye. I was sort of OK with that but then the Anaesthetist bunged on another $500 for each eye I baulked. When queried the Anaesthetist's receptionist said 'we just follow the Ophthalmologist. If he charges $500 gap then so do we".
They were unconcerned when I cancelled after finding one who charged only a $250 Administration fee & nothing for the Anaesthetist.
Of course there are a range of other visit fees & chemist prescriptions.
Medicare pays for the eye tests and my health fund pays for the hospital / surgery costs.
So all in all I am quite happy with the outcome, but it does pay to shop around. It just saved me at least $1500.
But then when I had to take SWMBO to an after hours Private Hospital Emergency facility we were sort of OK with a $200 bill for what was outstanding service but were a bit miffed when an additional bill for $90 (CAT scan) was received in the mail a week later. Might be able to get some of that back from Medicare though.
It was a very interesting program on 4 Corners tonight. It will be interesting to see what the Parliament's gap investigation task force comes up with at the end of the year.
It is all very well someone telling us to shop around
But...
When we require medical attention, the cost is usually the last thing we think of
Below is a link to an ABC news article, about the same thing
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-29/empowering-australians-to-understand-and-question-surgical-fees/9807522
Edit to get the link working
-- Edited by Tony Bev on Tuesday 29th of May 2018 04:31:42 PM
I agree about the impracticability of shopping round in emergency situations, but for things like my eye operation, this latest experience has taught me a lesson & in similar cases I will certainly take the trouble to shop around.
If it's a real emergency you end up being a public patient and covered by medicare. You simply do not admit to being covered by health insurance.
When it comes to shopping around I use this site. It has worked so far.