Private Health Insurance Yay or Nay?

brickies · Guru

Private Health Insurance Yay or Nay?

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

I guess to summarise all the good info on here, and to add what I believe, I offer the following.

I had very top health insurance until 1988, when I took a redundancy, bought a caravan and began to travel with a young family, working around Australia.

At that time (I was 40), I had been covered by that top health insurance from the age of 22 and had found it rarely used and damned expensive. I bit the bullet and cancelled the coverage.

I believe the choices are -

find a way to fit it into your budget;
cancel it and hope your health remains good;
experience is that a life-threatening illness/injury will be covered by Medicare;
if you cancel health insurance, then at least put that cost (or as much as you can afford) into some form of saving;
if you cancel health insurance, ensure you have a 'nest egg/investment' that you can draw on for expensive 'elective surgery' etc;
if you cancel health insurance, be prepared to join the long waiting lists for 'elective surgery;
continue with Ambulance cover at least - each State is different, if you are an age pensioner most States will not charge you - gamble on which one when you need an ambulance ;
ultimately, it all depends on your financial situation, your age, your health, and your 'risk profile'.

We all can give our opinion and advice on our position/situation, but unfortunately, it will be your decision.

Cheers - John

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Last Sunday I received a call that my old dad had passed away after a long bout with illness so it was a quick flight back to Oz on Tuesday for his funeral then back here to Oman yesterday. He was 87 and had been sick with prostate cancer and a weak heart for the last few years, he received nothing but the top medical care and without delay (which included surgery on numerous occasions). He even spent some of his stays in private rooms - the cost to him was zero, he never had health insurance since he retired at 65 and he never needed it. On the other hand we have paid health insurance all of our working lives and still do even though both now retired. A couple of years ago my wife had to have a melanoma removed from the bridge of her nose which included plastic surgery, we were paying out of pocket expenses for the next 6 months that our insurance didn,t cover. IMHO you need private insurance once you have retired if your ailment is not considered to be life threatening and you don,t want to wait. If it is life threatening you are probably going to get excellent treatment in the public system regardless of whether you are insured or not.

Cheers

BB

Roving-Dutchy · Guru

Kaid wrote:
We had no option but to drop our Health Cover.
We have to live on my Husbands Pension now he has retired.
Scares the hell out of me.
I have to wait 5.5 yrs to get a Pension

Kath you should be able to get help from Centrelink, you would be eligible for New start allowance and at at you age you wouldn't be required to look for work but you would be required to do what is called Community Obligation this requires you to carry out 16 hours of voluntary work at an organisation that you choose, each week, not sure of the exact amount but in the vicinity of $500 a fortnight.

Contact Centrelink to find out what help is available.

Cheers

David

Leo · Senior Member

Bass wrote:
Had private health, Colonosphy on the 1st Dec in private hospital on 6th Dec operation 7th Dec ( stage 3c ) I had to pay $ 500.00 and they then charged me for 2 meals, 4 1/2 hr op took almost 10 hours nobody bothered to talk to wife. Nurses to busy talking about their hols to see me ( day after op ) was crying in pain cleaner had to get them 3 metres away. 2 days after release things when pear shaped guess what no emerg dept so sent to public hospital and admitted straight away 2 more ops both public. IMO public hospital nurses, doctors better. $5000 and 2month wait for a port line in private vs $0 no wait in public. dumped private and have no regrets.
Bass

Bass,

I had never been in hospital before my major operation. What you said about the disinterested aftercare resonated with me. Private hospital and the nurses, apart from 2 individuals on different shifts, could have been replaced with robots such was their minimalist, mechanical approach. - Swift observations and pain meds, poker face, no smiles and gone. During the night, I felt I was taking them out of their way. Not that they were busy. They appeared to be more about their social arrangements. Bit of a shock. I wondered if the composite 'B' Team was staffing the Ward over Xmas and they didn't really want to be there.

Cupie · Guru

Leo wrote:
Bass wrote:
Had private health, Colonosphy on the 1st Dec in private hospital on 6th Dec operation 7th Dec ( stage 3c ) I had to pay $ 500.00 and they then charged me for 2 meals, 4 1/2 hr op took almost 10 hours nobody bothered to talk to wife. Nurses to busy talking about their hols to see me ( day after op ) was crying in pain cleaner had to get them 3 metres away. 2 days after release things when pear shaped guess what no emerg dept so sent to public hospital and admitted straight away 2 more ops both public. IMO public hospital nurses, doctors better. $5000 and 2month wait for a port line in private vs $0 no wait in public. dumped private and have no regrets.
Bass
Bass,
I had never been in hospital before my major operation. What you said about the disinterested aftercare resonated with me. Private hospital and the nurses, apart from 2 individuals on different shifts, could have been replaced with robots such was their minimalist, mechanical approach. - Swift observations and pain meds, poker face, no smiles and gone. During the night, I felt I was taking them out of their way. Not that they were busy. They appeared to be more about their social arrangements. Bit of a shock. I wondered if the composite 'B' Team was staffing the Ward over Xmas and they didn't really want to be there.

Got to be an individual thing.

I was in for a day procedure on 19 Dec & the Staff couldn't have been better (Brisbane Wesley Hosp). All were very interested and only too willing to help & inform both me and my wife who waited around.

I was impressed.