Health Funds & Doctors Fees

PeterD · Guru

Health Funds & Doctors Fees

Santa · Guru

Ah yes! I can already hear the outraged howls of protest, seems there is little a GN loves more than something to whinge about. biggrin

mezza56 · Senior Member

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 · Guru

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 · Guru

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 · Senior Member

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 · Guru

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 · Guru

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

Cupie · Guru

Tony Bev wrote:
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.

PeterD · Guru

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.