Vash the Stampede

I always had private cover back home. Hardly ever used it except for a new pair of specs every year - but hey, I'd be worried if I had to use it regularly!

jad n rich

Gov forces your hand if you earn a decent income $50,000 single, double for family, with a tax levy if you dont have it.

Waiting times, many aussies find out they will die waiting for what they need if they want it free.

Gaps $$, medicare even what it covers will often only be a partial rebate, say kids intiital specialist appointment, $300 rebate $67, that type of thing.

Hels

[QUOTE=killamarsh]
Just for you!!!

ACT Ambulance Service

Hels

I've never had private cover....and even with the few grand I have to spend on my teeth in the next few months, I am sure I am still going to come out ahead....

I think its a good investment if you have kids, but I am not going to bother with it....

sasbear

[QUOTE=killamarsh] funny that isn't it Killamarsh - they always forget ACT - glad though - dont want it over- populating!!!

The Crow

I sent off a cheque to Vic 'Ambos' almost a month ago and have nothing back from them. I guess I should check - do you usually get a card or number or something?
Rachel

Shellfish

That's cheap! My boss needed an ambulance she was sent a bill for $2000

renth

Thanks for asking Badge, (and everyone else) - Looks like she's got epilepsy which isn't much fun, still, could be worse. The ambulance was called by the doctors surgery when she started fitting, the fit lasted over an hour. The Mrs. thought she was going to die.

Another thing about the (IMHO CRAPPY!) system over here is this - we've now received about 5 separate invoices with attached forms to fill in. These go off to a combination of the private health people and Medicare, we get 2 cheques back to be sent to the hospital for each bill and we pay the inevitable "gap".

The invoice for the medicine (which my daughter needs to take all the time) is about $65. My wife had to take this invoice first to the Medibank Private office, stand in a queue, then take some paperwork to Medicare, stand in a queue again, for a rebate of $7.

Look, I love living in Australia but the medical system sucks big time, give me the Gool ol' NHS anyday of the week.

Hels

[QUOTE=sasbear]
Its just SOOOOO forgetable though!! <ducks for cover>


Actually, I lived there for a short while a few years ago when I went up on a contract job when I worked for Centrelink....I actually love Canberra!!

moneypenny20

Is there a reason why the other states and territories don't follow QLD's example? It seems a good arrangement to me

Pollyana

I must say I never thought I'd miss the NHS, but.......

thribble

Yes, you get a card and a pack back. I paid by card over the phone, so I'm not sure how long it takes to process the cheque, but it was about a month I think that it took for ours to come.

Vash the Stampede

You have my sympathy; my father had epilepsy as a side-effect of his anti-depressants (he was bi-polar.) I remember his very first seizure quite vividly; it was in public, and it scared the hell out of me (I was just a kid at the time.)

He went on to have several more over the years - at least two more in public. It was bloody awful.

I hope your daughter is OK. Epilepsy can be difficult to cope with in the early months.

Having never needed an ambulance myself, and having always been covered for one by my medical insurance, I wouldn't know.

I am definitely going to miss the cheap prescriptions over here when I go back, but that's the only thing I will miss.

The medical centres are hopeless; very poor service indeed, not at all what I am accustomed to. It's difficult to get an appointment on the same day; they all seem to close at 17:30 (my local one back home closed at 21:00); they have ludicrous waiting times for ridiculously simple things like a blood test; and you can't be seen without an appointment unless it's an emergency (my medical centre back home had "open surgery" after 19:30 - you could just rock up and see the doctors on a "first come, first served" basis.)

Anyway, at the rate things are going, there's not going to be much NHS left in the next 10 years; every month you hear about another hospital plunging into the red, with a fresh wave of job cuts to save a few quid.

Having said all that, I was very impressed by the service I received at Solihull Hospital; friendly, courteous staff who did everything right and showed a high level of professionalism. Really terrific people.

Clippy

That must've been awful, can't imagine how it must've felt seeing one of your kids go through that

karenvirginia

hey vash, i feel the same, i received good service at selly oak hospital last week when i needed a tetanus jab and dressing for a dog bite, don't ask!!!!
while here we are vsiting the dentist too, alan has had check up and two fillings, cost £100 in murwillumbah they said he needed root canal surgery, three visits and cost 900 dollars.... this seems to be normal practice in aus, speaking to friends over there - the root canal thing. dentist here said only needed if nerve exposed or extreme pain. i rang my old dentist they said i'd not been since 1999, they would see me but not till august! they suggest i go to the dental hospital early on a morning with a good book!
ref medical cover in aus..... we have not got any private cover. i had cause to go to hospital in extreme pain last september, my doctor sent me, soonest specialist appointment available was scheduled for two weeks time at the royal in brisbane. a bit complicated, few nasty things found inside me, anyway... murwillumbah looked after me for those two weeks, drip and morphine, pain management, they were so good. i had a private room, tv, video etc. no charge, i was actually in the palliative care section.... i did'nt know what the word meant! i do now but not relevant, i hope! then i went up to brisbane, its a teaching hospital, brilliant people. nothing too much trouble. i had every test going and enede up having an emergency operation (a big one) on a monday night after being there two weeks. stayed one more week learning how to walk again and eat! at that time i was paying full price for prescriptions i took home but have since been reimbursed as i got a health care card as i could'nt work for a while. all i pay is $4.70 now for a script. no hospital bills at all. my treatment has been transferred down to tweed hospital as i just need a monthly injection now. this is a very expensive drug, subsidised by the gov i suppose, again i just pay $4.70.
now i am well i am so glad i had the specialist treatment i needed, everyone has been marvellous and i consider myself very very lucky. i kept thinking, what would it have been like if i'd had to go to dudley road hospital?
anyway... enjoying being in blighty for the world cup, is'nt it amazing? where are you watching aus games? thats alan, me and two good pals on sunday.
karen