knockoff nige

My health insurance costs me $79 a fortnight for the top cover and its only me on the policy. I've been thinking of changing though.

Petals

My health insurance costs me nothing

My daughter came home the other day and she had been talking to a lady she works with whose daughter has to have chemo, the lady was interested to know how much my daughter's chemo and medical costs were, well they were nil as she does not have insurance and just pays the levy for medicare like everyone else.

This lady is getting her daughter's on her private insurance and its $1000.00 a pop of course her fund will refund her but she will be out of pocket still.

I also remember when we had health insurance years ago my son had an op and the anesthetist was my gp, went in to see how much to pay they said nothing, big mouth says oh I have health insurance they said oh do you that will be I think about four hundred dollars at the time.

ExSmoggie

Its also worth remembering that if you opt not to take private medical insurance out and your combined family income exceeds a certain threshold ($149,000 for your family for the current income year - 2 adults and 3 dependents) then you will have to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

This is an additional 1 % of your combined taxable income and is in addition to the standard 1.5% nearly everyone pays.

annqldau

The short answer is if you fall into one of the brackets that needs it get it as you screwed if you do and screwed if you don't. Just decide if you want top cover or pick and choose and go for it.

You'll be hammered at tax time if you don't, we weren't going to get it but paid that much in tax thought at least if you have the medical cover you get something for your money. You can still use Emergency Department at hospitals for free as in choose to be a public or private patient it's up to you when you use it at the moment.

Petals

I just always wonder why we hate paying taxes, do we not drive on the road, use the hospital as the above op said you can always use emergency without using private health, um what pays for that I wonder.

We paid the extra levy as we believe in health for all and we were lucky to be able to pay the extra levy most never do.

Having had a child with ongoing health problems I am grateful that we have the health system we have and actually I do not think we contribute enough by way of the levy.

Lower income people who cannot afford private health taxes should not support those that can afford it that is what happens in this country thank you Liberal Party.

MartinH

Sounds like a bargain to me!

My medical insurance cost in Germany is the equivalent of $1,500 per month.......I shit you not.

Vash the Stampede

Totally free for me and my family.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Yeah, but you do have Captain Blue, Captain Magenta, Colonel White, Destiny Angel and all the rest of Spectrum on your policy.

Ozzidoc

You mean free-at-source, right? Just like the NHS

ozhappy981

Yep - with a bulk-billing doctor.

Anne down under

what type of visa are you on? If you're looking for standard health insurance you can get basic family cover for $100 a month (but you need to be a resident)

iamthecreaturefromuranus

As mine is currently four times that cost I would be interested to know from who and how 'basic'?

kporte

I don't pay at the Doctors - bulk-billed. I pay in taxes obviously but at least here I don't pay $ 500 a month in National insurance contributions.
Prescriptions can be expensive though.

Howard Jenings

Just let me check this out then, we have to pay a medicare surcharge/levy of 1.5% when we do our tax return - is that 1.5% of income?? If we have private health insurance we don't pay that. Also new migrants need to take it out before they have been here a year to avoid paying additional charges??

ABCDiamond

Almost all workers pay the standard 1.5% Medicare levy towards funding the cost of the Medicare system in Australia.
The only exemptions/reductions to this are for the very low paid.
You pay this even if you have private insurance.


The Medical Levy Surcharge (MLS) of 1% is for the higher paid, who opt not to have private insurance, and is to encourage those high-income earners to take out private hospital cover and, where possible, to use the private system to reduce the demand on the public system.