ABCDiamond

After having read all these posts .... so am I now

Sammy T

I haven't got a clue anymore whether it's even worth having private health insurance, it really sounds like it's pot luck as to what service you get.

As Wol (I think it was) said, the whole system is random, I never seem to get charged the same fee when I go to the GPs, and Medicare always seem to give a different rebate. Is there somewhere you can check what the different codes stand for? I take it that when a GP does not bulk bill, they can basically charge what they like for a consultation?

With private health care, is there a gap payment for all things, eg an initial consultation, hospital admission, theatre costs, anaesthetist fees etc, from what I've read on here and from my policy details I'm just not sure I can see any benefit of our paying $170 + per month apart from our dental check ups are covered.

Sam

ABCDiamond

My bottom line opinion on Private Health Insurance, is that it is Insurance for major events.

On a day to day average, I feel that MY annual medical costs are much cheaper than Insurance would cost me. My only real medical costs are dental, as our doctors all bulk bill.

However, IF I needed something urgent, but not urgent life threatening medically, and the State put me on a waiting list, then I would have no choice but to wait or pay.

Wol

That's it in a nutshell.

If you are in an area where the public hospitals are OK there's no doubt that going private is a waste. In NSW though the state government is actually a puppet of the NSW ALP and is almost totally ineffective in providing what most of us would think of as usual infrastructure and funding for such things as hospitals. So you have the choice of a private hospital - with all the attendant costs - or an often squalid public one that makes the most unfunded NHS hospital look like the Cleveland Clinic.

I seriously recommend that if you are a new arrival, you take a day or two to look around the local hospitals and see if you would be happy to be admitted there. From other posters' comments, there *are* some reasonably run area authorities. Just not around here.

hevs

Agree with all you've said, apart from the last sentance. My last check up, Xray and proper scale and polish was only $200

hevs

Again, it must be a lottery. I know people who have had proceedures done with OH and have only paid the excess

I wish we had a "hits head on keyboard" smiley, for the system I mean, not for anyones view point! Its nice to be able to discuss this without anyone calling anyone a twat

Wol

>>Its nice to be able to discuss this without anyone calling anyone a twat <<

Couldn't agree more.

Sammy T

We must be the civilised section of BE

Just to repeat a question I had earlier, if I or my children were admitted in an emergency, eg broken leg, can we just not say we have private health insurance or do we have to own up to it? I recall reading somewhere than even if you are treated in a public hospital, you will be liable for extra fees is you hold private insurance?

We said we would wait until we had held the insurance for a full year and then assess whether we think it's worth having, so far it has "saved" a fair bit on dental check ups (family of 4) a small amount on my contact lenses and a small amount towards x rays and fillings for my OH.

Sam

ABCDiamond

I did exactly that myself, (in about 1987 I think ). Then I never bothered renewing it

Sammy T

Have you been here that long

Do you get a long service medal or something?

Sam

jad n rich

At ER we were have always been given a form on arrival in which you declare if you want to use private or medicare for your treatment.

On one occasion my then toddler was stuck in a full ward of sick, terrified, screaming and infectious children accompanied by an assortment of parents, we went private room just for the sanity. It was worth the cost. He had croup, that was stressful enough.

When son had a sport injury we went feral, hung out in some curtained off area listening to every sort of emergency you could imagine, but it was only for 4 hours.

When MIL had suspected heart attack she was seen in emergency as you would expect, nobody had time for forms, flurry of activity, after basic emergency care she was to go onto wait list for surgery, at that stage went private to get heart surgery ASAP.

I guess what you put on the form depends on what the situation is, but the form to me has never read if you have private you must use it, its always been a choice. Besides if you pay private insurance you still pay the medicare levy hence the choice??

joho

You do not have to use your insurance if you dont want to, you just tell them you want to go public. I have been in hospital 3 times in the last 18 months (as an admittance), me and wol sound similar in our health probs since moving here I always say yes you can use my insurance if you waive the gap, I get no bills but the hospital claims some from my health insurance win win.

I have had several MRIs full brain and spine here at the hospital both as inpatient and out and never paid a bean. Most CT scans around here are bulk billed, other scans do incurr a charge but I dont mind the gap as I get the result the next day, not like in UK maybe 3 months later if you are lucky. There are good and bad bits and sometimes it just even depends on what nurses are on to the treatment you get. I have to make neuro appt with a different one now cause I need to go onto a drug my 'free' neuro hasnt registered for, I will have to bay a consult fee of $250 but get $202 back, I dont mind paying that.

I use my health ins for teeth checkups, xrays, cleans never pay they pay all, used them for private ops that have drastically reduced the cost of my cosmetic surgery, I have eye probs to and wear glasses which they stump up lots for. Ok its expensive but now I have these health issues I cant afford to give it up.

Hubby has all his psoriasis treatment free, (sunbed 3 times a week Plus appt with skin specialist). Also now has borderline diabetes and gets clinic appt, dietician, follow ups etc all free. In fact the miserable sod costs more than me in scripts and he could probably do his through diet and exercise.

We cant fault what we have had since being here. My SIL has been dx with same condition as me recently, and its taken over 6 months for her to get to the treatment stage which took me 3 days. Go figure.

Jo

Wol

Quite right. If you say you are "public" you pay nothing. If you designate "private" the bills roll in for months.

joho

See my response above.

ABCDiamond

No medal, just a new wife...

But I did return to the UK in between then and now, for a few years.