monandgaz

Hi

This may be very far fetched.....as to whether anybody is actually able to answer my question.....but it's woth a try ?!

Gary, my husband, has just had a cancer screening for bowel cancer....as both his brother (8 weeks ago) and his father have died from it and his mother has just been diagnosed.
Thank God he is clear!!!

But............Gary has now been put on a 2 yearly screening progam ...as to the 5 yearly one he was on before...
I have no idea about cancer screening in Oz and even if you are privately insured whether this is included in the health insurance.....or whether you will have to pay for this yourself.
I know these things cost a fortune if having to pay for it... so it may seriously affect our decision...to make the move or not !??

thanks for any info on this matter
Mona

yvsie

Hi,

I work in a GP surgery as a nurse and I know that patients go through the public system for colonoscopies. If you have a family history you will be placed on a recall for this and re referred (or recalled)when the time comes.
Bring a letter with you from your GP or something similar so that your GP here will sort this out for you.

Hope that helps

Sass73

They also have a familial cancer unit at some hospitals.

jad n rich

In QLD often a colonoscopie is done at a private day hosptial or diagnostic imaging centre, you pay up front then medicare refund part of it. Same with many things now, the state system has passed the clients onto private clinics (waiting lists are just too long) and you pay then get a partial refund. Like breast scans there is a national screening service but many women get sent to the diagnostic imaging clinics and have to pay up front and get a partial refund.

Probably like everything it will vary state to state, best to check with where your going, and of course even within a state the procedure for each process may depend on waiting lists within the state system. Gold coast, sunshine, coast and brisbane are very stretched due to the massive population growth, so maybe if you were heading to townsville or something it may not be the same.

iPom

Completely different, but the breast cancer screening here seems superb. There's a massive van thing that arrives that gives free mamograms to women. It's brilliant.

monandgaz

Thanks a lot for the informative answers......
.......It does put my mind at rest to know that it will still get done.....and Gary will be looked after !!
Suppose it's not too bad if we get part of it refunded as long as it's not the lot.... we would just need to live with that I guess ( May be worth having a look at how much a colonoscopy costs... )
We are actually thinking of going to the sunshine coast....so the partial refund would apply to us...!!!!!!

Mona

steandleigh

I had some treatment in the UK a good while back for cervical cancerous cells... it was followed up by 2 six monthly smear tests, then 2 yearly tests then back to every 2 years. Then we emigrated.

I get here and they insist on yearly tests as a 'precaution' -I pay the majority and medicare pays the balance.

Feel I am in good hands here.

monandgaz

Thanks for that......makes me feel so much better....

Mona