DeadVim

"Being a man of few words I would like to thank everyone for coming and the caterers for providing a marvellous spread"

northernbird

I pay at my surgery for adults and kids. I don't mind because I can always get in and see someone at short notice. My kids are never sick but when they are an urgent appointment is usually required. So once a year I may be $20 out of pocket.

hevs

You have to pay for prescriptions in the UK And I dont pay to go to the Drs or hospital etc....I THINK from many posts on here that where we live in Mellie has very good facilities.

We just got back from the GC (Hi Pen *waves*) and nearly died at the fact that there were no clinics open on a sunday and had to pay $150 for the DR to COME OUT to the house...we only needed anti B's for tonsilitus! crazyness!

It very much depends where you live. Where we live in the S/e of Melbourne we have excellent facitlities and very little wait times. I also think public transport isnt bad, could be better, but isnt bad....

HelenTD

I would be very happy to be $20 out-of-pocket for just one medical visit, let alone all year. We are thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for 2010, due to our eldest ending up in hospital, with lots of follow-up care needed for months afterwards. A visit to the GP costs $90 up-front, $65 after Medicare rebate. It takes several days to get an appointment and then they run about 1.5 hours behind. Now it's a new year, we should start getting more back for medical appointments. Some specialists charge $400+ for a first visit, only about $200 back from Medicare.

hevs

Sorry to hear about your son Helen. Do you not have medicare for some reason? I dont understand why you paid for hospital. Also all after care? My hubby was in hospital for 7 weeks, including icu and high dpendancy, then 2 years rehab, we never paid a cent...he had his 5th year MRI today...every january...free...

See? we cant generalise about Aus cos it differes so greatly

HelenTD

Thanks for your kind words, hevs. The hospital treatment was free, but there was almost no rehab there, so we had to fund physio visits, specialists, etc, paying up-front and getting a rebate from our private health fund. Thank God we had that. We even had to pay for and arrange the hire of a wheelchair and shower chair when we left hospital. We were very disappointed by the hospital treatment. He was hospitalised due to a GP's mistake with medication and the hospital almost finished him off. Very scary stuff. He and I needed counselling afterwards, another expense, but we decided it was necessary as part of recovery.

darroll30

so i guess the question should be now,if you had make the move now would you do it?????

northernbird

I was sorry to hear about your sons health problems, I am sure it was an exceptionally worrying time.

HelenTD

Apart from nearly losing him, a big worry is how vulnerable we are in WA in terms of health care. You can't just pop over to Adelaide or Melbourne for an emergency or for care if you've got a chronic condition. It certainly opened my eyes to the health system here.

Geordie George

Being heavily pregnant now and having fortnightly appointments at the GPs (as I'm under shared care), I was paying $60 for each visit. I get about 50% back from Medicare. It adds up. Especially to say I'm not even ill!

ponyrama

yes!

DeadVim

During my emigration I did not consider for one minute the exchange rate, the property market, the job market or the relative cost of anything so as far I am would be concerned nothing has changed in 6 years.

I moved here to be with my new wife and my daughter and influence of the fluctuating price of lettuce is very, very, very slight.

Geordie George

I envy you. It keeps me awake at night with worrying about it.

hevs

OMG! Again, I paid zero to have Flynn (and I should think he cost medicare tens of thousands ) ....the only thing we paid for was when we finally left the hospital for some iron meds and vitamins to protect against ricketts

It really DOES depend so much where you live oviously.

Any time now GG?

BadgeIsBack

There are differences in households too. When I go, I go to the dodgy 'one visit, one-pill-and that's your lot Kmart' mob round the back of the hospital. Aids admission when they get the wrong pill. When the Missus goes, she pays to have a little consultation not one mile away with a dashing doctor who hands out lollies to the kids and she hangs on every word and calls him 'Dr'. He did suggest to her that I should retrain as a GP - (where does he think the money is going to come from?!)