Re: How to get a GP
 

Oh, that won't help, you'll lose 2 years off your life expectancy ;)

Re: How to get a GP
 

BUT she was the paed assigned to us in a public hospital.....its just nuts. That said shes worth every penny and has saved my sanity and potentially (through a hunch that turned into something HUGE) saved my boy from being unable to walk when hes older... I would pay her anything she asked :lol:

Re: How to get a GP
 

That's not fair, Seasider, when ONJ is a known side-effect of this group of drugs. Did the GP warn you and is there any compensation possible? Is there a public dental hospital you can be referred to?

Re: How to get a GP
 

I think that is the issue - Australia isnt a place with universal free health care and if that is what you are expecting then it isnt going to happen. No good comparing the health service on where you have come from, this is Australia and it is different, no matter how much you wish it werent. It seems like self insuring might be the way to go - have an account where you deposit savings for medical expenses and then dip into it when needed. Hopefully you dont need it all the time and you really only need to spend just over $1000 out of pocket for the safety net to kick in, so if you can budget for $1000 to kick start your self insurance then you will probably keep ahead of the game. Medications maybe need a separate account especially if you take a lot of them, but, again the safety net kicks in over about $1k

There are certainly some areas where bulk billing is almost non existent - Canberra being one of them. This is probably to do with the market - we are seriously short of GPs (they reckon we could do with another 50 or so) and so they are in the box seat with respect to charging. The big medical centres havent really got off the ground here either - probably because they cant attract the staff like they can in the more popular places like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and it is generally the big centre based practices which are more likely to bulk bill. Canberrans also like the continuity of care model I suspect. I guess we may consider their charges to be extortionate but they do have to pay for overheads, staff, insurances etc and so it probably isnt quite as lucrative as we expect - I know obstetrics insurance is phenomenally expensive for example.

Yesterday I forked out $100 for a specialist for 10 minutes consultation and got $35 back from medicare. I need minor surgery and as I have private health it will take 3 - 4 weeks, his estimate in the public system (when he, the expert, wouldnt be doing it, only supervising someone else to do it) was 12 - 18 months. Not sure I want to be waiting that long! I always just expect to pay and then when I dont it comes as a nice surprise!!!

Re: How to get a GP
 

I don't agree with this. Australia does have a universal free healthcare system running in conjunction with a private system.

Free hospitals = NHS
Free public hospital outpatient specialists = NHS
80% free GP visits = almost NHS (Canberra 50%)

I think on balance that can be considered free universal healthcare as almost the same as NHS despite having a more extensive private system and I don't think the term is that tightly defined. Like all universal healthcare systems the NHS has many geographic access issues as well which make it less than ideal, in London particularly.

Re: How to get a GP
 

I paid to see the doctor for my son a few months ago it was $70 and i got back $34 ,it was the same day appointment i waited just over an hour to see them.

I went to a bulk billing doctors not long ago and waited nearly 3 hours with no appointment system but did not pay!

We also have an appointment system at our local hospital which is out of hours if you need to see a doctor urgent. (bulk bill)

I try to attend womens health clinics either through the local hospitals or community based and they are really good and they are mostly bulk billed.

I am still on the hunt to find a good doctor for my son either to pay or bulk bill but i have found must of the doctors around here they have closed there books so just got to keep a look out for a good doctor :fingerscrossed:

Re: How to get a GP
 

I know that there are differences in healthcare between countries, and I know how things work in Australia - I just don't think that they work that well or fairly. I think it is fair to say that in early childhood health and development, there are bigger gaps in the system here than you might expect for a country as wealthy as Australia.

We have 'top of the table' private health cover and we use it where we can, as we also use Medicare where we can. A major issue is the gaps in the rebates between the scheduled fee and what you actually have to pay - sometimes it is just too high, especially if a member of your family has a chronic disease. In that case, you might have to rely on public hospital services, or you'd just go broke unless you were rich.

You might get complete cover from your private health cover for in-patient treatment, but nothing for out-patient services. Public hospital services for in- and out-patient treatment are covered, if you can wait that long, or if the treatment you need is available in public services. Would you want to wait for cancer treatment for your or your child, or surgery if you have cardiovascular disease?

Re: How to get a GP
 

The UK can no longer afford the NHS in it's present form. Expect change (ie pay for certain things) and expect it soon.

Re: How to get a GP
 

I've seen no evidence that you would wait longer under medicare for cancer treatment than you would under the NHS. Australia has better cancer success rates for many treatments than the UK so figures would suggest otherwise.

Re: How to get a GP
 

Any geographic access issues in the UK are just not on the same scale as Australia, though. A lot of country towns in WA struggle to find and keep GPs - is this a problem elsewhere?

Some states seem to offer much better healthcare for their citizens than other states. Things are even worse for country residents. It doesn't seem right for this disparity to happen.

Re: How to get a GP
 

Me either. My Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer the week after a dodgy mammogram. It was the week of Christmas. By January she had had the boob removed, a total reconstruction done and was on medication....

She was then offered chemo, but decided against it after weighing up the odds etc...that was 3 years ago :thumbsup: She also has to have another op to do with the reconstruction later this year....she doesnt have private health at all and has recieved nothing but the best care.

But I agree with Helen, for kids, in such a wealthy country, the out of pocket expenses for private health (when this is seemingly the only option) are disgusting really, its a business, pure and simple :sneaky:

Re: How to get a GP
 

When in NSW our Dr flew from Canberra -stayed Monday / Friday then went home for the weekend. No other Drs for 120kms , subsidized Dentist folded after Bob Carr took away funding -so no Dentist.

But as far as specialist care goes all States have - Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) and BB for specialist care. (rural )

Re: How to get a GP
 

Understandably, sometimes Australia struggles with remoteness and distance. Understandably, sometimes the UK struggles with overcrowding. In both countries it can be postcode lottery healthcare. Just based on different issues. On most measured outcomes Australia's healthcare seems to stack up against the NHS. Some better, some worse. I certainly agree it is nowhere near perfect.

Re: How to get a GP
 

It wasnt originally designed to be a universal free healthcare system - Medicare was originally designed to be a co-pay system with bulk billing the safety net for those who could not afford the co-payment. And that is still the expectation - well, at least amongst most of the Australians I associate with.

If you need essential medical intervention in case of cancer or accident then Australia is as good as anywhere - it is for the elective stuff that it lags behind and, again, Canberra is amongst the worst service in the country which is surprising.

Re: How to get a GP
 

I agree with some GP's there is a co-payment as discussed, but I don't know why your friends would expect co-payments in a public hospital when there are none. This was always the intention of the original system and has remained the case. Maybe I'll set up a public hospital in Canberra and start taking a cut off your friends ;)

Do you have a reference that compares elective surgery between the two systems?