jad n rich

In a bid to reduce incredibly long hospital waiting lists, queenland then probably other states are looking at means testing who is eligable for surgery with medicare and making the rest pay.

Given the majority over $50,000 a single or $100,000 a family have been pushed into private insurance by extra tax levies its a reasonable guess to assume the people who will be asked to pay will be average income earners.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...5E1702,00.html

Grayling

Worrying isn't it?

Not many replies I notice

G

woodyinoz

Well that's just bl**dy fantastic

Let's hope that they don't consider it here. That will just about put the . on the i for me

Badge

why not, you have to make the cuts somewhere. Nothing is free ultimately, you have to pay somewhere. This is the way the world is going, and as we get an aging population this will become the norm. Most public health systems without high taxation like the Scandinavian modules were supposed to be a safety net for the truly needy, not some magical medical utopia where kids waltz out of theatre with perfect teeth. I'd have paid for the birth of our child if it had meant better care, not 'managed' care.

Grayling; stop worrying. Some people can't be arsed to post on 'negative' threads - its not some reflection of some sort of social-ecomomic ignorance.

Badge

glittababe

but you still pay high taxes AND are expected to pay for health care. We have it good in the UK, not sure how long the British government can sustain the NHS tho, maybe we'll end up going down that road too????

ali south

well we are moving to Oz in 25 days and the whole medical issue is something I still need to learn about, dentist and eye care too!
In a nutshell do we have to budget a great deal of money for these costs? Family of 4, healthy enough but three of us are blind as a bat! (contact lens wearers!)
Thanks
Tara

glittababe

In short yes. We're budgeting around $6000 a year for health and gap payments and we're really healthy! Jad n Rich will be able to tell you more. Make sure you get your eyes, teeth and health checked before you leave the UK!

ali south

done, done and done!

Thanks for your reply
Tara

bondipom

For a lot of operations and specialist appointments paying a gap ensures speedier access. I have found this from getting access to a GP, a neurologist, paediatrician and Gastro Paediatrician. If I went public with any of I know I would have to wait much longer. Access to health is definatelely based on wealth. Means testing may close the difference however I think Beattie maybe thinking of ways to increase fees. From the recent enquiries into dangerous unqualified doctors QLD health sounds as though it is in desperate need of funding.

Healthcare is increasingly expensive. Australia has found more ways other than tax to get us to pay. The NHS relies entirely on tax and taxpayers are by nature scrooges.

spalen

where did you get 6k$ from ? thats a crazy amount.

I dont mind if they means test it but I want my bloody tax back - why cant I opt out, I dont want my tax used for fixing fat b'srtd dole bludgers who sit at home drinking and smoking fags and then need operations to fix their sorry asses when they get ill and use my hard earned tax dollars to pay for them whilst I have to go and pay again for an operation somewhere. I view this in the same light as being a conscientious objector - I strongly oppose spending tax $ on fixing lazy dole bludgers when it could be better spent on fighting the war against people importing pine cones.

As with all ideas like this its not going to happen - no doubt the press are scare mongering.