fish.01

Not sure if it is just the way it is coming across but you do not have to lie about having private hospital insurance. It is your choice to be treated as a public patient or if you prefer you can go to a private business - purely a choice.

fish.01

Medicare resembles the NHS for everyone imo.

fish.01

Yes, there was a big push by the conservatives under Howard to strengthen the private system and force people into it.

fish.01

On the other side of the coin we've had 5 procedures using private hospitals including two births and hardly paid anything for hospital expenses so it is not always extortionate We always ask to be treated as No Gap patients. It is the out of hospital expenses in the private specialists rooms that get you.

renth

The question is usually posed "do you have private health insurance?" so I find it's best to say "no" rather than "yes, but I want to be treated as a public patient" because that encourages administrative errors, like what happened to us.

fish.01

Fair enough...as long as people realise it is just a private option which they don't have to take.

itigo

When I was in A and E I was taken through the forms and asked if I wanted to be treated as a public or private patient. The nurses' body language encouraged me to say private even though they weren't meant to say anything. I was having some difficulty as I'd had a tonne of morphine and needed all the help I could get!

It meant I went on a private ward and from what I understand in our hospital it's much more 'settled' on the private wards......

However, the reason I was there was from a previous botch up so I didn't have to pay for scans or anything and I wasn't out of pocket......

AlliF

Sometimes the hospitals can work it well when you have PHI. I was admitted to the royal melbourne for a week about 4 years ago and they actually had someone come round and request that I agree to be treated as a private patient and they would cover the excess so i wasnt out of pocket. I had no objection - no skin off my nose if they extracted some cash out of the PHI provider. Worked out fine for both parties.

On the other hand I have heard horror stories of the amount of cash people have had to stump up for obstetricians if they go privately. a lot of people mistakenly assume that this is all covered because often the PHI provider will ask if you want maternity related stuff on your policy. Then later realise in the fine print that they will only cover the stuff in the hospital and that is only a small proportion of the obstetricians fees if you choose to go private.

PHI has been a complete waste of cash for us so far, we have ended up going public for most stuff and I am currently considering whether to either a) cancel it completely or b) lower the cover to just cover extras - eg ambo and dental.
(We dont have enough income to get the benefit of cancelling out the medicare surcharge levy).

fish.01

I don't know that it is in the fine print....it is called private hospital insurance

AlliF

Yup and the obstetrician was working at the hospital and treating the patient in a clinic there but that person (who is an Aussie not a pom before you say its just us that are confused)didn't realise that was being billed separately as a non-hospital service. So IMO PHI is still confusing no matter how much you use bold print.

ETA
Oh and if you want to be pedantic (and I know you do) the policy actually states it is private Health Insurance not Private Hospital Insurance

fish.01

It was actually a joke and I was debating adding in fine print that I agree that many are confused by obstetrics in case it was misinterpreted - I should have, for once my post wasn't pedantic enough

hevs

Im still a bit unsure on the system, but have used it rather extensively

We have been here for 8 years and in the last 18 months have got PHI. BUT we, on the advice of some medical friends, only got TOP hospital cover. The extras are often a waste of money and your dentist will charge a different rate if you say you have private cover, trust me also neither of us wear glasses and if you pull something very badly and end up in a and e you get refered to a physio before you leave and its all on medicare (found that out by accident...pardon the pun lol) Top hospital cover covers you for everything including ICU and osteo, which a lot dont. However that said, in a real emergency I would never use my PH. When Matt had his big brain surgery drama after he left ICU and went into HD, there were 4 beds. 2 had Private written over the beds, 2 public. We were public, we had the same staff, same neuro team, same after care, however once we left, after 7 weeks, no "gap" fees, no charges for the $500 daily bags of vancomyacin and no ongoing fees for HITH...which the private people had to pay. We met up with one in clinic and their bill was thousands!

The hospital cover is for my dodgy knee, I know surgery is imminent, I dont want to wait and I want a nice room Its also for a possible heart valve surgery or hip replacement, Matts heel spur which may need treatment, who knows? but thats what its for, we also now dont pay the levvy.

Next week I go and see a private sinus specialist and am most probably having surgery to correct my wonky septum. I have been told that its $150 (rebateable) for the first visit to his rooms, but then any treatments needed are bulk billed...now chuffed if I know if that means? Does that mean BB for the surgery or is that just if hes gonna stick cameras up my nozzel, no idea? BUt i guess if i do need surgery I can go private. Its worth noting you can go private in a public hospital too, this way there are NO gaps and if your said specialist operates there (and most do a public, kinda pro bono shift) its a way to get yourself in the next week!

My doctor BB and there is also a Gribbles path attatched so any blood tests are always BB. We are also lucky enough to have an MDI imaging so for MRI and CT its also BB, unless you go on a saturday then its a $145 fee (rebateable) This may be because we live in an area with great facilities, but I think you only find these things out after living here a while.

Anyone confused yet?

paulry

I'll tell you after Tuesday.

Meanwhile it'll be one year in Australia for us next Sunday so I'd better get my skates on to lock in to the loading waiver. For now does anyone know who provides the cheapest bare bones cover?

Cheetah7

For us its HCF, we have the extras and hospital cover for both of us and it is just under $150 a month between us, husband is 49 and I am 44.

paulry

Thanks. From what I've been able to determine HCF seems to consistently be the cheaper. We're two late forties adults and two mid teens. Is Medibank more expensive in all scenarios?