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I haven't had health insurance for about 15 years. To me, being fit and healthy, I consider it a waste of money at this time. I too had a shoulder op 2 years ago, but it was a compo claim.
I have worked on the principle that if I have to visit hospital, it will probably be from an accident, which should not preclude me being admitted.
Simplistic maybe, but that's how I see it.
In case there are any misunderstandings - it is NOT necessary to have health insurance to avoid any "waiting list" & be treated immediately by a specialist of your own choice - you just have to pay and you'll only get the medicare refundQuote:
Originally Posted by p38arover
....and that is still flamin' expensive
Private Health Insurance is a must as far as we're concerned. Especially when you have young children, or are getting older (sorry Ron, not meant to be directed at you - we are also in your age group).
Years ago when our daughter Sharon was at High School, she used to play touch football and during one game, suffered a fall which resulted in a detached retina. She was in Sydney Eye Hospital the next day having it fixed. She may not have been guaranteed such had we not been covered by Private Health Insurance.
Also, Ambulance costs..my Mother has been suffering seizures for the past 2 years and has been taken to Hospital probably 20 times during that period. I hate to guess what she would have had to pay if she had not been privately insured...she does not receive old age pension. She is now in a nursing home just 2 kilometers from a major Hospital and the last Ambo bill was for $600...one way.
So, yes, we would recommend it.
Erich
Being over 30, aren't you required to have insurance or to pay a tax (levy) instead?Quote:
Originally Posted by numpty
My dental work in the past couple of years has hit the health fund pretty hard, too.
only if you earn over a certain limitQuote:
Originally Posted by p38arover
Medicare Levy Surcharge
I only have ambo cover used to keep private cover when the kids were younger over the last 16 years I have had 6 major ops (2 of them kidney transplants) and cateracts done the only thing I had to wait for was the cateracts. Most major hostpitals have a clinic just for people like me so we dont go throught emergency its straight in if needed:D
Having worked in both Private, and Public hospitals for the last 18 years. I have private health cover, especially with kids. I think it is important that we take some of the load off the Public system. It is good, but under stress. If we can afford it, we should be supporting it! We certainly don't want a system like in the U.S. where the HMO's dominate the health system.:eek:
My 2c worth.
Ken
We took out health cover when the kids were around 10yrs old,as we could afford it.Five yrs later one of them was diagnosed with leukemia,& spent a lot of time in hospital.Private cover paid the lot.
In the last 3 yrs,i have had two stays in hospital , both times the bills were around $6500,& the private cover paid all except the excess of $100.
My advise would be if you can afford it,have it.
What annoys me is we have private cover.
And both of us pay the levy as well....
Not really an incentive.
My mate, who is very fit and healthy, snapped one of the tendons in his knee playing soccer. The waiting list to get it fixxed was over 2 years. The cost to get it done immediately was over 9 grand if he just paid.Quote:
Originally Posted by numpty
So here is a case of a 25 year old supporting a wife and two kids, running his own business as a concrete polisher (ie manual labor carrying heavy things) who was pretty much stuffed until he could get his knee fixed.
Coincidently, another mate and my girlfriend also buggered their knees within a month of it happening. I rang up my insurer to make sure I was covered if anything happened to me.
Mike,
The Medicare levy you pay (1.5% of taxable) is what mostly covers universal healthcare for Australians.
Assuming you make over the threshold (154k for a couple), by having private cover you are saved from an extra 1% of taxable as the Medicare levy surchage.
The levy covers the majority of the cost of outpatient medical services, subsidises medicines, funds public emergency departments and public hospitals. I can only imagine that Whyalla is like most of regional Australia. If you need hospital services it most likely aint gonna be private.
Just ask a non-resident, non-reciprocal who has had to use the public system without Medicare what expensive is...
Steve