Hospital cover, who has it?

[ZA-289]

I now have a young family and am looking into hospital cover, but I must be stupid because I dont see the benifits. Now I have and have always had extras cover, but as far as I see it if you are going to a public hospital (no private hospitals in my area anyway) as a private patient the only benifit is choosing your own doctor/surgeon.. Like I know any surgeons anyway!

Also, as is often the case if you are a private patient in a public hospital you may end up being charged for what ever outstanding amount your fund doesnt cover for your stay in hospital whereas the public patient gets it all for free anyway!

As a public patient, if you are life threateningly ill you will be seen to (and operated on if needed) asap and your treatment will be free. So why pay for hospital cover? and if its elective/non urgent then why not wait a few months

Is it purely to get inside a fancier hospital with your own room? becuase then I still dont see the point because you will probably be so out of it on drugs you wont know where you are anyway!

I undertsand the eldery may need it (hip replacments etc) but they can probably least afford it anyway. Also the over 30's levy may change the situation also.

Am I crazy.....? Am I on the wrong forum....? yes probably.

[jcxr]

Ive had it for 25 years, never had to use it. I could have bought my own hospital.

[Polyal]

I think there has been a thread about this not long ago

Originally Posted by jcxr

Ive had it for 25 years, never had to use it. I could have bought my own hospital.

True, but your healthy so thats a pretty big upside.

Since having kids I got it, otherwise I dont think I would bother. But in saying that, two births later I am glad we did. As it stands I am in front at the moment.

But like I said, Ill be happy to pay insurance if thats the only thing I have to complain about in 50 years time.

[hendrixhc]

Im 40 and dont even have health cover. I dont care about having to pay the extra medicare levy cause i use the public health system when ever i need it and have never had any issues with the service i have had.

My Mum has private cover and has never had her own room when in hospital and she also could probably bought a hospital with the cash she has squandered.

[creative]

Since moving over here, I have thought exactly the same!

[prydey]

i thought exactly the same (and still do) and up until 18mnths ago, we only had extras cover also.

the thing that made us join private health, is my daughter is type 1 diabetic (has been since 5yrs old, now 11). she was having insulin injections twice a day, but 12mnths ago we went to pump therapy. its a little device about the size of a mobile phone and controls her insulin. the thing is, these little devices are $8000 a pop and only good for 4yrs. under private health, they are seen as a prosthesis and are free. its still costing me about $8000 every 4yrs, but at least there are other benefits there if we need (dental etc).

sorry for the long story, but if my daughter wasn't in that situation, i wouldn't have private health. as you've discovered, it seems to defy all logic. i also get slugged extra due to signing up when over 30. another 'tax' to thank the govt for.

another story, my folks always had private health. my dad got appendicitis and went to flinders (hospital) and because it was an emergency he went to the public hospital anyway and then thanks to a lack of beds, ended up on a gurney in a corridor. all that money for private health.....

[V8XTasy]

I've been asking the same question in another forum. I think it's one of those things everyone thinks they should have, we are told to have it through various advertisements and tax incentives, but is it really worth it. For my family of 4, basic cover with a few extras is $180pm. This covers very little that you can't just get from a public hospital anyway. Even for dental, it only covers like $500 per person. I've decided to save the $180pm instead, then if I need some dental work etc, just pay for it. I'm also considering just extras cover which is much cheaper. It might be worth it if you earn over the levy threshold or you or your kids have specific health issues, not that you can predict this in the future.
I'd be a bit pee'd off if I paid all that money just to find my condition wasn't covered, or there was a massive gap etc.

[TheSneakiness]

Only have extras cover but even then you get some providers that say No Gap and you still get slugged a gap. Bloody rort I tells ya.

[The Yeti]

Got full cover wouldnt be with out it

I my self have needed it twice, and my daughter has needed it

I tried once to be a tight wad and go public (to save the excess) never again.

I got stuck in a ward full of old guys that wouldnt shut up, if I had to go back a couple of hungy to have my own room would be money well spent

[RiTz]

My mum had heart surgery 3 weeks ago today (mechanical valve). She has been told her payable gap will be $3500-$4500. She has been with MBF for ever.When she got the the above letter prior to surgery she nearly didn't need it !! Wasn't gonna have it. I told her she was even if I had to sell Rosie.
Lucky she did cuz when they got in there it was way worse than thought and they said she prob wouldn't have seen Xmas.
We are with NIB and my thoughts are it's a bonus not having to wait for surgery when needed.

[hendrixhc]

Originally Posted by RiTz

My mum had heart surgery 3 weeks ago today (mechanical valve). She has been told her payable gap will be $3500-$4500. She has been with MBF for ever.When she got the the above letter prior to surgery she nearly didn't need it !! Wasn't gonna have it. I told her she was even if I had to sell Rosie.
Lucky she did cuz when they got in there it was way worse than thought and they said she prob wouldn't have seen Xmas.
We are with NIB and my thoughts are it's a bonus not having to wait for surgery when needed.

Funny that, 3 people in my family have had heart surgery, all public, and got in virtually straight away. I had a hernia removed bout 20 yrs ago and got in 2 weeks after being told the surgery was required.

I guess cause i havent had a negative public health sytem experience i dont see the need for private health.

Must point out the only thing i have decided to pay for is ambulance cover, $120 a year for the family. Worth it because we live in the country - snakes!

[vanman_75]

Top cover as you gotta pay the same amount at tax time ( with my salary) anyway,used for ivf and other ops and have received 15 -20 thou back off them ....so yes when you need it its well worth it .plus dental and many other included items .medibank private corporate gold cover

[Sox]

All insurance is a bit of a rort, health insurance is by far the biggest.
Dig deep, and it's amazing what Medicare covers.
Dig deep, and it's even more amazing what health insurance doesn't cover.

It's simply not needed in this country where we actually have a very good public health system.

[trippytaka]

I have always had private health, will always.

My mate's mum - riddled with cancer, and just broke her hip - was in public hospital (as public patient) waiting for 3 days for an operation on the weekend. she was fasting the WHOLE time because they made her. NO WAY I AM EVER GOING THROUGH THAT. Private all the way. I am happy to pay the couple of grand a year for it.

[Gobes32]

I would much rather pay a 5% medicare levy and a have a world class health system rather than pay insurers. It is essentially gambling as to whether or not you will need it. Heads they win, tails you lose.

[Dusty1]

Having had one child through the public system and my twins through private the level and continuity of care in the private sector was unbelievable. It was like trying to compare a cricket bat to a bit of cheese.

We had the same obsetrictian, met all the doctors who were going to do the Caesar and with the twins in a special care nursery still, I would rather pay it.

We've used it for dental and glasses previously and that's it.

My father in law with bowel and prostate cancer is having a hard time in the public system, and if he was private his stays in Geelong would have been a lot better. But each to their own.

[Racecraft]

I have it, biased view but all I ever read is time is money,
I don't make enough, someone stooged me, everything is too expensive.... Even if you are a hopeless one armed monkey getting $20 per hour, the time you sit in a public hospital before the system has the time to 'have a look' even @ 20 bucks an hour makes the private health system and monthly contributions look extremely healthy.....

I'd 'touching wood' hate to be of such health that mine or my family needed anything major performed relying only on public... The anguish of the time for diagnosis would be enough to validate the levy to go private before the proceedure even came into the equation.

[gtfpv]

BE INSURED , TO THE MAX YOU CAN AFFORD .
just to show anyone who thinks it isn't worth it . a friends wife came down with breast cancer . 80 grands worth of treatment for a few grand , because they were privately covered , the alternative was to wait on the public system till they fit you in .
a lesser example , you walk outside twist your knee !!! cannot walk without a real struggle .
your options are , wait for elective surgery , as it's not life threatening , and not anyones problem that you cannot work , could take 3 to 6 months wait , but the good news is it may get a little better while you wait .
or cash could be 15 to 20k upfront thanks , we can do it next week sir .
or i'm in a private health fund can you do it next week ? sure we can , but just give us $500 so we can pass it on to your health fund .

[z80]

If you put the $3-4k a year in premiums into a bank term deposit, statistically you will be miles ahead.

It's a numbers game that the funds play, and they make huge profits...all from us suckers.

Let's not pretend that if you need urgent surgery for a broken something or another that the only way they will treat you is if you have health insurance.


I can walk into any medical facility in the world...slap the Visa card on the front desk and get attended to straight away.

Cash is the universal health insurance system....100% cover.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by z80

If you put the $3-4k a year in premiums into a bank term deposit, statistically you will be miles ahead.

It's a numbers game that the funds play, and they make huge profits...all from us suckers.

Let's not pretend that if you need urgent surgery for a broken something or another that the only way they will treat you is if you have health insurance.


I can walk into any medical facility in the world...slap the Visa card on the front desk and get attended to straight away.

Cash is the universal health insurance system....100% cover.

Absolutely without a doubt.

I wouldn't call anyone a sucker who has it though, I think it's jest being led into a false sense of security, as we're led to believe that our public system is crap.
Nothing could be further from the truth as we probably have the best public system in the world.

From my experience only a couple months ago with my father, the system worked exceptionally well, from the ambos, to the ICU, to the ward.
My father had a brain aneurysm, was in ICU for 2 weeks and a ward for a week, didn't cost them a penny. I talked them out of health insurance a few years back.

I also had a nose job many years ago, elective surgery, and I opened my wallet.
I had to wait the same time an insured person did, had the same care, choice of Dr, hospital, etc, and the majority of it was covered by Medicare. In fact I paid less than someone who would have been insured at the time, plus the insured person is paying ongoing.

There really is no need for health insurance in OZ, make no mistake, you will pay more with it.

[GT 160]

I look at it this way, 90% of us don't think twice about insuring the immaterial things in our lives (cars etc etc) why not do the same for you and your family ?

We have full private cover, life insurance and income protection and wouldn't be without it.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by fitzwa

I look at it this way, 90% of us don't think twice about insuring the immaterial things in our lives (cars etc etc) why not do the same for you and your family ?

There's a fundamental difference.

Without insurance for our material possessions, we lose them in the event of theft, accident, fire, etc.

In the event of you or your family having sickness or serious accident, you are covered by way of Medicare.
We are all already 'insured' so to speak.

[geckoGT]

Yep, until everyone, no matter how much they earn cancel their health insurance because we all have the Medicare "health cover". Then everyone turns up at hospitals, delays get longer, waiting lists get longer and everyone on this "health cover" complains that the health system is crap.

A lot of the problem is everyone wants first class health care but most people don't want to pay for it.

Simple fact is quality health care costs a lot more than covered by the Medicare levy if everyone was to rely on it. If everyone was to just use Medicare, the Medicare levy will have to go through a massive increase. Yes we have a good health care system but it is crumbling under the pressure because less and less people have health insurance, causing less use of GP's and more presentations to public emergency departments.

[PHANTMXR6]

I look at private health insurance like a condom.

I'd rather have it and not need it than not have it and need it.

And if the company you work for subsidises the cost, why wouldn't you.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

Yep, until everyone, no matter how much they earn cancel their health insurance because we all have the Medicare "health cover". Then everyone turns up at hospitals, delays get longer, waiting lists get longer and everyone on this "health cover" complains that the health system is crap.

Not exactly true.
The waiting lists are already longer than they need to be, but it's because of private cover and too many people having premature elective procedures.

People are also already claiming the public system is crap, because unfortunately our society today is too demanding.

A lot of the problem is everyone wants first class health care but most people don't want to pay for it.

Partly true, but more to do with the second point I made above, some things are just never good enough for some people.

Our current public health care system may not be first class, and it certainly has flaws, but by world standards it is excellent.

Simple fact is quality health care costs a lot more than covered by the Medicare levy if everyone was to rely on it.

To some degree you're right. But, that's more to do with people abusing the public system than any monetary relief the private sector brings.

If everyone was to just use Medicare, the Medicare levy will have to go through a massive increase. Yes we have a good health care system but it is crumbling under the pressure because less and less people have health insurance, causing less use of GP's and more presentations to public emergency departments.

Again, you're right to some extent.
The system will need adjusting as more and more people go out of private cover, but that's a good thing IMO.
As I said, the system is good, but there's always room for improvement.

I think one of the first things which should be introduced is paid GP visits. It might stop frivolous weekly check ups by perfectly healthy but paranoid people.

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by Sox

Not exactly true.
The waiting lists are already longer than they need to be, but it's because of private cover and too many people having premature elective procedures.

People are also already claiming the public system is crap, because unfortunately our society today is too demanding.

Partly true, but more to do with the second point I made above, some things are just never good enough for some people.

Our current public health care system may not be first class, and it certainly has flaws, but by world standards it is excellent.

To some degree you're right. But, that's more to do with people abusing the public system than any monetary relief the private sector brings.

Again, you're right to some extent.
The system will need adjusting as more and more people go out of private cover, but that's a good thing IMO.
As I said, the system is good, but there's always room for improvement.

I think one of the first things which should be introduced is paid GP visits. It might stop frivolous weekly check ups by perfectly healthy but paranoid people.

ohhhhh come on guys . i really dont like hearing peoples assumptions . our public system is the only way for emergency care ,and it is great . it is there to save your life , or help you recover enough to go home , once home , and believe me they dont keep you in hospital for a day longer than necessary . your on your own , then you go to the GP for recovery , if you need further specialist follow ups treatment . that when you are up the creek without private insurance or cash .
remember your public hospital is there to keep you alive , after that its up to you and specialists, or you and your wallet . when you come out of hospital after an emergency be thankfull your alive , it doesnt gaurantee youll stay that way though , it is then up to you to keep yourself recovering , not the public system .
in all other cases (not emergency life treatments) the private system is way way way better than public . the public sytem is for life threatening emergencies, the private system is for recovery and repair . thats my take .
i have had that drummed into me from doctors and everyone i know who has been there , and i have .
i needed a hernia operation years agoi . the GP said to me when dont be a fool , get it fixed , dont wait . make the necessary appointments now privately and get it done in a staged planned manner by a great doctor under a planned circumstance .
OR wait till it ruptures , and hope it isnt in the middle of a saturday night an a bad night , when the public sytem is under stress ,and a junior doctor repairs it as one of several operations he/she performs that night .
it is important for me to drum the realities of what happens here .
ohh by the way if your appendix suddenly ruptures it is a life threatening emergency . the hospital will keep you alive , the private system wont be there for you under that scenario . . then it becomes an emergency operation or death . i hope i have made the point i'm trying too . cheers .

[Sox]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

ohhhhh come on guys . i really dont like hearing peoples assumptions .

Who's assuming anything? You have your views, I have mine.

our public system is the only way for emergency care ,and it is great . it is there to save your life , or help you recover enough to go home , once home , and believe me they dont keep you in hospital for a day longer than necessary .

Naturally, why would they keep you in longer if it wasn't necessary.

your on your own , then you go to the GP for recovery , if you need further specialist follow ups treatment . that when you are up the creek without private insurance or cash .

Cash which would otherwise have gone into the private insurance. So what.
In any case, only the specialist costs money, the GP does not.

remember your public hospital is there to keep you alive , after that its up to you and specialists, or you and your wallet . when you come out of hospital after an emergency be thankfull your alive , it doesnt gaurantee youll stay that way though , it is then up to you to keep yourself recovering , not the public system .

This is simply not true.
Yes, the hospital will keep you alive and patch you up.
Once out of hospital, you continue to see a GP (free), and if necessary you see a specialist, which may or may not be covered. Much of the time you'll find it is. When it isn't, once again, you'd simply be using the the cash which otherwise would be spent on the insurance. Again, so what.

in all other cases (not emergency life treatments) the private system is way way way better than public . the public sytem is for life threatening emergencies, the private system is for recovery and repair . thats my take .

Repeating it over an over again doesn't make it any more true.

i have had that drummed into me from doctors and everyone i know who has been there , and i have .

Fair enough, I'll admit I have heard some say similar, however I've also heard plenty more say private insurance is a rort. Straight from people in the medical industry.
Many advise not to go private, even when you are insured. That speaks volumes.

i needed a hernia operation years agoi . the GP said to me when dont be a fool , get it fixed , dont wait . make the necessary appointments now privately and get it done in a staged planned manner by a great doctor under a planned circumstance .

Yep, and I have also had a procedure many years ago of which was elective surgery. I could have waited for a completely free OP (around 18 months at the time), or opened my wallet and had it done within 2 months. I opened my wallet for the 3.5k and and low and behold, Medicare covered most of it anyhow. I only parted with $800 in the end.
If I had of been privately insured it was going to be a lot more, the Dr's assured me of that. The OP was going to be up to double, and then the gap payable was similar to what I paid (plus of course the ongoing monthly fee)

In hindsight, I should have waited anyway (it wasn't life threatening, just very uncomfortable), and it would have not cost me anything at all.

OR wait till it ruptures , and hope it isnt in the middle of a saturday night an a bad night , when the public sytem is under stress ,and a junior doctor repairs it as one of several operations he/she performs that night .

Every case is different, you may or may not have been perfectly fine to wait.
Same as myself. We all have choices.

Anyway, each to their own, but to compare health insurance to motor vehicle or house insurance (as someone else did) is fundamentally flawed.

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by Sox

Who's assuming anything? You have your views, I have mine.

Naturally, why would they keep you in longer if it wasn't necessary.

Cash which would otherwise have gone into the private insurance. So what.
In any case, only the specialist costs money, the GP does not.

This is simply not true.
Yes, the hospital will keep you alive and patch you up.
Once out of hospital, you continue to see a GP (free), and if necessary you see a specialist, which may or may not be covered. Much of the time you'll find it is. When it isn't, once again, you'd simply be using the the cash which otherwise would be spent on the insurance. Again, so what.

Repeating it over an over again doesn't make it any more true.

Fair enough, I'll admit I have heard some say similar, however I've also heard plenty more say private insurance is a rort. Straight from people in the medical industry.
Many advise not to go private, even when you are insured. That speaks volumes.

Yep, and I have also had a procedure many years ago of which was elective surgery. I could have waited for a completely free OP (around 18 months at the time), or opened my wallet and had it done within 2 months. I opened my wallet for the 3.5k and and low and behold, Medicare covered most of it anyhow. I only parted with $800 in the end.
If I had of been privately insured it was going to be a lot more, the Dr's assured me of that. The OP was going to be up to double, and then the gap payable was similar to what I paid (plus of course the ongoing monthly fee)

In hindsight, I should have waited anyway (it wasn't life threatening, just very uncomfortable), and it would have not cost me anything at all.

Every case is different, you may or may not have been perfectly fine to wait.
Same as myself. We all have choices.

Anyway, each to their own, but to compare health insurance to motor vehicle or house insurance (as someone else did) is fundamentally flawed.

mate i've had my experiences , and heard many of friends experiences on how good private health can be . your not going to change my mind . keep saving your 3.5 k/pa , and i'll keep pooring mine int a private fund ok . .
i'll use the public system as you will if and when required , and also the health fund if and when required . hopefully we wont need to use either . cheers .

[Trevor 57]

We have had private health (hospital) cover since I started my first full time job back in 1974, HBA it was then, then when I married in 1977 we changed over to Medibank, I am now with Teachers Federation Health, a bloody good insurer, we have used it heaps and it is bloody worth it. I can pick when I want to go into hospital even for voluntary stuff.

As you get older the benefits of having it become obvious.

Medibank was the name given to Australia's system of universal health insurance when it was first created by Gough Whitlam's Australian Labor Party government in 1975

[Lotte]

I'm guessing it's situation by situation.
I have a friend who is chronically ill, and has the whole kit and caboodle, which they use a fair amount of the time. Saves them a bit, because they can be guaranteed the same person will deal with their case (I'm guessing anyway), and as it's not "life threatening" (but pretty dire), they don't have to wait for a bed.

For me, I just have ambo cover (and I should renew that, thanks for the reminder). I'd probably only consider hospital cover, and even extra's cover for next financial year, when I'll potentially go over that 70k limit in earnings. It'll depend on the situation, and I'll be talking to my regular doctor first about if I should get it. (and a finance advisor)

Aaaand, to throw my two cents in re: Public is fantastic. No, it's not. We have a friend who is in extreme need of a hip replacement (can't walk), and she's been told 18 months. They're trying to get her advanced on the list (as a public, not private), and the fight could take just as long. She can't sit in a car for more than 20 minutes (GREAT in country vic), can barely get from the car to the house, etc, and has no family nearby to look after her (bar us). But then, I also wouldn't know how it would change for private cover (though I'm assuming if she paid a bit, she'd get it done immediately)... mind you, she can't afford it, so it's a double edged sword really..