Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian Robinson
This is not the USA , we'd go to a public hospital and it will be totally free of charge for as long as is needed to be treated , no gap , no bills , and we'd get specialists needed at no cost , same as the cost of the bed , any surgery , physio , pharmaceuticals , etc as public patients . Why do you think so many private patients decline or forget to tell the hospitals they have private health insurance when they have a major medical problem eh ???.... where do you think privately insured patients wind up if they have major medical problems anyway .... not in private hospitals in the main , in major regional hospitals , only they get a big bill at the end , and get some of it paid when they present to bill to the health fund , they still need to cover the gap (which can be huge).
The garbage about choice of doctor , and being able to have unnecessary / elective stuff done as selling point by the private health funds , and the "incentive" to joint funds, early (while you are fit and healthy ,not to mention the federal government subsidisation of private funds - money that'd better used to improve the public hospital system and maybe reintroduce bulk billing of dental work, is all a big con job.
Better off saving and ensuring you've enough to cover more likely costs like dental work and glasses and pharmaceuticals yourself and not subsidising private health funds' owners' and shareholders' affluent lifestyles .... we'll all be better off when the profit motive is removed from hospital and health industries . Very good thing Howard and mates were sacked I reckon.
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If you have a bad knee which requires surgery then
(1) A health fund member goes and finds a surgeon of his choice who then books him into a private hospital and performs the operation.
(2) A non health fund member goes on the public waiting list for the same surgery and waits anything up to a few years for the operation; and it doesnt matter how much pain they are in while waiting.
I dont have private health insurance and got fantastic service at RPAH for a life threatening cardiac bypass operation. However I can easily understand why people would choose to take out private health insurance.