Australia's Health System

[RIPGMH]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Private health insurance has saved me and my wife tens of thousands of dollars..

Maybe this is part of the problem there should be more emphasis on individuals, if you and your wife utilise the system more than me and mine than why should I be subsidising your lifestyle choices??

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by RIPGMH

I've got private health insurance but so far the only benefit is that I don't pay a big levy at tax time. I've never been in hospital but I've seen too many people with insurance sitting in public beds.

Scenario 1) a friend ruptured her ACL playing Basketball and needed a full knee reco, she didnt have private cover, and wasnt covered by the clubs insurance because it happened off season, she had 2 options:

A) go through the public system and go on a waiting list which she was told would take 12-18 months because it was non urgent elective surgery for her reco, she had no control over what surgeon did it and it would have effecively ended her career or;

B) Pay $7500 to see a quality surgeon of her choice and get the reco done straight away at his prefered hospital.. then pay $150 a week after the op for ongoing physio till its right. probably out of pocket close to $10,000 in total.

I had the same issue but had private insurance so i chose my surgeon and got into a private hospital straight away, had the reco and associated rehab physio and id say it cost me out of pocket $1500... and i was back playing is 12 months..
In the public system it would have been 2 1/2 years before i was "right "again, and probably never play again due to wastage and damage caused by not getting the reco done straight away...

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by RIPGMH

Maybe this is part of the problem there should be more emphasis on individuals, if you and your wife utilise the system more than me and mine than why should I be subsidising your lifestyle choices??

I pay tax, medicare levy, workcover, private health insurance.. i think i contribute in may areas that i dont necessarily see a benefit from, but at least i contribute, and at least im covered.
In the 20 years ive had private health insurance id say ive probably contributed enough to not feel guilty about using it when i need to...

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by RIPGMH

My brother spent 13 hours in surgery once after a car accident and the public system paid for everything, the nurses told him if he were admitted as a private patient that he would have had to pay for a lot of stuff himself then try and claim back a percentage. The other thing is this is a fairly small town so there are a limited number of private beds avaliable. So you just end up in public bed anyway.

The reason why your brother didn't have to fork out upfront and after is because if it was a car accident, it would have been covered under TAC.

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by RIPGMH

I've got private health insurance but so far the only benefit is that I don't pay a big levy at tax time. I've never been in hospital but I've seen too many people with insurance sitting in public beds.

That's because there is not many private bed's in public hospital's, if it is not an emergency why would you choose to go to a private bed in a public hospital, you would just go to a private hospital.

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by Bluehoon

So you lot want the government to pay for everything? I'm sick, I need help, I need this, I want that, you do this, you do that, jeez there's an under lying theme here isn't there?

Spoilt whinging brat syndrome!

It's your life, your interest to maintain it, not my taxes so you get out cheaply!!!!

Before you start I am asthmatic, will die asthmatic, no PBS, no government help and no health insurance assistance.

Get up, gen on your feet and stop whinging.

So anyone who does not self insure is a whinging brat

Without the public and private systems working together we would have a much worse health system that would cost way more. No thankyou!

I honestly hope you never get really sick. You know, with one of those illnesses that goes on for years. It's not life style related, if fact they don't know what causes it or how to cure it. They can try and fight the symptoms with expencive drugs, the side effects of which are sometimes worse than the disease it's self.

You can remain defiante and self insure but the drugs are expencive, and you need them if you have any hope of remaining working and trying to pay your bills and that of your growing family.

Or may be your cover yourself completely with the best private health cover. Plus income insurance and illness and acciedent insurance because your self employed. Hell you are paying out $6000+ per year in various insurances, but at least you are covered right!

Wrong, turns out the expencive drugs that are required for your treatment are not covered by any private health cover. Well at lease you have been paying thousands over the years in income protection incase anything like this ever happened right? Wrong, you learn the insurance companies faviorate small print, "pre-existing condition".

Well, OK you did not hit your insurance the second you get sick. You fight it dogadly for years. It's not until you are forced to admit defeat you realise you have shot yourself in the foot by not claiming within the first year.

So not through choice or because you are a whinging brat, you turn to the public system for help.

I honestly hope it never happens to you mate, but if it did you would understand the importance of a property funded public health system.

They may even be able to do something about the chip on your shoulder

Rant over

[Bluehoon]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

So anyone who does not self insure is a whinging brat

Without the public and private systems working together we would have a much worse health system that would cost way more. No thankyou!

No the whingers are the ones who expect to have everything handed to them by the government.

Originally Posted by Work Horse

I honestly hope you never get really sick. You know, with one of those illnesses that goes on for years. It's not life style related, if fact they don't know what causes it or how to cure it. They can try and fight the symptoms with expencive drugs, the side effects of which are sometimes worse than the disease it's self.

That is what private insurance is for. Yes that's sad part of life, those exact situations, but that doesn't mean you put your hand out. It's a card your dealt and you have to play it. Whilst I feel for those people, i as others et my guard up when they get on a moral high horse and take the stance that becuase they're sick the government should do everything for them. It's a very narrow, shallow attitude. If you are trying to help yourself, I (assuming friends will help where I can), but being a martyr or whinger over cost of medicine is not correct way to go about it.

Originally Posted by Work Horse

You can remain defiante and self insure but the drugs are expencive, and you need them if you have any hope of remaining working and trying to pay your bills and that of your growing family.

Agree to a point, yes they cost, yes you need them. but does that give everyone the right to ask for a hand out? No. Perhaps if government ran more as a business it would be in much better shape.

Originally Posted by Work Horse

Or may be your cover yourself completely with the best private health cover. Plus income insurance and illness and acciedent insurance because your self employed. Hell you are paying out $6000+ per year in various insurances, but at least you are covered right!

I for one have taken those policies. For those very reasons, yes it hurts the pay, but the topic of this thread is this negated. Plus come tax return you can claim. If you had the insurances, you're covered and don't need to worry.
IMO The Private insurance rebate should cover the other insurance, it would save the government millions on PBS type programs.

Originally Posted by Work Horse

Wrong, turns out the expencive drugs that are required for your treatment are not covered by any private health cover. Well at lease you have been paying thousands over the years in income protection incase anything like this ever happened right? Wrong, you learn the insurance companies faviorate small print, "pre-existing condition".

Yes agree, my arguement is the attitude poeple take.

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by Bluehoon

No the whingers are the ones who expect to have everything handed to them by the government.


That is what private insurance is for. Yes that's sad part of life, those exact situations, but that doesn't mean you put your hand out. It's a card your dealt and you have to play it. Whilst I feel for those people, i as others et my guard up when they get on a moral high horse and take the stance that becuase they're sick the government should do everything for them. It's a very narrow, shallow attitude. If you are trying to help yourself, I (assuming friends will help where I can), but being a martyr or whinger over cost of medicine is not correct way to go about it.


Agree to a point, yes they cost, yes you need them. but does that give everyone the right to ask for a hand out? No. Perhaps if government ran more as a business it would be in much better shape.


I for one have taken those policies. For those very reasons, yes it hurts the pay, but the topic of this thread is this negated. Plus come tax return you can claim. If you had the insurances, you're covered and don't need to worry.
IMO The Private insurance rebate should cover the other insurance, it would save the government millions on PBS type programs.


Yes agree, my arguement is the attitude poeple take.

You put your foot in your mouth and I was trying to point it out. I'm not interested in watching you try and get the other one in there.

Have a great afternoon...

[Bent8]

The pharmecutical industry is BIG business...they're in it for the money, they would prefer to have a certain percentage of the population to remain ill so they can stay in business..simple as that.

Today you have vitamin pills, headache pills, pills for just about anything, they are trying to condition us to believe that taking pills for even the smallest ailment is normal, then there's the experimental stuff they put in some of these so-called "vaccine's".

The US health system is beyond comprehension, any Mexican "illegal" can walk into a US hospital and get FREE treatment while a US Citizen has to wait in line, pay for any treatment or buy some health insurance!!...this is by design of course.

My advice is try not to get sick or injured...stay away from frozen and fast foods and stick a water purifier on your tap now, because fluoride is bad for you.

Okay, flame away...

[RIPGMH]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

That's because there is not many private bed's in public hospital's, if it is not an emergency why would you choose to go to a private bed in a public hospital, you would just go to a private hospital.

Because I unlike many of you live 1000k from the nearest private hospital, but I still seem to pay the same private health insurance cover.

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by RIPGMH

Because I unlike many of you live 1000k from the nearest private hospital, but I still seem to pay the same private health insurance cover.

Well you choose to live that far from civalisation.

[RIPGMH]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

Well you choose to live that far from civalisation.

This uncivilised area contributes billions in royalties which are then used to build the freeways you travel on every day. Per capita this area is far more productive than Brisbane, yet we see only a fraction of it injected into local development including the health system. Its like saying you choose to live in the city so you should expect your daughter to be assulted.

[Falcon Coupe]

We can leave it there.
Civilization means civil if i remember correctly.