Private Health Insurance - Is it Worthwhile?

[Happy]

I would be happy if some people were excluded from health cover.

Those who do not look after their health and then have medical procedures like bypass surgery, or lap-band surgery, or somebody who drives 200 k an hour and then needs 24/7 care.

(Suspect this view will not be very popular)

 

[gooner]

Interesting thread.

I took out private health cover when the Government bought in the 1% surcharge for family income over $100,000 if you did not have private health cover. We actually saved money - our private insurance premium was less than the surcharge would be. And that was before claiming dental, optical etc. Oh and it came it very useful for the three kids, particularly with the medicare safety net which meant private obstetrician, private room etc - did the Government really mean to fund us middle class parents to have our kids in fancy private hospitals?

Having been unemployed for the last 17 months though, the question of whether I should keep up private health cover is close to my heart (no pun intended). Sure I get some optical and dental and might be useful if the kids need orthodontics in 8-10 years time, but the big issue as I understand it is elective surgery. Emergencies do not matter - you get the same treatment public or private (if my assumption is wrong, happy to be corrected). If I need a knee reconstruction, my understanding is that I can go straight into private, pay a gap and get it done. If I go public, a long waiting list and doctors less likely to recommend, although it is free. Again if I am wrong, happy to be corrected......

 

[Julia]

I would be happy if some people were excluded from health cover.

Those who do not look after their health and then have medical procedures like bypass surgery, or lap-band surgery, or somebody who drives 200 k an hour and then needs 24/7 care.

(Suspect this view will not be very popular)

On the contrary, Happy, I think most of us would have a lot of sympathy with that view.

The problem is that where would it stop? You say "those who do not look after their health". How would you define this, then how would you judge how well any one person had looked after their health?
It would really be impossible to manage such a scheme with any fairness.

 

[chops_a_must]

Emergencies do not matter - you get the same treatment public or private (if my assumption is wrong, happy to be corrected). If I need a knee reconstruction, my understanding is that I can go straight into private, pay a gap and get it done. If I go public, a long waiting list and doctors less likely to recommend, although it is free. Again if I am wrong, happy to be corrected......

Nah, you have to pay upfront, not just the gap. It's in the several thousands of dollars.

I'm waiting for a knee reconstruction on the public system, currently. I'm category 2 or something, which means not longer than 90 days wait, but more likely about 6 months.

In retrospect it was very stupid, and lazy, to be playing competitive sport without private health.

 

[Naked shorts]

Julia Goolia

 

[WaveSurfer]

...Emergencies do not matter - you get the same treatment public or private (if my assumption is wrong, happy to be corrected). ...

My wife is the head doc in a public ED. Because she earns a bit, we have to have insurance or Uncle Sam hammers us.

From the stories I have heard from my wife, you want private health cover. I'm not going to announce any finer details on a public board, but I have been utterly disgusted countless times by some of her stories.... Most public systems are at the brink of collapse. The last thing you want is to be treated by some overseas doc, that can't speak a work of English and has 100 other patients to attend to.

Gooner, you're right there - in the ED triage only though. It's the post care that matters. You really don't want some intern butchering you at 3am in the morning if you've been in a car crash and need your ruptured spleen removed.

Julia, private doctors/surgeons etc.. are on call 24/7. Most private hospitals also have ED's

I see ours a viable. 4 free dentals a year. Free chiropractic. Better than getting stooped by Uncle Sam.

 

[jonojpsg]

Nah, you have to pay upfront, not just the gap. It's in the several thousands of dollars.

I'm waiting for a knee reconstruction on the public system, currently. I'm category 2 or something, which means not longer than 90 days wait, but more likely about 6 months.

In retrospect it was very stupid, and lazy, to be playing competitive sport without private health.

Indeed chops! We are currently considering dumping our PI and putting the money aside in an account, as we have finished having kids, all of us are (thankfully!) fit and healthy, and I am not playing any contact sport (apart from stacking my bike every now and then).

We figure at $3k a year into a term deposit at 6%, minus a few hundred for our dental every couple of years, we only need to make it through three-five years without needing any major stays in hospital to get to a safe self funding level. Checked with the local private hospital and a knee recon costs around $15k.

Agreed that there are certainly issues with quality of care in some emergency depts and hospitals in general - have heard some scary stories about mistakes made in hospitals/surgery etc. but surely they would still happen in private hospitals too?

 

[Julia]

. Most public systems are at the brink of collapse. The last thing you want is to be treated by some overseas doc, that can't speak a work of English and has 100 other patients to attend to.

Exactly. I once had the unpleasant experience of being in a regional hospital ED and being initially seen by an intern who looked about 15 and had very limited English. He seemed to have as much difficulty understanding me as I did him. The worry really started when he disappeared and then returned with a copy of "Diagnostic Information for Students"! At that stage I asked the nurse to find someone of at least Registrar status.

Julia, private doctors/surgeons etc.. are on call 24/7. Most private hospitals also have ED's

Thanks for that, Wavesurfer. Does this apply in Qld regional hospitals or just in the cities?

 

[WaveSurfer]

Exactly. I once had the unpleasant experience of being in a regional hospital ED and being initially seen by an intern who looked about 15 and had very limited English. He seemed to have as much difficulty understanding me as I did him. The worry really started when he disappeared and then returned with a copy of "Diagnostic Information for Students"! At that stage I asked the nurse to find someone of at least Registrar status.


Thanks for that, Wavesurfer. Does this apply in Qld regional hospitals or just in the cities?

Unpleasant indeed

You'd be shocked from the stories I have heard from my wife. Including deaths because of exactly what you mentioned above. Miscommunication in the hospital is not a good thing.

I believe it applies Australia wide. My wife says at least for VIC, NSW and QLD. It does depend on the hospital though and whether your town has a private hospital (of course ). They have become more popular in the past few years. I know of a couple around here (Gold Coast area) and all private hospitals on the Sunny Coast have one (except Noosa I'm told).

NSW is (or at least was) a bit behind the times, but VIC has an extensive list too I believe.

If you ever have to go to a public hospital in an emergency, make sure you tell the Ambo's (if applicable) and/or the Nurse that you have health cover and you want the best doc there is

Of course this is not feasible if you live way out yonda (i.e. in Bourke) where it's likely that only public services are available.

Don't underestimate bush Nurses either (Nurse Practitioners). They can be more competent than a city doc.

 

[Logique]

One of the worst pieces of public policy in living memory. An electoral winner for the Coalition if they promise to reverse this.

If you choose to remain within private health insurance, expect your premium to rise in the order of 10%. Alternatively you could go and line up in the ever lengthening queue at the public hospital, waiting for an ever diminishing number of public system doctors.

Cover for surplus as health reform rescued
Sue Dunlevy From: The Australian February 10, 2012
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...h-reform-rescued/story-fn59niix-1226267240902

"..Health insurers have predicted 1.6 million health fund members would quit their health cover over the next five years if the means test goes ahead.

Mr Davis told state parliament yesterday if tens of thousands of Victorians dropped or reduced their cover because of the means test, "there would be a significant impact on the public health system".

"That would necessarily put greater pressure on the public health system, emergency departments, elective surgery lists and so forth," Mr Davis said.

Australian Medical Association chief Steve Hambleton said if the means test increased the pressure on public hospitals, the federal government should have to top up public hospital funding.

Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton said many Australians would face higher premiums as a result of the means test and younger and healthier people might quit their cover, pushing up premiums for everyone else. "Half the nation has private health insurance and if you drive people out of private health insurance on to the public system that's already overstretched, we'll just get bad health outcomes..."

 

[sptrawler]

Another bit of labor spin, they say it will only affect the 'rich'. When most are saying it will affect 2,000,000 workers.
That's nearly 20% of the workforce.

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0

This will cause private health cover cost to skyrocket, just another tax.
Well done labor.
What is Julias saying "We will get the budget back to surplus, even if it kills you". LOL,LOL

 

[prawn_86]

I'm right on the borderline now with our health insurance as to making it worthwhile, as we dont claim a lot of extras etc, so the cost of the medicare levy vs the cost of private health is touch and go from a financial perspective.

If this does go through i'll seriously consider dropping my private health.

So far since labour has come in we have had:
Mining Tax
Flood Tax
Carbon Tax
Private Health Tax
Pink batts/school halls rip offs

Plus:
$900 bonus
Aplogising to Stolen Generation
NBN
Signing Kyoto


Doesnt seem to stack up to me...

 

[Julia]

Prawn, if you drop out, don't the premiums if you decide to rejoin later come in at a higher level than if you'd stayed insured? I might be wrong but thought that was the case.

This is another bit of rubbish legislation which on the surface looks sensible, e.g. we have Tanya Plibersek saying she 'doesn't want parliament house cleaners subsidising her health insurance". Sounds all very nice and egalitarian, but Labor are not considering the increased premiums which will affect the low income people they are supposed to be so worried about as the insurance companies make up the effect of the diminished customer base.

Then all those people who would have used their private cover will be an additional burden on the already ailing public system to the detriment of everyone, the medical staff included.

Another bad mark to those Independents who are being short sighted enough to support this legislation.

 

[McLovin]

Prawn, if you drop out, don't the premiums if you decide to rejoin later come in at a higher level than if you'd stayed insured? I might be wrong but thought that was the case.

I think that only happens once you hit 30.

The government should be doing everything it can to get people into private cover. All those baby boomers are going to cost a lot to taxpayers in a few years to keep them living into their 80's and 90's.

Things could be worse.

 

[prawn_86]

I think that only happens once you hit 30.

Correct.

My premiums will not rise based on age for another 5 years, so if this goes through i will need to re-assess if the tax break is worth having private health

 

[McLovin]

Correct.

My premiums will not rise based on age for another 5 years, so if this goes through i will need to re-assess if the tax break is worth having private health

I've only been to hospital for surgery once so I have no idea what the public system is like but private does seem worth it. I saw a specialist and was in being operated on 4 days later. In the public system I would have a wait of ~6-12 months.

I did spend 5 days in a Hungarian hospital. I learnt the value of travel insurance; they were charging US$5k/day and you had to pay upfront and claim off your insurer.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

The ALP Left and the Green Socialists have won out again.

They screw the workers and increase the size of the public health service which is proven to be inefficient at delivering health outcomes.

What a waste of three years.

What damage to future generations.

gg

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

The poll questions don't indicate agreement or not with the government and the Greens proposed changes.

Better questions would be

1. I will keep my private insurance under the proposed changes.

2. I will abandon my private insurance and rely on the public system.

gg

 

[tech/a]

At my age we will definitely keep our Private health.
Personally I think it represents fantastic value.
I claim back at least 60% through Chiro/Optometry/Massage/Dental a year.

Plus I have in the background full cover for emergencies.
This was bought home clearly last year when our good friend Kathy died of Cancer after a 2 yr struggle. She had canceled her private health 2 mths before diagnosis!!

I remember her frustration as she was being treated by Foreign doctors whom she could not understand. Their ability or willingness to answer questions basically non existent.
Once told there was nothing they could do for her she was basically ignored!!!

My wife had/has a benign tumor in her liver. While we didn't know that it was benign initially the level of service was far better in the private sector. As you can imagine very stressful---more evidently for me than Princess---who thought she was fine from the beginning. The whole diagnostic process was completed in 3 weeks.
Including the Xmas break where the specialist spent in Hongkong.

Youll be glad you have it if you ever need it.
So if you can afford it make it a priority.

If youve ever flown Business class over cattle class youll get the idea!

 

[Liar's Poker]

At my age we will definitely keep our Private health.
Personally I think it represents fantastic value.
I claim back at least 60% through Chiro/Optometry/Massage/Dental a year.

Plus I have in the background full cover for emergencies.
This was bought home clearly last year when our good friend Kathy died of Cancer after a 2 yr struggle. She had canceled her private health 2 mths before diagnosis!!

I remember her frustration as she was being treated by Foreign doctors whom she could not understand. Their ability or willingness to answer questions basically non existent.
Once told there was nothing they could do for her she was basically ignored!!!

My wife had/has a benign tumor in her liver. While we didn't know that it was benign initially the level of service was far better in the private sector. As you can imagine very stressful---more evidently for me than Princess---who thought she was fine from the beginning. The whole diagnostic process was completed in 3 weeks.
Including the Xmas break where the specialist spent in Hongkong.

Youll be glad you have it if you ever need it.
So if you can afford it make it a priority.

If youve ever flown Business class over cattle class youll get the idea!

Here, here!