Guest Guest62757 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 ....it would be the health care system and private health insurance (for the money you pay)! I am here in Australia solely because I married an Australian, I can deal with that and get over the differences and make a good life. I am coping a lot better here in Melbourne than Sydney but the one thing that irks me is the cost of dr's and specialists as they do not practice on the public system. If you live close to a city finding a Dr that bulk bills for children appointments is difficult so you end up paying $70-90 to see a GP. Heaven forbid if your child needs to see a pediatrician which mine has and does then you are on a waiting list and paying $300 for an appointment of which you only get back $123. Add that to a seeing a speech therapist of which medicare will only cover 5 sessions per year and a rebate of $25 per session added the $100 you've just paid to get a referral from your GP. I am currently paying $105 per session even with my PHI for which I am paying for a family cover and extras I only get back $40 of the $105 . Then add that to your own medical worries where seeing a specialist costs $180 for each appointment with a rebate of $60 as well of ultrasounds $192 rebate $94, none of these are covered by my PHI. With the NHS you might wait a long time but at least you get seen and its free, even the private insurance in the UK covers consultant appointment fees, here it only covers hospital fees and extras, I would forego my yearly pair of glasses if it meant my consultants fees were covered. I have known a few Australians married to poms who have moved to the UK as the care for special need children is better than here. Sigh, it truly is the only thing that makes me scream. I can handle paying for adults but with the amount of tax we pay you'd think they would provide more for the children who are a priority in my eyes. Moan over...till the next dr appointment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I agree with you, all children and pensioners should be bulk billed IMO. That is the only fair way to do it. As for specialists, well in Geelong, if you need a paediatrician, none of them are accessible through the public system (even though the majority work at the local public hospital) and AFAIK they don't bulk bill. AND you could end up waiting weeks to months for an appointment. Crazy. Same goes (in Geelong) for gynaecology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopylu Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 It took 3 years for my daughter to get her appointment with an ENT specialist in the public system in Brisbane. Her elder brothers had similar ENT issues when we lived in the UK. It took 3 months to get the referral to the specialist over there and then another 3 months to get the tonsils and adenoides whipped out and grommets put in... I, too, am only here because I am married to an Aussie (I suppose it's only fair that he gets to spend some time in his neck of the woods). Once you get into hospital here the standard of care seems to be better than in UK hospitals but maybe that is because they have pinched all the decent UK nurses and ambos... My daughter was admitted to the Children's Hospital in Brisbane and I am pretty sure all of the nurses had British accents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josetann Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I am pretty sure all of the nurses had British accents. You mean there's a difference between...wait just a sec, let me put my flame-proof suit on...you mean there's a difference between an Australian and a British accent? I can't tell...probably the first time that EVERYONE I hear has an accent. Though really it's me that has one...someone thought we were from Ireland? Good to know I'm not the only one with trouble recognizing different accents. Now, back on topic: Just a tiny bit of perspective. No universal healthcare in the US, unless you're old or poor (or possibly lower middle-class). You get a job, you (hopefully) get some kind of health insurance. You get the big book of doctors who are in-network. You call them, and they either don't take that insurance anymore, or aren't taking new patients. You do eventually find someone who'll take you though. You go to the doctor. Spend lots of time filling out forms, have to remember your insurance card each time (though they keep a copy). Depending on the insurance and the reason for the visit, you may pay $0 or you may pay $15 (or whatever the co-pay is). Often (maybe 25% of the time), you later receive a bill because insurance didn't cover everything, so that's a hassle to deal with. Our most recent insurance cost just under $200/mo for two people (our state paid a third of the premium, so consider it $300/mo). It was decent coverage if you didn't get sick (well visits had a $0 copay for example). But if you went to the hospital, I think it maxed out at $15k or $20k a year. Just a couple days in the hospital would wipe that out. Actual decent coverage would likely be $600-$800/mo, but still with co-pays, large deductibles (excess), etc. Our state would give kids free insurance if you were deemed low-income (defined as 250% of poverty level...family of four could make up to $57,625 a year and still qualify). If you made over that, it cost between $268-$341/mo per kid (if you got the state plan...I'm pretty sure a family trying to buy private insurance could get something for less than that). Personally, I love the Medicare system here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopylu Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hi Jose I think the poster was comparing the UK and Aussie systems. We all know that the US system is useless if you are not wealthy, hence Obama (as a Democrat which to my simple UK understanding of US politics is something akin to a socialist in outlook) tried to do something about it. The fact is that the UK NHS appears to provide better access than Medicare for people on low incomes to healthcare as you don't pay a penny to see a GP or specialist. The cost of dentistry and optical care is also capped so that is affordable to the average man on the streets and free to children, low income families, pregnant and breastfeeding women etc. Finally, prescription medicines are also capped (or free if you live in Wales) at less than AU$15 per item. The NHS is one thing that is great about the UK. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I dont have private Health care and cannot fault the public system ive used for the past 4 years. Yes it took about 7 months from being referred to a specialist until i actually got an appointment, but once in the system i have had no probelms. I regually attend the Radiology unit for various scans and also see the Hepatology specialist every few months, never costing me a cent. If i could change one thing over here it would be to provide free dental treatment to all children of school age , i know we have dental vans at schools for emergancys but its not like the UK dentist. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josetann Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I think the poster was comparing the UK and Aussie systems. Definitely, yes. Just butting in for a bit of a different perspective. So yeah, maybe some parts are better, some are worse. Sometimes when I hear someone complain about something, and that something seems to be quite a bit better than I'm used to, I just pipe up to say "well, could be worse!" Another example...some people in my wife's class were complaining about the number of post-natal visits (maybe I'm using the wrong term...talking about the in-home visits you get from a midwife after you have a baby). They felt the number should be higher. My wife had to point at that in the US, there's no such thing as in-home visits after you have a baby. You go to the hospital, deliver, are sent home 48-72 hours later (my wife had a C-Section, she spent two days in the hospital both times). You have a six-week checkup with the OB, and take your baby to the pediatrician for whatever visits are necessary. The complaint surely made sense to the people who spent their lives here...but to someone fresh off the boat to speak, it just didn't make sense. "What, you get multiple visits in-home from a midwife to see how you and the baby are doing? That's AWESOME! Oh, it's not enough...oh ok." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopylu Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hi Jose I see where you are coming from. It makes me laugh when Aussies complain about trains and traffic jams. If they'd lived in the UK then they would know that trains are on time if they are only 10 minutes late.... A traffic jam is something that makes you at least an hour late for work, not 15 minutes. I can't believe how fantastic it is to commute by train in Brisbane. I always get a seat and I can count on one hand the number of times in the last 4 years that my train has been delayed. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Well after being under the hospitals/Dr's/specialists for years over here, all I can say is that the service I have received has been first class. I have had no waiting times, in fact it's usually me who has had to ask them to slow down a bit. I have done a mixture of public and private, public has always been bulk billed, hospital stays/treatment I have never had to pay a penny. There are a few cases where I have gone to see a private specialist so that I can get seen the following day, on these I have paid $120 and received around $80 back. So I don't think $40 to see a specialist is that bad. I have taken private health insurance last Christmas, although to be honest I haven't used it yet and have had 2 more hospital stays since and have an op coming up pretty soon, none of which has/will cost me a penny. All I can say is that the health system for me has been first class, and 100% better than what I received in the UK. Going back to who Bulk Bills in Melbourne take a look here: http://www.doctors-4u.com/melbourne/mbbill.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josetann Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hi Jose I see where you are coming from. It makes me laugh when Aussies complain about trains and traffic jams. If they'd lived in the UK then they would know that trains are on time if they are only 10 minutes late.... A traffic jam is something that makes you at least an hour late for work, not 15 minutes. I can't believe how fantastic it is to commute by train in Brisbane. I always get a seat and I can count on one hand the number of times in the last 4 years that my train has been delayed. Cheers Ah yes, public transportation. Love that too. I'm really trying hard to remember, but I don't think I've ever been on a train in the US (almost took one in Alaska, purely for sightseeing, but took a car instead). There's just no option to hop on a train and go to the next city (well, I think you DO have that option in some areas, just not where I was). First time on a real train (and not just a shuttle from one part of the airport to the other, or the monorail at Disney World) was in Beijing (and the next day we landed in Melbourne). And traffic jams...been in a few bad ones. Houston, Texas probably had the highest frequency. But I remember being stranded on the interstate during a freak snow storm. That lasted maybe 8 hours, maybe longer. People were out making snowmen, wandering into the trees to "relieve" themselves. We were lucky...were in our motorhome (converted bookmobile) so we had heat, beds, and a toilet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopylu Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Well after being under the hospitals/Dr's/specialists for years over here, all I can say is that the service I have received has been first class. I have had no waiting times, in fact it's usually me who has had to ask them to slow down a bit. I have done a mixture of public and private, public has always been bulk billed, hospital stays/treatment I have never had to pay a penny. There are a few cases where I have gone to see a private specialist so that I can get seen the following day, on these I have paid $120 and received around $80 back. So I don't think $40 to see a specialist is that bad.I have taken private health insurance last Christmas, although to be honest I haven't used it yet and have had 2 more hospital stays since and have an op coming up pretty soon, none of which has/will cost me a penny. All I can say is that the health system for me has been first class, and 100% better than what I received in the UK. Going back to who Bulk Bills in Melbourne take a look here: http://www.doctors-4u.com/melbourne/mbbill.htm Perhaps it is just SE Queensland that has long waits for public health care. My poor Mother in Law had to wait for very long periods to have her cataracts operated (talking years not months). She had very little quality of life as a result. Also she has been waiting about 2 years now for a hip replacement. She is in agony. She can no longer walk more than a few yards and has to rely on her children to transport her around and do her shopping which she absolutely hates as she prefers to be independent. She was moved to the top of the queue on 15 January because she is such a severe case (she collapsed when the consultant asked her to walk from her chair to his desk) and told she would have the op in three months. I'm not holding my breath. Unfortunately, she does not have private health care and has never been in a position to afford it. My sister in law also had to wait a very long period of time for an operation on her feet. She is Gold Coast based. She had the operation just before a public holiday. They chucked her out of hospital on the same day with just some panadol because they were short staffed because of the holiday. She should have been in for two nights. She was in severe pain and her husband had to take her to the ER. Perhaps our family has a black mark against its name and that's why we have had such a rough ride with Medicare...??!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Perhaps it is just SE Queensland that has long waits for public health care. My poor Mother in Law had to wait for very long periods to have her cataracts operated (talking years not months). She had very little quality of life as a result. Also she has been waiting about 2 years now for a hip replacement. She is in agony. She can no longer walk more than a few yards and has to rely on her children to transport her around and do her shopping which she absolutely hates as she prefers to be independent. She was moved to the top of the queue on 15 January because she is such a severe case (she collapsed when the consultant asked her to walk from her chair to his desk) and told she would have the op in three months. I'm not holding my breath. Unfortunately, she does not have private health care and has never been in a position to afford it. My sister in law also had to wait a very long period of time for an operation on her feet. She is Gold Coast based. She had the operation just before a public holiday. They chucked her out of hospital on the same day with just some panadol because they were short staffed because of the holiday. She should have been in for two nights. She was in severe pain and her husband had to take her to the ER. Perhaps our family has a black mark against its name and that's why we have had such a rough ride with Medicare...??!! Really not sure, but it's been the same service in Cairns as Melbourne and we are rural up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest62757 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I am not comparing level of service it is purely the cost. When in the UK I had private insurance with my job and my husbands job, and it covered the consultants fees (out & in), anaesthetists fees, hospital fees etc. The problem is that there isn't a ombudsman that governs what is acceptable for consultants, obgyn, anaesthetists to charge, so there are huge out of pocket expenses even after medicare and PHI rebates. I have a kidney condition and when I asked my Sydney GP about seeing a urologist/nephrologist on the public system he told me that the wait would be long and actually I would only see a junior doctor who wouldn't have the experience or know about my condition and that my only option was to see the consultant at his rooms....$ 220 an appointment. The same for a pediatrician, I don't mind paying some money out of pocket but you have to wonder why medicare only rebates a certain amount and the doctors are free to charge a huge surcharge on top of that amount?? I just wish there was a system in place that seemed fairer in cost because the bills are adding up and no amount of budget cutting is going to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopylu Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Well, that's a coincidence. My husband has Stage 3 kidney failure and he gets excellent treatment here in Qld through the public health service. He attends a renal clinic every 6 weeks or so where he sees a renal nurse, an SHO and a dietician and then he sees the consultant every 3 months. Can't fault the care for him in this area. It seems tough that you should have to essentially self-fund for a kidney condition which I presume is chronic and will never go away. I agree private health in the UK covered more but I guess this is because it was only for a privileged few with professional jobs (I had it too with my job) and not an alternative that you are guided towards by the govt's taxation policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I am not comparing level of service it is purely the cost. When in the UK I had private insurance with my job and my husbands job, and it covered the consultants fees (out & in), anaesthetists fees, hospital fees etc. The problem is that there isn't a ombudsman that governs what is acceptable for consultants, obgyn, anaesthetists to charge, so there are huge out of pocket expenses even after medicare and PHI rebates. I have a kidney condition and when I asked my Sydney GP about seeing a urologist/nephrologist on the public system he told me that the wait would be long and actually I would only see a junior doctor who wouldn't have the experience or know about my condition and that my only option was to see the consultant at his rooms....$ 220 an appointment. The same for a pediatrician, I don't mind paying some money out of pocket but you have to wonder why medicare only rebates a certain amount and the doctors are free to charge a huge surcharge on top of that amount?? I just wish there was a system in place that seemed fairer in cost because the bills are adding up and no amount of budget cutting is going to help. again agree, the system is inequitable and service provision very inconsistent. I'm normally the last person to defend the NHS but it's at least fair, ie it's crap for everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 The other thing is that healthcare is regarded as just another service here, and like most (if not all) services in Australia, the ball is firmly in the court of the service provider, NOT the customer/consumer/patient. Great if you're the service provider.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Strange that you have had that experience. We have a son with autism, ADHD (dignosed), epilepsy and learning difficulties. We have been going to the Child Development Centre in Perth for years now. He's 16 now so doesn't come under their jurisdiction anymore though. They've been great, recommending other doctors/specialsists (which we had to pay for mind you) sent us to see a geneticist at no cost and really followed up on his condition well. The school he goes to have a modified curriculum too for kids with learning difficulties. We have an agency in Perth, Edge, who have placed him in a job/training course at no cost to us at UWA. He gets paid for his couple of days there and it leads to a certificate in business admin. The school have agreed to change his curriculum and rearrange classes for his 3 days there. Both the wife and I have said on a few occasions we wouldn't have gotten so much help in the UK. A lot of it we have payed for but if the family spend for the year is over $2,000 on health care you can claim a lot back off your tax too. Worth keeping every bill as we have usually managed to get quite a bit back through that route. Remember it's for the whole family gross spends and can include costs like massages, chiro, dentist visits. Might be just where you live that's not very good. My wife is a nurse though and luckily worked for the CDC for a while so knew it was there. Sometimes these agencies aren't advertised very well and it may be you could have got some help that you didn't even know about. The geneticist was particularly interesting as we found that he has a genetic defect which has has a 50% of passing to his kids. The rest of the family had to go for blood tests to make sure we hadn't passed it to him. Luckily it is just a one off thing that no-one can explain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Forgot to mention. I got my vasectomy done on bulk bill too. Just rang round a few doctors until I found one that bulk billed the op. Didn't cost anything. At the same time a friend was having it done and CHOSE to pay for a private clinic. Cost him quite a bit. He thought he would get better treatment as he was paying but we compared notes after and it was the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopylu Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 again agree, the system is inequitable and service provision very inconsistent. I'm normally the last person to defend the NHS but it's at least fair, ie it's crap for everyone Disagree with you that it is crap for everyone. My Dad has just had a very severe eye condition which could lead to blindness and he has had excellent care on the NHS. The consultant has pulled out all the stops to ensure that he is fit to travel to see us next month. The consultant was very kind and understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopylu Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Forgot to mention. I got my vasectomy done on bulk bill too. Just rang round a few doctors until I found one that bulk billed the op. Didn't cost anything. At the same time a friend was having it done and CHOSE to pay for a private clinic. Cost him quite a bit. He thought he would get better treatment as he was paying but we compared notes after and it was the same. Too much information!!!??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Disagree with you that it is crap for everyone. My Dad has just had a very severe eye condition which could lead to blindness and he has had excellent care on the NHS. The consultant has pulled out all the stops to ensure that he is fit to travel to see us next month. The consultant was very kind and understanding. my point is that the NHS is fair and equitable most of the time, compared with the lottery of medicare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopylu Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I agree with you on that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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