Retiring back in the UK

[aussiederek]

We came to Perth 30 years ago and I have never really settled. To tell the truth, I'm well over it here! I threw away a good career to chase a fantasy without proper consideration and paid the price! However, after the first very difficult 10 years I did enjoy good times working as a contractor in the city throughout the development phase of the mining boom. I haven't worked for about 3 years now so I suppose I must be retired. Try as I might I simply cannot call Australia home, although my wife and I have been naturalized for many years and hold both current Australian and British passports. We have been back in our native Northern Ireland many times, especially in recent years during which we stayed for a couple of months at a time in rented accommodation, just as if we actually lived there. So we know what it's like and how things have changed. I absolutely love it and don't want to leave when it's time to return to Australia! We have relatives and many old friends there with whom we share history, which is quite different to relationships with the new friends we have made here (that's how I feel anyway). At this time of life I have a very strong desire to retire back home to spend my final years. My wife does not share my feelings on this, so that would need to be resolved before any potential move!

Now that I am no longer working and we are receiving a part Centrelink age pension, in addition to the frozen part-UK age pension, our income in the UK would be quite adequate. Centrelink have confirmed the amount of Australian pension that we would get on an ongoing basis (depends on working years spent in Australia and means tested) and our UK pension would revert to it's unfrozen status. After selling our house in Perth we would have adequate funds to buy a home in Northern Ireland, and to spare. We are also registered with a local Doctor whose services we have utilised quite a lot without any difficulty during our visits. Nevertheless, the NHS generally as it functions in Northern Ireland is a bit of a worry. We have enjoyed what we regard as the best medical system in the world here in Australia, with it's balance between public and private. This becomes more important as one grows older!

I am wondering if anyone else has retired, or contemplated retiring, back in the UK (including NI) in their latter years after many years spent living in Australia? Any information regarding resettling, such as tax issues when transferring funds from Australia, becoming a UK tax payer again etc. etc. would be much appreciated. We both have our UK National Insurance numbers.

It would be most helpful and interesting to read of others experiences.

Thank you ...

[Patphillips47]

We retired back to UK in late 2013 but we are now going back to Oz - not because we haven't settled because we have but the pull of our family is very strong as we have no family really in the UK

We have really good life long friends in the UK but when it comes to the crunch they have their own family and we feel a bit lost without ours

Your right about your UK pension being unfrozen when you get back but if your getting Centrelink pensions you won't get full UK pensions Ours increased by about £3 a week when we first came back but then you will get the annual increase

Your Centrelink pension should be portable as they put it but getting full pension is dependant on what age you were when you emigrated

You now need 35 years working life between to age of 16 and retirement to mantain full pension anything under that it drops by a percentage after 26 weeks

We have no complaints about the NHS but do find if we want to see the one doctor we like at the GP surgery we need to wait 3 weeks

[Marisawright]

The biggest obstacle to retiring in the UK is pensions - if you leave the UK before retirement age, you can't get the Aussie pension at all.

 

As you're already receiving the Aussie pension, that's not an issue so that's great. Be aware that once you are resident in the UK, if you are not getting the full UK pension then you can apply to have your Australian work experience before 2001 counted towards your qualifying years. I assume this would affect your Aussie pension but since you're not getting the full Aussie anyway, it may not matter - worth looking into.

 

You've also spent enough time in the UK to be aware of what it's really like - another plus.

 

The only remaining issue is superannuation. If you're sure you want to make the move, then be sure to withdraw ALL your super as a lump sum WELL BEFORE you plan to leave the country. Once it's sitting in a bank account, it just becomes ordinary money and you can transfer it without any tax liability. Whereas if you wait till after you've moved, you may be done for tax.

[bristolman]

I can't comment about the NHS in NI but where we are it is brilliant, as good as anywhere. We can see a GP same day or maybe a day or two if we want an appointment with a specific GP. If you have adequate funds in the UK then I would say go for it.

I am similar in that I could never really call Australia home even though it is where I grew up.

[Johnny]

We came to Perth 30 years ago and I have never really settled. To tell the truth, I'm well over it here! I threw away a good career to chase a fantasy ...

 

That's a very good honest way to put it - "chasing a fantasy". I think we were doing the exact same thing too on reflection. We had some kind of "image" in our heads what Perth "should be", got there and found it was nothing like it "should be" and was in fact so much worse than what we had left behind.

 

Although we got our "much bigger house" and "beaches" (which both really count for absolutely nothing compared to the happiness of being beside your own family and lifelong friends), our fantasy turned out to be an overall massive drop in living standards compared to what we were used to. But we still had this mental picture of what it "should be" when we boarded the plane. "Chasing a fantasy" about sums it up very well in our case.

 

People have this excellent forum to let them chat to migrants who have gone in front of them - how lucky they are.

 

I think anyone with their "feet on the ground" and not their "heads in cuckoo land" should be able to get a great picture of what the realities of migration really are today, and should not be sucked into the government propaganda which is created and aimed solely for/at importing more tax payers.

 

On the subject of the NHS, where we live its excellent. Village has a small but busy health centre/cottage hospital and it covers a large radius of the countryside too. If you come in or call in urgently they will tell you to come in to the clinic anyway. Although you may wait a while until one of GP's can free up time to see you, they will always see you no matter what. For normal appointments usually you are seen either same day or within a day or two unless there is one specific GP or nurse you want to see, who may only work on certain days - such as the vaccination nurse for holiday jabs, she only comes to our health centre on Tuesdays.

 

I think our NHS is first class, no complaints so far. The cities may be different, I don't know.

[aussiederek]

Thank you for your comments. Yes, family is important and I can understand your reason for returning to Oz.

I am somewhat mystified regarding your comment that you don't get your full UK pension because you get a Centrelink pension as well? I was always under the impression that the UK age pension was not means tested and therefore unaffected by other income, which the Centrelink pension surely is? Could you please clarify this as I may have misunderstood what you are saying. (By the way, our UK entitlement is a percentage of the full rate based upon the amount of our National Insurance contributions).

When we have been back in the UK on holiday our UK age pension always reverts to it's unfrozen state while we are in the country. Indeed, Centrelink require one to inform the UK when visiting there because it reflects on the amount they have to pay due to it being means tested. I would have thought that the main issue re pensions was the amount one receives from Centrelink because of the increase in the UK age pension? I would add that the difference between what we get from the UK now when visiting is quite a lot as I have been retired for 7 years. (At first it wasn't much, but it is now!) I would expect that we would get the same UK pension as a citizen living there as when visiting, or are the rules different for residents and visitors?

[aussiederek]

Thank you for your comments. It is helpful when others understand and don't tell you you've got rocks in your head! All the responses so far have been sympathetic and helpful and I really appreciate that.

By the way, the phrase "chasing a fantasy" is down to my brother and he is dead right. Trouble is, I did this chasing of a fantasy twice!

 

I have to admit that I have always been a dreamer, I know that full well. As a young guy I spent some time at sea and visited Western Australia. When my wife and I got married in the 60s we came here as 10 pound poms. After almost 3 years we had had enough of the isolation and backward attitude, so decided to return to NorthernIreland. I remember how great it felt arriving home again and from a career point of view went from strength to strength. I ended up in the electricity supply industry as a telecommunications engineer, with good pension and a job I really loved. We had our own home, a lovely detached bungalow in a friendly neighbourhood. Some of our neighbours became more than that and have remained close friends whom we have always kept in touch and spend time with when back on holiday. Life was good, even throughout the troubles, which didn't affect us at all even though I traveled all over the province in the course of my work.

 

But being the dreamer that I am, the glossy brochures and emigration propaganda got to me at last and off I went chasing that fantasy again, without regard to my wife or sons. It wasn't until my head touched the pillow when we arrived back in the place we were glad to return home from some 20 years earlier, that I realised I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I had thrown my career, generous pension all I loved away and for what! I couldn't get work and ended up doing miserable jobs and enduring long periods of unemployment. My background counted for nothing because everything was different here back in the 1980. It's not so bad now but those thinking of emigrating should consider the realities of work requirements, recognition of qualifications etc., before throwing what they have away.

 

After the first 10 years, which were hell, the mining boom kicked in and I enjoyed many years working as a contract technical writer in the city, mainly in the areas of technology development and resource project operations.

 

Regarding health care in the UK, the NHS is particularly poor in Northern Ireland. Having spoken with English and Scottish friends I get the impression that the quality of care is quite variable throughout the British Isles. In Northern Ireland cottage hospitals have long since been closed down and everything is now centralised in a few big hospitals that are a nightmare .... they simply don't work! We have friends with serious illnesses (cancer etc.) who have had to wait far too long to even see a specialist, never mind have procedures or operations carried out. That is of concern to us as my wife has an ongoing medical condition.

 

In conclusion, for the benefit of those considering making the move here, Perth is a nice city and not nearly as backward as it was 30 years ago. But our experience of coming to live here is that for the first few years we did the beaches to death. Now, I can't even remember the last time we were at the beach. The sun is a killer and as one grows older the summer heat becomes harder to cope with, even with air con. Then there is the cold that nobody thinks about. No double glazing or central heating, unless one is extremely well off ... it's simply not the norm. There are certain realities to life no matter where you live in the world, but watch out for that 'far away fields look green' syndrome. Perhaps more importantly, don't judge a place by experiences of a holiday to visit loved ones. Emigrating to Australia is for some people, especially when whole families come, but it's not for everyone ...

[bristolman]

Ah yes I understand your comments about the NHS as it does seem to be in a dire state in NI. Not so here regardless of what the doomsayers would have us believe. Like Australia it is at times pushed to and beyond its limits.

[aussiederek]

Good to know that the NHS does actually work in some parts of the UK. I have often thought it is a pity that the UK does not have a well developed private arm working along with the NHS, like we have here in Australia. That concept does not go down well with those I've spoken with back home! No doubt that's due to the fact that 'private health insurance' doesn't mean the same as it does in Australia.

 

Here in Perth we have had private insurance for the past 30 years and enjoyed first class, no waiting treatment in top hospitals. The Government pays 30% of the premium if you join before 30 and now 40% for us as we are pensioners. It is the quality of treatment by top specialists in the most modern hospitals, with very short if any waiting periods, that works so well. To me the secret is that both public and private work hand in hand here, which takes the pressure of the public system. Sadly in Northern Ireland the NHS is a basket case!! This would be problematic for us and I don't know if there is any private insurance that might be a compromise solution?

[Marisawright]

Ah yes I understand your comments about the NHS as it does seem to be in a dire state in NI. Not so here regardless of what the doomsayers would have us believe. Like Australia it is at times pushed to and beyond its limits.

 

Yes, it seems to me that the complaints about the NHS are exactly the same as the complaints about Medicare. The bottom line is that both countries have a fairly good public health system that does a reasonably good job of looking after people's health with a limited budget. In both cases, the quality of care varies across the country.

[Johnny]

Thank you for your comments. It is helpful when others understand and don't tell you you've got rocks in your head! All the responses so far have been sympathetic and helpful and I really appreciate that.

By the way, the phrase "chasing a fantasy" is down to my brother and he is dead right. Trouble is, I did this chasing of a fantasy twice!

 

from a career point of view went from strength to strength. I ended up in the electricity supply industry as a telecommunications engineer, with good pension and a job I really loved.

 

the glossy brochures and emigration propaganda got to me at last and off I went chasing that fantasy again, without regard to my wife or sons. ...

 

You are honest to yourself and you faced the mistakes you feel you have made, hats off to you.

 

That honesty is the first step to your new life

 

But remember it was the "adventurer" inside of you driving you to do it, and we have all been there.

 

Ours was a joint decision to migrate, but I just wonder just how many people do not "give a stuff" about their wife/husband & kids while they create havoc, turmoil by uprooting everyone in the family to chase "their" fantasy whilst staying "hard nosed" in the face of it all, determined to "hack it" while they tolerate worse conditions, little ones pining for their grandparents love, smiles, kissed and hugs, missing out on playing with their cousins and the teenagers hurting deep inside longing for their old chums missing hanging out in each others houses listening to pop music talking, texting about all sorts.

 

I know if I had kids, I would never have put them through that life in Perth

 

Kids don't give a hoot about "beaches" and "big houses", that's not what they need.

 

Lost of us were a victim of propaganda and "glossy brochures" from agents, it all looked great on paper. Its basically a scheme to import tax payers in the door and the reason they are vetted so carefully.

 

My wife & I had great jobs with all the candy and we too chucked it all down the pan for a life of instability, lots of unemployment, dismal dead end jobs, less or next to no money to spend, isolated in Perth with nowhere interesting to go to.

 

Thank goodness we managed to get out of that place, and everyday I am truly grateful for the lovely interesting part of the world I live in now.

[VERYSTORMY]

Good to know that the NHS does actually work in some parts of the UK. I have often thought it is a pity that the UK does not have a well developed private arm working along with the NHS, like we have here in Australia. That concept does not go down well with those I've spoken with back home! No doubt that's due to the fact that 'private health insurance' doesn't mean the same as it does in Australia.

 

Here in Perth we have had private insurance for the past 30 years and enjoyed first class, no waiting treatment in top hospitals. The Government pays 30% of the premium if you join before 30 and now 40% for us as we are pensioners. It is the quality of treatment by top specialists in the most modern hospitals, with very short if any waiting periods, that works so well. To me the secret is that both public and private work hand in hand here, which takes the pressure of the public system. Sadly in Northern Ireland the NHS is a basket case!! This would be problematic for us and I don't know if there is any private insurance that might be a compromise solution?

 

We had private in Oz and my company provides private in the UK and they are pretty similar. The only difference is that there is no gap payment in the UK. In Oz, I had a procedure that after insurance left me with a bill of several hundred.

[Guest]

This question might have already been asked and answered,but I cannot find it. My Husband and I moved to OZ back in 1991 and have worked the whole time.However I am wondering if it is beneficial now to claim any UK pension. We have 25 years contributions there before we migrated. I would like to know how it all works as I don't want to be worse off. Right now we get the full OZ pension. Thanks

[Marisawright]

But remember it was the "adventurer" inside of you driving you to do it, and we have all been there.

 

Ours was a joint decision to migrate, but I just wonder just how many people do not "give a stuff" about their wife/husband & kids while they create havoc, turmoil by uprooting everyone in the family to chase "their" fantasy whilst staying "hard nosed" in the face of it all, determined to "hack it" while they tolerate worse conditions, little ones pining for their grandparents love, smiles, kissed and hugs, missing out on playing with their cousins and the teenagers hurting deep inside longing for their old chums missing hanging out in each others houses listening to pop music talking, texting about all sorts.

 

 

John, you know I like living in Australia personally, but I agree with this statement! We migrated as a thirty-something childless couple at a time when Scotland's economy was in the toilet - we weren't leaving good jobs, a nice house etc. My aunt left in similar circumstances post-war. For people like us, moving somewhere else - whether in the UK, Europe or overseas - made sense and we had nothing to lose.

 

I am still gobsmacked when I see people posting here, proposing to sell up their established home, leave good jobs, throw away half their possessions, disrupt their kids' education and separate them from grandparents and extended family - all for what? Even if Australia offers a "better life" - and it does for some - it would have to be an enormously better life to make up for all they're giving up.

[bunbury61]

Thank you for your comments. It is helpful when others understand and don't tell you you've got rocks in your head! All the responses so far have been sympathetic and helpful and I really appreciate that.

By the way, the phrase "chasing a fantasy" is down to my brother and he is dead right. Trouble is, I did this chasing of a fantasy twice!

 

I have to admit that I have always been a dreamer, I know that full well. As a young guy I spent some time at sea and visited Western Australia. When my wife and I got married in the 60s we came here as 10 pound poms. After almost 3 years we had had enough of the isolation and backward attitude, so decided to return to NorthernIreland. I remember how great it felt arriving home again and from a career point of view went from strength to strength. I ended up in the electricity supply industry as a telecommunications engineer, with good pension and a job I really loved. We had our own home, a lovely detached bungalow in a friendly neighbourhood. Some of our neighbours became more than that and have remained close friends whom we have always kept in touch and spend time with when back on holiday. Life was good, even throughout the troubles, which didn't affect us at all even though I traveled all over the province in the course of my work.

 

But being the dreamer that I am, the glossy brochures and emigration propaganda got to me at last and off I went chasing that fantasy again, without regard to my wife or sons. It wasn't until my head touched the pillow when we arrived back in the place we were glad to return home from some 20 years earlier, that I realised I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I had thrown my career, generous pension all I loved away and for what! I couldn't get work and ended up doing miserable jobs and enduring long periods of unemployment. My background counted for nothing because everything was different here back in the 1980. It's not so bad now but those thinking of emigrating should consider the realities of work requirements, recognition of qualifications etc., before throwing what they have away.

 

After the first 10 years, which were hell, the mining boom kicked in and I enjoyed many years working as a contract technical writer in the city, mainly in the areas of technology development and resource project operations.

 

Regarding health care in the UK, the NHS is particularly poor in Northern Ireland. Having spoken with English and Scottish friends I get the impression that the quality of care is quite variable throughout the British Isles. In Northern Ireland cottage hospitals have long since been closed down and everything is now centralised in a few big hospitals that are a nightmare .... they simply don't work! We have friends with serious illnesses (cancer etc.) who have had to wait far too long to even see a specialist, never mind have procedures or operations carried out. That is of concern to us as my wife has an ongoing medical condition.

 

In conclusion, for the benefit of those considering making the move here, Perth is a nice city and not nearly as backward as it was 30 years ago. But our experience of coming to live here is that for the first few years we did the beaches to death. Now, I can't even remember the last time we were at the beach. The sun is a killer and as one grows older the summer heat becomes harder to cope with, even with air con. Then there is the cold that nobody thinks about. No double glazing or central heating, unless one is extremely well off ... it's simply not the norm. There are certain realities to life no matter where you live in the world, but watch out for that 'far away fields look green' syndrome. Perhaps more importantly, don't judge a place by experiences of a holiday to visit loved ones. Emigrating to Australia is for some people, especially when whole families come, but it's not for everyone ...

 

The bottom line is Derek " where is home ? ,and where do you want to end your days ?....when you see northern Ireland on the telly in oz ,does it bring a tear to the eye ?...only you know the answers .

In relation to the nhs ,and this is only my humble opinion ,it is a fantastic service ,but on mainland Britain,in some areas it is creaking ..TOO MANY PEOPLE WANT TO USE ,BECAUSE IT CANNOT KEEP UP WITH THE POPULATION RISE .

I don't give a monkeys about the replies.

Myself and my wife have had to use the doctors and hospitals ,in the west midlands recently ...waiting rooms rammed full ..it cannot go on indefinitely .

But iam on the edge of a major city .

Rural residents may give a different and more favourable answer .

Bed of luck

[stephensteve]

My Parents came to the UK in the fifties and still called Kerry "home"....up to 2003 anyway after 40/50 years, they would never have gone back to Eire to live though,

 

If you want to go back home, then do so, life is too short to be sad....I/we may do so in a few years time...it is only a plane ride away, good luck anyway..!!

[aussiederek]

The bottom line is Derek " where is home ? ,and where do you want to end your days ?....when you see northern Ireland on the telly in oz ,does it bring a tear to the eye ?...only you know the answers .

In relation to the nhs ,and this is only my humble opinion ,it is a fantastic service ,but on mainland Britain,in some areas it is creaking ..TOO MANY PEOPLE WANT TO USE ,BECAUSE IT CANNOT KEEP UP WITH THE POPULATION RISE .

I don't give a monkeys about the replies.

Myself and my wife have had to use the doctors and hospitals ,in the west midlands recently ...waiting rooms rammed full ..it cannot go on indefinitely .

But iam on the edge of a major city .

Rural residents may give a different and more favourable answer .

Bed of luck

 

Thanks for your comments. When Northern Ireland comes on the telly I immediately stop what I'm doing and am glued to it! However, very often the program is 'made' by Australians who have preconceived ideas, and off they go looking for it and find it for their program! That annoys the heck out of me, when it's not the Northern Ireland I know. You can usually find your preconceived ideas if you look hard enough, which these program makers somehow seem to manage.

We go 'home' a lot for holidays, but can't keep doing this due to both cost and physical limitations as one grows older. Funny thing is, I tend to go through the same cycle of emotions each visit. There is that initial euphoria upon first arriving, the greenery and just being home. After a few days that wares off, and certain things like narrow mindedness etc., start to bug me and I feel 'I could never live here again'. But after a very short time that dissipates and I settle down and 'fit in' like putting on an old pair of gloves. I feel really content and happy thereafter and when it's time to leave and come back to Oz, I just don't want to go. Then when we arrive back in Perth it feels like I've been recaptured and returned to prison, after managing to escape. (Sounds crazy I know). However, after so many visits home this cycle of emotions is much less intense and I'm just glad to be 'home' in the place where I want to end my days. Sorry to Perth lovers if this sounds too critical. Believe it or not, there is much about Perth and Australia that I do appreciate and would miss and it does 'work' for us at a certain level, which would not be the case in NI particularly because of the health system.

My wife would prefer that I settle down here, moving overseas is too much of a hassle for her because of health issues. That brings me to the NHS as it operates (or fails to operate) in Northern Ireland, as I've mentioned elsewhere on this forum. During our holidays we have found that it works fairly well at GP level. Beyond that it is badly broken!! We have a close family member and also a good friend who both have cancer and the amount of waiting and general fiddling about is completely unacceptable. The methods of treatment that have been described to us is quite barbaric in many instances, all to save money no doubt. The NHS is a sacred cow to many in the UK, and it was a great idea back in 1948, but is absolutely inadequate in this day and age. These comments will likely enrage some, but the truth is that it works fine if you are relatively well .... duh!! At the moment we seriously need the excellent medical services we have here in Perth, where our insurance and Medicare dovetail and work together. This is actually our biggest problem when considering retiring back to Northern Ireland. I wonder is anybody else in the same boat?

[aussiederek]

You are honest to yourself and you faced the mistakes you feel you have made, hats off to you.

 

That honesty is the first step to your new life

 

But remember it was the "adventurer" inside of you driving you to do it, and we have all been there.

 

Ours was a joint decision to migrate, but I just wonder just how many people do not "give a stuff" about their wife/husband & kids while they create havoc, turmoil by uprooting everyone in the family to chase "their" fantasy whilst staying "hard nosed" in the face of it all, determined to "hack it" while they tolerate worse conditions, little ones pining for their grandparents love, smiles, kissed and hugs, missing out on playing with their cousins and the teenagers hurting deep inside longing for their old chums missing hanging out in each others houses listening to pop music talking, texting about all sorts.

 

I know if I had kids, I would never have put them through that life in Perth

 

Kids don't give a hoot about "beaches" and "big houses", that's not what they need.

 

Lost of us were a victim of propaganda and "glossy brochures" from agents, it all looked great on paper. Its basically a scheme to import tax payers in the door and the reason they are vetted so carefully.

 

My wife & I had great jobs with all the candy and we too chucked it all down the pan for a life of instability, lots of unemployment, dismal dead end jobs, less or next to no money to spend, isolated in Perth with nowhere interesting to go to.

 

Thank goodness we managed to get out of that place, and everyday I am truly grateful for the lovely interesting part of the world I live in now.

 

Thanks for your comments John. it's like you are describing me! This is exactly what I did, chucked everything down the pan and went at it like a bull at a gate without considering my family. I've often pondered what was going on in my head to throw so much away and also without considering the consequences in later life. My work contemporaries are all well off, big industry pensions as well as full State pensions. I exchanged this to become an Aussie Battler.

[Zack]

Ah yes I understand your comments about the NHS as it does seem to be in a dire state in NI. Not so here regardless of what the doomsayers would have us believe. Like Australia it is at times pushed to and beyond its limits.

Doomsayers of whatever you want to call them. There is no comparison with the NHS and The Australian Health service. The Australian Health Service is near to collapsing That's A FACT.We have just been told that the waiting list,to see a specialist,to get into hospital is dire.Then To actually get a bed in a hospital is years away. My wife has been told only last week,that she should get her cataracts done ASAP or she could be blind in a year. The only problem is, there is a five year waiting list,So we have to pay.She needs a knee replacement.That's a seven year waiting list.Or you have pay.The Medication system in Australia is pathetic. The medication i have been on for the last 10 years has been taken off the pps.and replaced with a another drug that cost 5 times as much.I have been told by my doctor,that i will have to go and see a specialist,costing $180 to see if i can get this other drug, and pay the concession card cost.Bulk billing on the Sunshine Coast is stopping it's hard to find a doctor that bulk bills.My young niegbours have two kids,and she was saying everytime she goes to the doctors and get prescriptons for the kids,it costs her over $300.Turnbull is Taking a axe to the Health Service,and education. Getting sick in Australia is very costly and it's going to get really bad,many people are dying on waiting lists Fact. 148,000 people are dying each year through botched operations. There a diseases in Australia that the Health service knows nothing about.They are putting death unknown on death certificates.Lymes disease,the Australian health service refuses to recognise, Sick Australians are forced to go overseas for treatment.

[aussiederek]

Doomsayers of whatever you want to call them. There is no comparison with the NHS and The Australian Health service. The Australian Health Service is near to collapsing That's A FACT.We have just been told that the waiting list,to see a specialist,to get into hospital is dire.Then To actually get a bed in a hospital is years away. My wife has been told only last week,that she should get her cataracts done ASAP or she could be blind in a year. The only problem is, there is a five year waiting list,So we have to pay.She needs a knee replacement.That's a seven year waiting list.Or you have pay.The Medication system in Australia is pathetic. The medication i have been on for the last 10 years has been taken off the pps.and replaced with a another drug that cost 5 times as much.I have been told by my doctor,that i will have to go and see a specialist,costing $180 to see if i can get this other drug, and pay the concession card cost.Bulk billing on the Sunshine Coast is stopping it's hard to find a doctor that bulk bills.My young niegbours have two kids,and she was saying everytime she goes to the doctors and get prescriptons for the kids,it costs her over $300.Turnbull is Taking a axe to the Health Service,and education. Getting sick in Australia is very costly and it's going to get really bad,many people are dying on waiting lists Fact. 148,000 people are dying each year through botched operations. There a diseases in Australia that the Health service knows nothing about.They are putting death unknown on death certificates.Lymes disease,the Australian health service refuses to recognise, Sick Australians are forced to go overseas for treatment.

 

Zack, your experience of Medicare on the Sunshine Coast is the exact opposite to what we have here in Perth. It's obviously different across the country. But I can't understand why some people are not in a private health fund? No problem insuring everything else they own! But when it comes to health, which is the most important of all, many just don't seem to see the priority. Our health insurance will be the last thing I'll let go! We both had our cataracts done within a couple of weeks. My wife has had a couple of very big operations over the past few years and that was all done very quickly, in world class facilities. The cost to us was negligible. Also, we can see a GP, usually our own, the same day and I book that online using HealthEngine. Most GPs bulk bill here as a matter of course, and always for pensioners. However, this may change by the sounds of the political chat going on at the moment! Hope not. Our opinion is that, in Perth anyway, we enjoy arguably the best health system in the world. But, I have to concede that friends who live over east reckon we are extremely well catered for in Perth compared to them. You're right about Lymes disease and I hope that is addressed and common sense prevails.

As regards the NHS as it functions in Northern Ireland, it is badly broken. We have a close family member and a friend who are dealing with cancer and the amount of time waiting for that brown envelope to arrive is ridiculous. I could relate other instances, the health system there is third world .... but still a sacred cow and don't dare criticize it! But again, the NHS service does seem to vary a lot depending on where you live in the UK.

[bunbury61]

Zack, your experience of Medicare on the Sunshine Coast is the exact opposite to what we have here in Perth. It's obviously different across the country. But I can't understand why some people are not in a private health fund? No problem insuring everything else they own! But when it comes to health, which is the most important of all, many just don't seem to see the priority. Our health insurance will be the last thing I'll let go! We both had our cataracts done within a couple of weeks. My wife has had a couple of very big operations over the past few years and that was all done very quickly, in world class facilities. The cost to us was negligible. Also, we can see a GP, usually our own, the same day and I book that online using HealthEngine. Most GPs bulk bill here as a matter of course, and always for pensioners. However, this may change by the sounds of the political chat going on at the moment! Hope not. Our opinion is that, in Perth anyway, we enjoy arguably the best health system in the world. But, I have to concede that friends who live over east reckon we are extremely well catered for in Perth compared to them. You're right about Lymes disease and I hope that is addressed and common sense prevails.

As regards the NHS as it functions in Northern Ireland, it is badly broken. We have a close family member and a friend who are dealing with cancer and the amount of time waiting for that brown envelope to arrive is ridiculous. I could relate other instances, the health system there is third world .... but still a sacred cow and don't dare criticize it! But again, the NHS service does seem to vary a lot depending on where you live in the UK.

 

Derek ,just a basic ,simple question " why should you have to pay for healthcare ?"...thats what you pay your taxes for .

When you have a predominantly private healthcare like the u.s ,a two tier system ...

 

The problem with the nhs is TOO MANY PEOPLE USING IT

 

..Londons population to rise by 1 million in the next 5 years ...says it all really

[winter1]

Zack, your experience of Medicare on the Sunshine Coast is the exact opposite to what we have here in Perth. It's obviously different across the country. But I can't understand why some people are not in a private health fund? No problem insuring everything else they own!

 

Health insurance is not the panacea. A friend of ours had an operation last year on a crushed nerve in her neck which involved fusing the vertebrae. All fine entered hospital as private patient had op all well. However after the op was informed by the doctor the procedure was changed slightly whilst she was undergoing surgery due to the medical condition. This resulted in the Health insurance company saying it was not a change that was in their list of procedures and she now faces a bill of $24000. She had previously checked and was informed the procedure she was due to have was covered and been told it was but the change whilst on the operating table caused the disparity.

If she had gone to a public hospital with no insurance the op would have gone ahead with no extra cost.

Health insurance is not for everyone and many take it out just to reduce the extra medicare charge once your salary goes over the limit.

Edited May 24, 2016 by winter1

[aussiederek]

Derek ,just a basic ,simple question " why should you have to pay for healthcare ?"...thats what you pay your taxes for .

When you have a predominantly private healthcare like the u.s ,a two tier system ...

 

The problem with the nhs is TOO MANY PEOPLE USING IT

 

..Londons population to rise by 1 million in the next 5 years ...says it all really

 

First of all, the Australian health system is nothing like that in the US, a horrible system where you pay for everything! In Australia we have Medicare, the Government provided health care system similar (if not exactly the same) to the UK's NHS. However, paying into a health fund enables one to access the best possible facilities, which any Government funded system just couldn't do alone. It required large health care providers working in conjunction with Medicare to make this possible. The secret is Medicare and the health funds working together, which is not a two tier system by any means. If one doesn't want to contribute to their health care by paying into a health fund and rely entirely on the Government's Medicare, that is their choice. However, in this day and age where medical science has become so advanced, I don't think it is reasonable to expect the public purse to bare the cost of what is now possible in this field. Our taxes wouldn't even look at it! Medical science and the delivery of health care through modern hospitals and diagnostic facilities is what the health funds specialise in.

 

To answer the question, "Why should you have to pay for health care, that's what you pay taxes for", all I can say is that I think we should take some responsibility for our own health care in this advanced modern age. I just don't think it's reasonable to expect the Government to provide it free, which is in fact proving to be impossible if you look at the NHS. (The NHS works great if you're not sick!)

 

Sorry about the long winded reply to a simple question!!

[aussiederek]

Health insurance is not the panacea. A friend of ours had an operation last year on a crushed nerve in her neck which involved fusing the vertebrae. All fine entered hospital as private patient had op all well. However after the op was informed by the doctor the procedure was changed slightly whilst she was undergoing surgery due to the medical condition. This resulted in the Health insurance company saying it was not a change that was in their list of procedures and she now faces a bill of $24000. She had previously checked and was informed the procedure she was due to have was covered and been told it was but the change whilst on the operating table caused the disparity.

If she had gone to a public hospital with no insurance the op would have gone ahead with no extra cost.

Health insurance is not for everyone and many take it out just to reduce the extra medicare charge once your salary goes over the limit.

 

Sorry to hear about your friend's experience and I sincerely hope all works out well in the end.

 

There are so many variations in health insurance, like anything else, so that must always be carefully considered before signing up. But, you can decide to use your insurance or go with the public system. Just because you pay into a fund doesn't mean you have to use it. My take on it is that most people are in a health fund so that you don't have to wait for ever for an operation. Also, here in Perth we are fortunate in having some of the best private hospitals one could imagine, where world class surgeons and medical people work. I know in the case of my wife we couldn't have done without our health fund and the facilities that opened to us.

[bunbury61]

First of all, the Australian health system is nothing like that in the US, a horrible system where you pay for everything! In Australia we have Medicare, the Government provided health care system similar (if not exactly the same) to the UK's NHS. However, paying into a health fund enables one to access the best possible facilities, which any Government funded system just couldn't do alone. It required large health care providers working in conjunction with Medicare to make this possible. The secret is Medicare and the health funds working together, which is not a two tier system by any means. If one doesn't want to contribute to their health care by paying into a health fund and rely entirely on the Government's Medicare, that is their choice. However, in this day and age where medical science has become so advanced, I don't think it is reasonable to expect the public purse to bare the cost of what is now possible in this field. Our taxes wouldn't even look at it! Medical science and the delivery of health care through modern hospitals and diagnostic facilities is what the health funds specialise in.

 

To answer the question, "Why should you have to pay for health care, that's what you pay taxes for", all I can say is that I think we should take some responsibility for our own health care in this advanced modern age. I just don't think it's reasonable to expect the Government to provide it free, which is in fact proving to be impossible if you look at the NHS. (The NHS works great if you're not sick!)

 

Sorry about the long winded reply to a simple question!!

 

Just used the nhs 20 minutes ago ...my daughter is in the middle of exams and has developed tonsilitus .

I rolled up to the doctors at 8am ,told them the situation ...she was seen at 9.00 am ...50 yd walk to the pharmacy .

.free prescription as she is at school ...thank you very much .

Brilliant service ...but the speed was because she was slotted in immediately due to her exams .

Ordinarily ,she would wait a few days for an appointment ,it never used to be that way .

Too many people using the service now .....a lot of them have not even put into the system .

And as I said ,healthcare should be free ,if you are a taxpayer .

Paying for private healthcare and then having to top up for prescriptions and further medical costs .....rubbish