Medicare and medical insurance

[maxxangel]

Reading a thread on doctors has brought up some questions of my own. Does anyone have medical insurance and if so how does this work and what does basic insurance cover? Do they cover the bit that isn't reimbursed by medicare? Also, do they cover dental care? Come to think of it, is dental care private or covered by medicare in the same way as doctors and hospitals?

Just wondered whether it is worthwhile getting the extra medical insurance or just putting some regular savings aside to cover the extras that medicare doesn't.

[The Broughtons]

We are insured with medibank. They don't cover the extras on doctors fees or eye tests. You can pick and choose what you do want covering, have a look at Medibank Private - choose medibank private for health cover and travel insurance for a better idea of what they cover and what options you have.

Felicity

[dwaldron]

Generally speaking, private health insurance will only cover costs incurred as a hospital inpatient (plus extras [optical/dental] if applicable). Dental is all private unless it's an emergency. Not all doctors charge the 'gap' i.e. the difference between what Medicare pays and what the schedule/standard fee is.

When I go to my doctor I pay around $5 for the privilege but it's worth it because I see him by choice (I could choose any doctor in the country if I wanted to), I can see him on Saturdays, I don't have to wait and he's happy to spend 20 minutes discussing something with me.