Health Care

[matjones]

Just wondering what everyone's experience has been with health care. Can you survive on medicare alone? Or are we required to have some form of private health insurance too? We are a pretty healthy couple, no kids, just go for annual doctors checkups.

[ali]

We have private health cover too for dental, optical and ambulance cover (f you need to call an ambulance it's about $400 a go. We didn't have hospital cover our first year, and got stung with the tax levy and it came to almost $1,000

 

About the Medicare Levy Surcharge

[matjones]

We have private health cover too for dental, optical and ambulance cover (f you need to call an ambulance it's about $400 a go. We didn't have hospital cover our first year, and got stung with the tax levy and it came to almost $1,000

 

About the Medicare Levy Surcharge

 

Ah thanks for that.... I completely forgot about the Levy... I knew there was a reason to get private insurance. Although we certainly wont hit the higher income earner status, unless my wife gets a really good job right away. I think we might chance it until we become high income earners.

[Guest guest30038]

Depends on your state re ambulance cover. In Qld it's in with your utility bill.

 

Major costs not covered by medicare are dental and glasses (eye test free/bulk billed) and chiropracter. Dental can be expensive but all in all, The public sector has other health covered.

 

I've been here 15 yrs and only incurred $400 dental and $800 for glasses outside of what medicare covers. I've had 4 major operations at no cost, including a quad by-pass, and can't fault the public system.

 

kev

[matjones]

Depends on your state re ambulance cover. In Qld it's in with your utility bill.

 

Major costs not covered by medicare are dental and glasses (eye test free/bulk billed) and chiropracter. Dental can be expensive but all in all, The public sector has other health covered.

 

I've been here 15 yrs and only incurred $400 dental and $800 for glasses outside of what medicare covers. I've had 4 major operations at no cost, including a quad by-pass, and can't fault the public system.

 

kev

 

I am from the US, so used to getting screwed with health care. It will make a nice change to not worrying about it. even $1000 levy is fully acceptable to me. We have been paying $1300/m for healthcare here in US for years.

[fish.01]

I am from the US, so used to getting screwed with health care. It will make a nice change to not worrying about it. even $1000 levy is fully acceptable to me. We have been paying $1300/m for healthcare here in US for years.

 

$1300 per month...is that normal? :frown:

[matjones]

$1300 per month...is that normal? :frown:

partly subsidized by work, but if buying the plan direct, it would have been that much. It was one of the better plans. You can get ****ty coverage for around $100 but the deductibles would kill you.

[Guest guest30038]

but the deductibles would kill you.

 

Like they do here for some. I know a few folk who have private cover and they have still ended up having to pay a partial contribution for surgery. Real full cover can be expensive.

 

kev

[Quoll]

Need to get ambulance cover separately in ACT.

 

Dont expect to find a bulk billing doctor in ACT they are scarcer than hens teeth and mostly closed up their books. Usual cost is a co-payment of about $30 for a shortish consultation. Prescriptions on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme have a max per fill of about $31.