Private Health..Yay or Nay

'Extras' cover to me, feels a bit like prepaying an expected bill, and also a discount incentive to use services (when needed) that I might have been otherwise too stingy to pay out for.

(I assume you mean Westfund?)

I chose Westfund for extras only, on a low tier coverage.
Westfund reviews for overall service have them rated highly, and they were one of the providers I considered for hospital cover too.
It's a smaller not-for-profit fund where you can actually get a real person on the phone if needed.

 

Hi @Firefly99 ,

May I ask when having the basic insurance to avoid MLS - did it have any impact on using the public hoap if/when required? I have seen lately, officers going around asking- do you have private health insurance etc...!

May I ask who r you with?

 

I think they call them Patient Liaison Officer

 

This is weird, I have taken out pet insurance, its around $50 pm.

 

A fancy title for Admissions Clerk.

Said previously this irks me with public hospitals.

I don't believe such a question should even be asked in the first instance. The question which should be is "Do you wish to be admitted as a public or private patient?" Only after that question is answered should the matter of private insurance be raised - by the patient and not be the hospital.

It certainly should not be initially raised as an issue if a patient is in pain or distressed as they would not be in a state to be able to make a rational decision. In any case, the person is going to be treated by a VMO or RMO while admitted.

It's a form of cost-shifting by the public hospital.

 

Here’s update on costs from 1 Oct

Australian private health firms to increase premiums from October 1 | Daily Mail Online

 

After paying nearly 20k for my pet's bills, I took out pet insurance too. Sigh.

 

yes
I actually claimed .... becareful some of these buzzards will pull out the fine print, they offer everything and give you nothing

watch out for pre existing conditions

 

Yeah I'm aware that a lot of his subsequent medical needs won't be covered due to preexisting conditions. The problem with pets is this: with humans, you can look for alternatives, downplay the symptoms, you can look for non-invasive options, or seek a second opinion. Hell you can even ask them crazy questions like: what exactly is wrong with you?

With pets? My heart melts the second I see my little buddy in pain, and I will spare no expense. It's a completely different ball game when it comes to animals, and so the insurance considerations are just different. Damn things. lol

 

Me too
My doggies are spoilt rotten and my babies

 

I haven't ever had PHI and get slugged in taxes each year which equal some crappy minimal fund (that I wouldn't use anyway), as income over the threshold. I figure it a donation to improving public health care...

I don't believe in subsidising a failed private industry in order to secure political donations... there is enough of that which has gone on.

It seems like a majority also don't seem to want to pay for PHI, so this has all failed. It is time to shift to a different model.. be it taxing everybody a bit more and just distributing it among PHI and public facilities or some other idea, time for change.

 

If the new tax threasholds gets passed - will tgat impact the 90k for sinhke and 180k for family re PHI?

 

Exactly this.

 

Question:-

If taking PHI to avoid Medicare Levi the threashoods are salary more than 90K for single and 180K for couple- Does it mran couples have to choose a cover for Couple or they can have 2 X Single policies?

 

I am no socialists but totally agree. It makes less and less sense to have two parallel healthcare systems - a "free" government one and an expensive failing private version, which ostensibly offer the same service except that the private system has shorter waiting periods and nicer hospital comforts.

I think we'd be much better just scrapping the private insurance system and hiking the medicare levy a bit to properly fund the universal government system we already have. Private providers can still play a roll in offering services to government, and perhaps there could still be the option for patients to tip in their own money for a hospital stay to upgrade to their own room etc, but I can't see how the private healthcare / insurance industry is viable going forward as is.

 

Found a PHI company that has basic Hospital close to Medicare Surcharge Levi and the next up that is may be approx $150 more but covers hell lot of procedures........with only 1 day waiting period for Ambulance and 2 months for rest of the lot ......and $750 excess (once if used the service)

previously I was inclined not to take out but now it seems attractive deal.....!!!

 

Nib is the underwriter buy policy via Quantas

Bronze cover