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Post by jody on Oct 17, 2012 7:55:49 GMT 10
Starting to wonder why I bother to pay it. Back in August I had an episode where an ambulance had to take me to hospital....ended up as anxiety problem but there was enough doubt with the ECG they did here to take me to hospital....anyway I stayed the night and released around 1pm the next day after blood tests proved I didn't have a heart attack. The public hospital I was taken to charged my private health insurance for the doctors time and for my brief stay. Yesterday I received another account from the doctor who said I could go home. He didn't even see me, just looked at my chart and signed release papers. Now if I wasn't in private health I wouldn't have had to pay a thing. The doctors secretary I spoke to gave me some good off the record advice too that I will use in future. On the other hand, when I had my gall bladder out last year I got into the private hospital quickly, would have been a 4 month wait for public.....though I did still need to pay the $500 gap. Do you think private health insurance is worth it?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 8:29:10 GMT 10
Whenever I have been seen by the public health system, and they've asked me whether or not I have private health insurance, I always say “no!” Even though I do have health insurance. I consider it to be “none of their business!”
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Post by spindrift on Oct 17, 2012 10:10:32 GMT 10
Private health is the blood sucker health system, and if not carefull Australia could easily fall to a US style health system with the coalition in power..same with private education.
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Post by jody on Oct 17, 2012 10:57:18 GMT 10
KTJ, two professionals in the health care industry have told me in the past few days to never disclose I have private health insurance to a public hosptial. I think I might go to the dentist and have a clean and checkup, get a new pair of glasses, then leave BUPA and just pay ambulance.
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Post by matt on Oct 17, 2012 13:25:23 GMT 10
I have private health insurance and I use it!
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Post by jody on Oct 17, 2012 13:33:57 GMT 10
You have reason to Matt.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 14:17:35 GMT 10
I use private health insurance for elective surgery (as well as seeing specialists before and after).
But when I'm in the public health system, I don't even let on that I have private insurance. Last year I would have cost them a shitload of money when my thyroid gland was playing up and causing havoc. I ended up in intensive care in Wairarapa Hospital three times over a period of about seven weeks, with one-on-one nursing care each time. That wouldn't come cheap. And the third time I presented myself to the hospital needing intensive care (I walked there too....I only live ten minutes walk from the local hospital, although I copped a huge lecture from them about simply fronting up in that way with extremely serious problems), the intensive care unit was full-up, so they got a helicopter straight over from Wellington to transfer one of the patients to Wellington Hospital to make room in intensive care for me. And that would have cost thousands.
However, the private health insurance does come in handy if my doctor tells me I need something sorted out which isn't an emergency, because I then have the choice to go and see a specialist privately, then if necessary get it sorted out in a private hospital with the insurance footing the complete bill. My health insurance policy doesn't cover primary health care (ie....seeing my GP), only specialist consultations and actual hospital proceedures (including day proceedures where you aren't actually admitted overnight). But I am in the Railway Welfare Society and they refund 70% of primary health care costs when we present receipts to them.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 19:22:13 GMT 10
I have private health insurance - hospital only - and hardly ever use it. You can still go in as a public patient and give them your health insurer's card so they can claim for your bed and what else the insurer covers.
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