My Dad (overseas visitor) admitted to local hospital. Worry about the cost

Edsanwong on 17/02/2016 - 19:58
Last edited 21/02/2016 - 12:06 by 1 other user

Hi everyone,
My dad (70 years old) fell and hurt his knee badly. I called ambulance and opted to be admitted to local hospital.

He came here for short visit and doesn't have travel insurance.

The hospital charged $560 for admission only not include anything.There will be more wxpense to come for xray etc.

I was wondering if anyone has opinions how to help the financial pain?

I am happy to pay if I able to and so my dad, but my dad and I are struggling financially.

Many thanks for your opinions.

Update knee cap broken.

20/02/2016 10.57 PM:
Thank you everyone. I am going to close this topic, give you update, and summarise.

  1. Apology for late responds, especially in the last 24-48 hours. I did read all of them, and tried to reply as many as I can just now.

  2. Thank you for your suggestions, opnions,and best wishes. Receiving best wishes from strangers, I am touched.

  3. My dad was discharged on the day, so no overnight. Knee cap broken, not life threatening. Spoke to Ortho specialist in hospital and my GP the day after, explained honestly about situation (medical and financial). Basically, go back to home country to do operation is one option, surgery need to be done within 2 weeks.

  4. As a family, after long discussion and considerations, many overseas phone calls (including to two ortho specialists in home country), we decided to send him back to overseas. ( I dont want to give loooong explanation pros and cons, we discussed pretty much all of them. And saving money is not the point during the discussion). If I need to work 16 hours a day to pay it, I would do it anyway.

  5. About the current bill, I estimated $2K (hopefully it is correct). It will be paid. I am working on options for reduction and installment if I can. I will take over the bill.

  6. My parents will be back to oz again, this time with travel insurance.

  7. I hope we all take some valuable lesson from this topic.

  8. Yes, I know my english is bad. But, I still would like to say thank you again.

Travel

closed Comments

  • boonanza on 17/02/2016 - 19:59
    +45

    That's why you get travel insurance & wait till you get the ambulance bill.

    • paul11 on 17/02/2016 - 21:24
      +3

      Yes, Not to scare you OP, but get ready to pay another $460 as Ambulance bill …

      • bobbified on 17/02/2016 - 23:44
        +9

        I think it's actually more than double that. Two years ago, I took a 5 minute trip from Melbourne CBD to St Vincents and got a bill for $990.

        • Flowerbomb on 18/02/2016 - 01:39
          +11

          Hi bobbifed, so sorry to hear that. From your story, I guess i have learnt it's best to drive/uber to the hospital if there is a non life threatening emergency like a fall.

        • bobbified on 18/02/2016 - 02:09
          +2

          @Cronut:
          I definitely agree with you there! If it's not urgent then taxi, friend or uber is the way to go.

          Shouldn't be put off by the price for things like symptoms of heart attack or stroke though - which was the reason I called them.

        • paul11 on 18/02/2016 - 13:37
          +5

          @bobbified : Yeah, Actually, my wife fainted at the bus stop near our home. She fell with face down on concrete floor. People called ambulance. She refused to go to hospital and requested the ambulance driver to drop her at home hardly 500 mts away from bus stop. 2 weeks later ambulance bill for $460 was received in the mail. So I guess $450 is the minimum, not sure about the upper limit …..!

        • lgacb08 on 18/02/2016 - 22:31

          Hope you figure out signing up for Ambo membership, your trip could've covered for the 20 years of membership.

        • bobbified on 18/02/2016 - 23:31
          +4

          @paul11:

          Ouch.. face first into concrete sounds horrible!

          I had a quick look at the fees.. it's $494 for "attendance with no transport" and there's varying fees on top of that if transport is required.

          For metro emergency road transport, it starts from $1146.

          Pretty steep, but in certain cases, it's a necessity.

          yikes! helicopter transport is $10,220 per hit!

        • bobbified on 18/02/2016 - 23:33

          @lgacb08:

          At the time, I didn't know that there was such thing as separate ambulance cover.

        • saine on 19/02/2016 - 07:11

          @lgacb08: Sometimes this is covered in private health insurance. It's worth checking before doubling up.

        • lgacb08 on 19/02/2016 - 09:10

          @saine: yeah, PHI mostly have ambo cover as well, otherwise they also offer ambo only package similar to vic ambo membership.

        • Flowerbomb on 19/02/2016 - 09:15
          +4

          @paul11: oh no, I feel for your wallet.

          Hypothetical question, if person X has a fall/faints on the street and a stranger calls the ambo, can Person X refuse the ambulance help when it arrives?Considering Person X didn't call it, doesn't want to cough out the $900 call out, and has deemed it isn't too serious.

        • captobvious on 19/02/2016 - 11:27

          @bobbified: i have had an overseas helicopter medivac, awesome worth every bit of insurance penny

        • virhlpool on 19/02/2016 - 11:36

          @bobbified: Isn't air ambulance free? How can country guys afford so much if it wasn't free?

        • paul11 on 19/02/2016 - 21:14
          +2

          @bobbified: We had a concession (Health Card) card at that time, so the fee was waived off. Ambulance transport is FREE for Health Care Card holders in VIC. As soon as I got a salary raise and health care card withdrawn, the first thing I did was took the VIC Ambulance membership. Cost about $82/year for the whole family. Later I got reimbursed that money from my Health Insurance.

          In case of OP, I think he should have opted for something like this, if his dad had no coverage through CC. After this episode, maybe, he will remember next time … We all do mistakes … Good thing is to learn and move on ….

        • paul11 on 19/02/2016 - 21:19

          @Cronut: Yes, I think you can refuse ambulance help, if you are in a condition good enough to walk and talk without anyone's help ….

        • casval on 20/02/2016 - 00:53
          +2

          @Cronut:

          Yes, you can refuse if you are of sound mind, regardless of injury/illness. You can make an informed decision. Informed means you understand the consequences of not attending hospital as explained to you by the paramedics.

          The patient is liable for costs. The caller is a good samaritan and is therefore not liable for any.

          If the ambulance has attended and assessed but no transport for either not necessary or refused by patient, then there is that $460 no transport fee someone else mentioned. Of course, you can refuse to give details….

          But at the end of the day, what is more important to you? $$$ or health?

        • casval on 20/02/2016 - 06:18

          @lgacb08:

          Be careful with this. Like all insurance, they choose what to want to cover. Non transports in most cases will not be covered at all as they are deemed to not be an emergency if the patient is not taken to hospital.

          Its best to take out membership with the state ambulance service.

        • randombrick on 20/02/2016 - 08:34
          +1

          @paul11: FYI, the overseas health cover linked above appears to be only for work visa holders (457 & 485). Always check that the insurance you get is valid for your visa.

        • Bargainz on 20/02/2016 - 12:00
          +1

          @casval: $$$ - This country is getting ridiculously expensive for everything ESPECIALLY MEDICAL with specialists. I'd rather save every scent possible for a real emergency than ending up being poor and dying on the streets.

        • arcticmonkey on 20/02/2016 - 12:47
          -3

          @Bargainz:

          Thanks the Liberals for that. Turnbull and the lying Liberals have wiped billions out of health.

          http://m.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2…

          http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/more-turnbull-cuts-hit-victori…

          http://m.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull…

          Turnbull has $200 million. He has introduced cuts which mean you now have to pay for pathology. Like him or not, he doesn't care about your health.

        • qwertyaz on 20/02/2016 - 13:04

          @Cronut: I would like to know the answer too

        • [Deactivated] on 20/02/2016 - 17:31
          +1

          @arcticmonkey:

          In all fairness the Andrews (Victorian Labor State Government) wasted $1 billion on a road never built. This from a premier that told voters that no cost would be involved in breaking the road contract.

          So Labor/Liberals they are all the bloody same!

        • wako on 20/02/2016 - 18:48

          @bobbified:

          Yeh its only $50 a year in SA

          1 ambo ride is 10 years membership..
          I used to buy it "Just in case" but now I get 1 a year on Private health and if i ever do use it, ill get it again

        • Skinnerr on 21/02/2016 - 08:46

          @Cronut: Its actually best to get ambulance insurance for $43.80 incase you potentially crash and injuire someone else while driving yourself during an emergency.

    • antzz on 19/02/2016 - 17:21
      +3

      Agree with Travel Insurance especially for senior person. I remember 10 years ago, my grandmother come to visit me in sydney and having a stroke during the time she was here. Ended up in the emergency surgery and then RPA ICU for over 1 month and another 2 months in the hospital doing rehabilitation. The total cost of all that is abit over AUD 200K. After all that, we fly her back home and she still has to do rehab and weight training for the next 6 month. Lucky for us the travel insurance cover all of this and we ended up with only have to pay for return plane ticket for her.

      I am sorry to hear about your dad, but broken knee cap is expensive surgery. Wherever you go, the cost will be expensive (over AUD 10K). if you discharge your dad quickly, you may be lucky to ended up with not more than $5000 in total bill cost (emergency treatmant, Ambulance, Stays and medication)

      Good Luck

    • noshopping on 19/02/2016 - 18:51
      -3

      Ah memories. I remember once driving with a friend to the CBD, on the way we got group that was waving at any car that would help them. We stopped, wondered what the fuss was, one of the mates passed out and was vomitting blood from drinking too much booze, asked if we could drive them to the nearest hospital, the kid half alive didn't want an ambulance — maybe fear from fees or he had drugs in him?. Drove them to a private hospital and his mate wanted to leave him and come out to party with us. We were like BUDDY, your mate nearly died and you want to party with us… Morale of story: Kid risks his life over paying an ambulance, but at the end gets driven to a private hospital which will probably charge him s*tloads of $$ Don't be cheap because you end up paying more down the line. In this case, your dad would of been covered if he had not cheaped out on paying $50 for travel insurance.

    • Rock00019 on 20/02/2016 - 04:46
      +2

      I am sure he do know that for now much Better then you and me for sure.
      What he asked for is some help if you know a way to save him some money not your critics in what you are good at if you can't help pls don't criticize.
      Respect others and It's a community for help each other for some saving so if you can't find them way out its ok but at lest don't criticizing people for their mistakes coz everyone can't be perfect as you are.

    • Rock00019 on 20/02/2016 - 04:48

      I am sure he do know that for now much Better then you and me for sure.
      What he asked for is some help if you know a way to save him some money not your critics in what you are good at if you can't help pls don't criticize.
      Respect others and It's a community for help each other for some saving so if you can't find them way out its ok but at lest don't criticizing people for their mistakes coz everyone can't be p

    • [Deactivated] on 20/02/2016 - 11:46
      -2

      Thanks captain hindsight!

  • Hoju on 17/02/2016 - 20:18
    +22

    Hospital stays are expensive, if it isn't life threatening I would get the hell out and visit the relevant doctors/specialist and get the required imaging done independently.
    You will be paying a lot for him to just lie in the bed overnight and listen to someone's IV drip beeping all night.

    • Edsanwong on 17/02/2016 - 20:32

      Thanks.
      The paramedics advised the same. But I was a1panicked at that time. He cant speak english, I was on the train. I straight away said hospital.

      I will talk to the doctor see if he allows us to out.

      • Hoju on 17/02/2016 - 20:43
        +3

        They can't keep you there, you can sign a form to discharge yourself against medical advice. However I think if they understand your financial situation then they would agree with you.
        Be honest with them, they're there to help and I have no doubt they will. Ask what issues they are most concerned about if you are to leave, and if you can prevent any of these issues until you can see a GP.

        My advice would be to get out NOW. Do not face the cost of an overnight stay, you're looking at something far more expensive than a hotel.

        Perhaps tomorrow, you could go and see a GP ($50-60) and get a referral for xray ($60-80) and go from there.

        • Edsanwong on 17/02/2016 - 20:54

          Thank you so much.
          Xray is done.knee cap is broken. We are waiting for the doctor to advise what to do.

          I will be honest with them about our situation.

          Thank you.

        • max19832002 on 18/02/2016 - 23:06

          i

        • max19832002 on 18/02/2016 - 23:06

          @Edsanwong: maybe you can chase his credit card company to see of they cover it??

        • max19832002 on 18/02/2016 - 23:27
          +6

          @Edsanwong: sorry people have asked the same thing.PM me what part of melbourne you are i might be able to find a free physio for you.Thanks

    • virhlpool on 19/02/2016 - 11:38

      And if one has Medicare, then is hospital stay free?

      • PVA on 19/02/2016 - 21:23
        +1

        public hospital, yes.

        • virhlpool on 19/02/2016 - 21:35

          But, I guess there's queuing in public hospital.. right? It's not like you need it today and you get admitted right away unless it's emergency. How long are the queues generally for not very serious ailments?

        • PVA on 19/02/2016 - 21:36

          @virhlpool:
          we have never had issue with waiting times.

        • virhlpool on 19/02/2016 - 21:37
          +1

          @PVA:

          May be ailments were more serious in nature. For me, the queue was 1 year. And yes, it wasn't a serious operation though.

        • 00 on 20/02/2016 - 13:07
          +1

          @virhlpool: depends on the specialist you need to see (depending on the condition) and the location

    • Edsanwong on 17/02/2016 - 20:33

      Not those lucky countries unfortunately.
      Thank you

  • Marcsie on 17/02/2016 - 20:43
    +18

    Travel insurance, don't leave home without it !

  • rambutann on 17/02/2016 - 21:30
    +13

    As everyone said, you have got to be stupid to travel internationally without travel insurance.

  • purplelady on 17/02/2016 - 22:35
    +1

    Yeah, better get out and go home ASAP. It will cost him cheaper to go home. But I do understand about not having travel insurance, coming from a country where travel insurance is really not considered at all.

  • Randxyz123 on 17/02/2016 - 23:08
    +10

    Why the hell doesn't he have travel insurance ? Don't say because he can't afford it - he is here so he must have paid $1000 or so for air fares. I don't get it if he is struggling financially how the hell is he here visiting you?

    I disagree with everyone saying "get out of hospital" You should do what the doctors want and what is best for your dad. If that means you get a massive bill
    which will be about $900 now (ambulance will be about $450). You're just gonna have to deal with that.

    I'm not a doctor but I believe healing will take 6-8 weeks. He'll probably need to stay with you during that time if he doesn't have anyone back home to help him. If this means he won't be able to go home when planned contact the airline to change sooner rather than later. If there is a fee to change his airfare travel insurance will cover that …. Wait he doesn't have any.

    There are threads like this literately every other week "I crashed my car and I don't have insurance" or "I missed my flight or got hurt overseas and I don't have travel insurance"

    • virhlpool on 19/02/2016 - 11:40
      -6

      TO be honest, you can't compare travel insurance cost with air-tickets. A good travel insurance is way more expensive than the ticket cost even if the stay is just for 3 months. Buying cheap, local travel insurance from some developing countries can be cheap but it isn't reliable and hardly covers anything. If you go for a global, known brand, it is expensive like hell.

      • macrocephalic on 19/02/2016 - 17:22
        +1

        The father is over for a short trip. I don't know what the definition of 'short' is, but I don't think it's 3 months. Two weeks of travel insurance for an international trip is about $150-$200 for a 70yo - and it covers much more than just injury.

        • virhlpool on 19/02/2016 - 18:57
          -8

          Isn't $200 for just two weeks is a bit too much?

        • onetwothreefour on 19/02/2016 - 19:45

          @virhlpool: I've just bought comprehensive travel insurance for a family of 5 for $168 for 9 days in Hawaii.

        • virhlpool on 19/02/2016 - 21:41

          @onetwothree:

          Well, it's pretty cheap, hey!

        • macrocephalic on 20/02/2016 - 15:07

          @virhlpool: It's probably high because I specified the age as 70.

  • bobbified on 17/02/2016 - 23:52
    +47

    It's a bit late to be blasting the OP (or his dad) now on the topic of travel insurance.
    While it might be well known here that travel insurance is pretty much a necessity for travelers, it may not be such a common thing for people living in certain other countries. Or they're simply not aware of the costs of accidents overseas. Or it could be that their attitudes are slightly different to people here - "it won't happen to me".

    Either way, spare the guy the lecture - I'm sure they're both already learning the hard way right now.

    • Edsanwong on 18/02/2016 - 14:29
      +7

      Yup. Thank you for understanding.
      You are right, I am not asking how to change the past.The topic is not about is travel insurance necessary or not too.

      • zealmax on 18/02/2016 - 23:51

        I have never considered travel insurance. It is just one of those things that many people overlook. I will definitely be getting travel insurance next time I am going overseas.

        • Elision on 19/02/2016 - 18:07
          +1

          Apart from your passport and tickets it's the absolute most important thing to have.

          God forbid you went somewhere like America, you could be up for 100s of 1000s of dollars had something bad happened to you. Someone paid $150,000 just for treatment for a snakebite.

          Another man was charged $65,000 when he had a motorbike accident in Thailand (not covered by insurance… read the inclusions!)

          So please make sure you do zealmax, peoples lives have been ruined because they didn't want to pay $200.

      • McFly on 19/02/2016 - 17:17
        +7

        I am not asking how to change the past.

        In that case I'm outta here!

      • Randxyz123 on 19/02/2016 - 18:41

        The topic is not about is travel insurance necessary or not too.

        Well it kinda is.. It's a warning to others to advise their friends and family to get travel insurance when they travel. No we can't change the past but we can educate others on OzBargain so they don't fall into the same trap.

        Medical care is expensive. Be thankful we don't have the same system as the US where the same treatment would be into the 10's of thousands already.

        I wish your dad a speedy recovery. I also would like to repeat my point about him not possibly being allowed to fly home when planned (if that was soon).

    • Multiverse on 19/02/2016 - 00:21
      +1

      Well said, Let's get father up and moving shortly, positive vibes.

  • p1 ama on 18/02/2016 - 00:05
    +9

    I'm going to probably get hated on, but now's no time to worry about the cost. Regardless of how much it might cost you, your dad has access to state of the art medical care in Australia and he'll get the care he needs to get back to health. You can't put a price on health. Sure $1,000 might seem a lot, heck the bill might go to $10,000 or whatever, but when you see your dad receiving proper medical care and recovering, those costs will seem small. You (or your dad) are wealthy enough to have him come and visit you here, so it means that you're probably very much middle-class upwards. It'll hurt for some time, but at least you'll rest assured knowing your dad is being treated by qualified and knowledgeable doctors in a top class medical system.

    • Randxyz123 on 18/02/2016 - 00:27

      I completely agree.

    • gringo on 18/02/2016 - 01:24
      +2

      Agreed, a knee injury is something that needs to be fixed properly - if you can't walk it could take years off your life.

    • Hoju on 18/02/2016 - 05:17
      +10

      Of course it needs to be fixed. But we have great health care options that aren't in a hospital too.

      The point is that the patient doesn't need round the clock 24 hour life saving care. He is paying for nurses to check his obs every few hours, administer his meds, IV lines and a bed, none of which are necessary in his situation.

      He has a fracture, this can be dealt with as an outpatient and far more affordably.

    • Edsanwong on 18/02/2016 - 14:27

      Absolutely agree.

    • virhlpool on 19/02/2016 - 19:11
      +1

      What do you call state of the art?

      1) The system where you first have to go to GPs even though you know you need an access to the specialist?
      2) The system where doc fees rip you off if you don't have an insurance? Doc once charged me $120 just for a fever prescription.
      3) The system where medicines are so expensive - even the generic brands?
      4) The system where for imaging or specialist visits, there's always a long queue.. How can a country with such a small population have so many queues and that too in medical facilities? Some minor operations under medicare can take over a year of wait period!! (I have personally gone through it for a small operation in my arm.)
      5) The system where even in emergency rooms, there's a queue of several hours..
      6) The system where a single use of ambulance costs $900!!!!!! It's insane.

      World-class in what sense except good technology? At least the GPs that I visit normally here in Sydney don't look to be the world-class at all, I can't comment on specialists though. Are Australian medical colleges among the best in the world? I am honestly not sure about it.

      • onetwothreefour on 19/02/2016 - 19:49
        +1

        The system where you first have to go to GPs even though you know you need an access to the specialist?

        I have annual appointments with the same specialist but I am still required to get a new referral from my GP every time. It's a joke, but the treatment I'm given is pretty good but still very expensive.

        • virhlpool on 19/02/2016 - 20:52

          Another joke - GP gives you blood work prescription during one visit and calls you again to give the result which can be emailed to you and govt's funds (if on medicare) and your time can be saved - this can be done at least for basic/ routine tests like sugar or cholesterol!

        • [Deactivated] on 20/02/2016 - 00:36

          @virhlpool:

          In Sydney, the 2 big pathology labs are Douglass Hanly Moir and Laverty - the order forms for both labs have a section for "copy results to" - you just need to fill in your address. Magic you'll get the results in the post.

          I'm sure it's the same for labs in other states/cities.

          Receptionists at most practices wont give out results without seeing a doctor, but if you create enough noise and speak to the practice manager, they'll give them to you (after all, they are your medical records). It's not really worth the effort though, especially in a bulk billing practice, it's just quicker to see the doctor and get the results.

        • virhlpool on 20/02/2016 - 00:44

          @sp00ker:

          <it's just quicker to see the doctor and get the results.>

          And let doc earn money for nothing.. huh? That's so inefficient practice.

        • [Deactivated] on 20/02/2016 - 01:09

          @virhlpool:

          Go ahead - fight it out with the practice manager, see who the winner is!

        • virhlpool on 20/02/2016 - 02:22
          +2

          @sp00ker: I know we can't win. But it doesn't mean things are right.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 11:53
          +1

          @virhlpool: sometimes there could be stuff going on which needs face to face appointment and also to protect the privacy of the patients.most good Doctors think first about patients and then about money.

        • virhlpool on 20/02/2016 - 12:45
          -4

          @max19832002: Because they are so much overpaid for "some" stuff that they do (*not all), they don't have to think about money anyway.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 12:52
          +1

          @virhlpool: they are fairly paid mate,compare it to any specialist overseas theyvget paid similar now a days with badically no liability,atleast we can take the bad ones to court lot of countries you dont even have that option but to just sit back and cry.I feel our system is very very good and i appreciate what our health professionals do for us.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 14:02
          +1

          @virhlpool: what if something was actually wrong?how good are you to manage the sp called basic stuff?if it is basic why do you go to a gp do it at home.

        • BestofOZB on 20/02/2016 - 16:49
          +2

          @sp00ker: copy to is only meant to copy other doctors in, not for people to get it in the mail. Some results maybe boarderline and some may require breaking bad news like HIV or cancer, it is not proper medicine to send results to patients directly.

        • [Deactivated] on 20/02/2016 - 19:47

          @BestofOZB:

          Maybe, but it seems to work for me and neither the doctor or the lab has objected to it.

      • p1 ama on 20/02/2016 - 01:41
        +3

        I'm not sure if you're serious, but why don't you relocate to somewhere in SE Asia, where the medical system is corrupt, or the USA where you have Tea Party nutcases arguing for a health care system in which you pay for everything and there is no safety net for those who can't afford care?

        Whilst you do raise good points, half of them aren't really valid. For example, in regards to 2), I regularly go and get scripts from my GP (who bulk bills) and I am never charged $120, so I feel like you are purposefully taking a more expensive route and complaining about it.

        One of the best things about healthcare in Australia is that you have choices. You can choose to go private or public, you can choose to pay more to have elective surgery quicker, or you can choose to wait and not pay. It's all very fair and you should be glad that you're even receiving care for free at all.

        You complain about imaging visits or surgery under medicare, but you seem to conveniently forget the fact that the amount you're paying is $0.00. Do you have no idea how much your surgery would have cost? When was the last time you managed to get so much value for your money?

        TL;DR, I believe you raise valid points. However, no system is perfect. The system we have in Australia is very well regarded by any measure. A lot of your attacks are unwarranted (e.g. on Australian medical schools, which are usually very well regarded - we have a few in the top 100).

        • virhlpool on 20/02/2016 - 02:29

          Don't you agree that prices of Aus medicare (if you had to pay from pocket), are absurdly high anyway. We have one of the highest cost for imaging or surgeries or even hospital beds in the world. Why can't we reduce it instead of wasting money to pay docs for silly prescription, reference or result collection visits?

          $900 for an ambulance when the country brags of the free medicare to every citizen? Come on.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 11:56
          -2

          @virhlpool: its the same for any field,educatiin at tafe for a local student is about 2k,for a overseas student its about 20k.Uni is the same.Thats why they encourage people to have teavel insurance and health insurance.There are almost one million people on disability pension what should the govt do about them?

        • Bargainz on 20/02/2016 - 12:10

          @virhlpool: Spot on, tax payer is paying for people to keep going to doctors to get scripts for lifelong ailments and for students/workers just to get medical certificates to get out of work or assignments. Massive waste of money and then when you have something really wrong and need a specialist you pay 250-300 just for a "consultation" with next to nothing back from medicare.

        • virhlpool on 20/02/2016 - 12:33
          -4

          @max19832002: Firstly, it's not about locals or intl visitors. Those medical facilities which aren't covered in Medicare are too expensive for even locals, for example ambulance or any particular imaging which isn't covered in Medicare. Secondly, even for those things which are free under Medicare, govt pays huge amounts to docs as it's free to the people but it doesn't mean it's charity - docs get paid heavily for each Medicare visit or procedure that they perform which appears free to the most people. Whose money is it? Tax money.

          I am in absolute favor of Medicare. All I am saying is, it should be heavily checked/controlled and money should be spent wisely. The system wasn't created so that some people can take undue advantage of it and make millions while others exploit it assuming that it's a charity.

        • virhlpool on 20/02/2016 - 12:36
          +1

          @Bargainz:

          Exactly.. govt should spend more money where it's really required (like reduce ambulance cost or specialist fees which are insanely high even with Medicare) and save from all these loopholes that are listed above.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 12:49
          +1

          @virhlpool: people do take advantage and its not just the doctors,bulk billed ptients attend our clinic 20+ times a year and even more times in hospitals for idiotic reasons.what is a dr supposed to do they should be paid for there time.Have you ever been in touch with a laywer?they charge even for taking to you over the phone why should a doctor be any different it takes almost 10 years for a doctor to be able to work ina metro after so much hard work.

          when abbot encouraged 5$ co payment he was bashed left right and centre,it was one of the best things to minimise the rort and guess who rejected it the most people who want free everything.

        • virhlpool on 20/02/2016 - 12:51

          @max19832002:

          Agree totally. I am not saying that just the docs exploit the system. As I mentioned above,

          The system wasn't created so that some people can take undue advantage of it and make millions while others exploit it assuming that it's a charity.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 12:53

          @virhlpool: it is similar if not less to any developed country right now if you dont have any insurance.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 12:59

          @virhlpool: tell this to the millions on pension sitting at home and subsidised for wverything,some of them want to have surgery just so that they can stay on then pension.
          what the hell can a dr do,they try there best.

      • Randxyz123 on 20/02/2016 - 12:06

        6) The system where a single use of ambulance costs $900!!!!!! It's insane.

        Or if you aren't a complete cheapskate ambulance membership is like $47 a year so whether like this guy you have a fall and need a ambulance to take you to hospital (non emergency but you can't get there yourself) or have a more serious accident and need a helicopter to rush you to hospital you will be covered.

        Sorry but you'd have to be a complete moron not to have it.

        Also private health insurance isn't that expensive

        • virhlpool on 20/02/2016 - 12:40
          +1

          For a family of 4, I am paying private health insurance premium of $300 a month and it's not the top-end one. This is beyond heavy taxes that I pay to help the govt run Medicare. Despite paying this premium, it doesn't fully cover the cost of anything. There's a co-payment for almost everything and it's not small. From which angle do you think private health insurance isn't expensive in this country? Assume I live in Sydney with a household income of $60k-$65k and check your statement again.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 12:56

          @virhlpool: mate the reason for this is people who fake disabilities 1 miliion in iur country are on disability pension i deal with a lot of them daily and if you ask them if they work you can get abused real bad,i was once asked by a philipino lady who was a nurse on pension for a minor thing if i was a govt agent?why did i care if she wasnt working and was on pension.
          That lady comes to our clinic atleast once every fortnight to see a gp who pays for all that.take a guess

      • Bargainz on 20/02/2016 - 12:06

        EXACTLY! and the "system" where you have to pay ridiculously high specialist "consultation charges" for sometimes just 5 minutes and then if tests are required another "consultation charge" just to get the test results. The system is a broken pile of #%^& mess.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 13:01

          again not all drs are the same,but they deserve any money given to them due to the fact they have worked hard for 15+ years.Most of them are very genuine and good.

        • Bargainz on 20/02/2016 - 16:38
          -1

          @max19832002: So what, people work hard for decades and don't get paid 200+ for 5 MINUTES from someone who has no choice but to go and see them.

        • max19832002 on 20/02/2016 - 18:18
          -1

          @Bargainz: they save lives,if i am about to die what good is money if i wont survive?if a doctor can help my recovery and get me back to life he deserves all the accolades and rewards .he is not a mechanic he is dealing with human beings and helping them.

        • t_c on 21/02/2016 - 07:04
          +1

          @max19832002:

          In some states the health care system exceeds the states entire budget, with a ageing population how is this sustainable?

  • saty1296 on 18/02/2016 - 07:56
    +10

    I am probably going to be hated and negged for my comment here.

    My parents are around 60 years of age and when they applied for Visitor Visa Subclass 600 to come to Australia, they were advised as part of their visa grant notice that they must have Travel insurance including medical insurance at all times during their stay in Australia. Having travel insurance is a mandatory condition of visitor visa, how come you do not have coverage for him specially at that old age when recovery takes a lot of time. I kept my parents covered.

    As you are now aware that medical treatment is very expensive in this country, follow some good advices above and see what suits you the best in your given circumstances.

    I believe if you can afford to travel, you can also afford to buy travel insurance, if not the top most cover, at least basic cover. I personally would not travel or let my family members travel without proper coverage with a travel insurance.

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