[Sox]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

mate do you think i want to be in a health fund just to throw away money . no way .

As I see it, that's the only explanation there could be, as there is no other valid reason.

people can bag out health funds on the basis that they dont need one .

That's just it, no one NEEDS one.

why cant i bag out thier reasoning , with an argument that being in one is justified and benificial ,

It's neither justified nor beneficial for anyone in this country.

to all except cashed up people .

This makes no sense. The amount of money you have has little to do with it.
In fact it could be argued that the more cashed up you are, it makes a little more sense to have private cover because over a certain amount it's offset to some degree.

Not that I think anyone needs it with our current health care system, but there's an example.

i dont see why people can boast about why thier not in one , but cant boast about why they are .

I'm not boasting about anything, I'm providing the pitfalls of having it.

Just for more info to a couple of posts above, including yours.

People often claim they would be in queer street without private cover when they need a hip replacement, or pretty much any kind of surgery that requires almost immediate attention.
What the same people forget to mention is the amount of money saved over the years (10's of years in most cases) can be used for an elective procedure.

$200 per month for private cover (somewhat conservative I might add) equals $2400 per annum. That already more than pays for a small procedure.

Multiply that by 5 and we have $12000 in 5 years. That covers a reasonable sized OP.

Multiply it by 20 years and we have $48000, pretty much enough to cover even the very worst cases. Perhaps twice.

This is based on only 20 years, many people are in it for twice that time, and many of those people never use even a fraction of that.
Many people are also paying considerably more than $200 per month.

Now, as I mentioned in an earlier post, much of even public elective surgery is covered by Medicare. You also still get to choose the surgeon and hospital.

I know your next argument will be that the majority of people won't save that money for the occasion, and that may be true. However, if you can put money into a monthly fund, why can't it be put into a savings account, which may even earn interest.

Even if you haven't or can't save the money for yourself. The next option is to borrow the money as a personal loan. There's little difference in handing over $200+ per month for health cover than there is handing over $200 a month to a bank for a $10000 procedure.
Of course there is one difference. With health cover you're ALWAYS paying, with a loan you only pay when needed.

Lastly, as a bonus, if you're past a certain threshold of self saving, and you're feeling healthy, go and spend it on some toys........

Anyway, I'm not hear to change anyones mind, everyone can make their own choice, but it's in everyones interest to make an informed and researched decision, listening to all views.

FWIW, I have also had private cover many many years ago, so I'm not speaking from a one sided POV.

Good health to all.