Private health insurance...

[Bluefreak]

OK I keep hearing the government pumping private health, they are taxing high income earners a surcharge on medicare if they don't have it, many people talk about the benefits but so far no-one has convinced me to take it out... If I may relay 3 true events concerning my family/friends and private health, read them and then try to convince me why I should spend the money...

1. Father in-law: Required a hip replacement, has had private health insurance(PHI) all his adult life and had never claimed anything significant. His specialist asks if he has PHI, he says yes... Specialist hands him a phone and says cancel it or pay the $10-$15k in gap... father in-law questions the waiting list(being harped on at the time as being in excess of 12 months for elective surgery). Surgeon assures him he wont wait much longer than via his PHI... 3 weeks later he has the surgery in the public system, NO gap fee...

2. Sister in-law: PHI'd up to her eye balls, maximum cover for anything & everything you can imagine... Pregnant with 2nd child, booked into her nice luxury private hospital and all is going well... Seeing the same obstetrician(sp) as my partner, we are bulk billed and she is paying a small gap...??? She goes into labour 2 weeks early, no beds available at the chosen hospital... No beds available at other local private hospitals... Ends up sharing a room with 3 other women at a public hospital and not so much as a sorry from her PHI...

3. Mate at work: Requires arthroscopic surgery on his knee... Again a specialist recommends ditching PHI and going public. 6 weeks after the first specialist consultation, he has had his surgery and is on the mend, without the gap fee...

Just as a side note, an interesting thing happened to us when we had our first child... I elected to pay to go as a public patient to a private hospital for the birth... We purchased a birthing package for $2300... This package covered everything including surgeon/anethisest( I know that one's spelled wrong) should emergency surgery be required. It gave us 5 days in a private recovery room and nice meals served with alcohol. Something else it provided was a guaranteed bed, which I questioned and was informed of the following... For a period of 3 weeks prior/post the due date, a bed will be guaranteed available... In writing and confirmed by several staff. They were not shy about stating that public patients paying to go private were their preferred custom... Quite simply, they make more money from it and as such will guarantee a bed which they will not do for a PHI patient.

[XRchic]

Those are fair points, and Im sure that sort of stuff happens to a lot of people with private cover and its not fair.

However, my Dad has private cover. He did some damage to one of the discs in his back and he couldnt walk, bend over, get dressed or drive. He went to see a private specialist and was operated on within a couple of days at a nice private hospital. He was told that it is just as well he had private cover because the waiting list for that kind of surgery was over 10 months and he would have had to have had 10 months off work, as he was basically crippled...

I have full cover for everything for my family. My oldest two kids are gifted and need a lot of consultations with a psychologist. Private psychologists are very expensive but my cover pays for almost all of it, and without the cover, I would have had the kids on a waiting list to see a government psychologist. Our psychologist was great, she negotiated with the kids' school to ensure they had an appropriate curriculum, wrote reports and recommendations and all on a much larger scale than you get from a public psychologist.

I had my first two children in a public hospital and my last one (a month ago) in a private hospital. The public hospital was jammed full, no private rooms and we were all sharing a bay with 3 others. Rubbish food, random doctors, random nurses and average treatment, not to mention being in a bay with a very loud and obnoxious young Mum who was still smoking during her pregnancy and who came back from outside reeking of smoke and who had loud and obnoxious relatives which caused trouble in the ward... there were a few others similar.

Having my son recently in the private hospital, I had my own private room with a double bed, fridge, tv, phone, ensuite. My partner got to stay for free as well. I had my own doctor who I had chosen from the start and who was actually present at the birth. I had my own midwife who stayed with us through the entire thing, plus anaesthetist and other specialists on standby. We also had our own paediatrician who checked the baby within minutes of him being born and who we will see on follow up. The food was much better, the treatment was much better, we didnt have to pay for the tv or phone (like in the public hospital) and we didnt have to put up with other people and their relatives (although its ok if you have a private room in a public hospital).

There are other small issues as well. Like when my son got his teeth kicked out playing footy and our private cover paid for the dental work and will pay for a MASSIVE amount of orthodontic work if he needs it. One of my children is mildly dyslexic and has a handwriting problem, so our private cover pays for educational specialists and occupational therapists in full. It also paid for my son's glasses. I also get full ambulance cover with my cover and Im sure that applies to most. I also get 20% off anything at National Pharmacy chemists, so that includes makeup, nappies, wipes, medicines, my daughter's asthma puffers, even panadol, pregnancy tests, hair colour, perfume and anything else they sell! I also get 30% off gym membership.

I also dont pay gaps or excesses for hospital admissions.

I dont think I would like to be without it.

Hope this helps

Jac

PS I should also add that I worked as a nurse in both public and private systems for some years before I left nursing altogether, and I saw enough of the big public hospital system to never want to be admitted to one of them and it was partly what changed my mind... the comparisons were amazing, from a nurse's perspective.

[Bluefreak]

Originally Posted by XRchic

Those are fair points, and Im sure that sort of stuff happens to a lot of people with private cover and its not fair.

However, my Dad has private cover. He did some damage to one of the discs in his back and he couldnt walk, bend over, get dressed or drive. He went to see a private specialist and was operated on within a couple of days at a nice private hospital. He was told that it is just as well he had private cover because the waiting list for that kind of surgery was over 10 months and he would have had to have had 10 months off work, as he was basically crippled...

I have full cover for everything for my family. My oldest two kids are gifted and need a lot of consultations with a psychologist. Private psychologists are very expensive but my cover pays for almost all of it, and without the cover, I would have had the kids on a waiting list to see a government psychologist. Our psychologist was great, she negotiated with the kids' school to ensure they had an appropriate curriculum, wrote reports and recommendations and all on a much larger scale than you get from a public psychologist.

I had my first two children in a public hospital and my last one (a month ago) in a private hospital. The public hospital was jammed full, no private rooms and we were all sharing a bay with 3 others. Rubbish food, random doctors, random nurses and average treatment, not to mention being in a bay with a very loud and obnoxious young Mum who was still smoking during her pregnancy and who came back from outside reeking of smoke and who had loud and obnoxious relatives which caused trouble in the ward... there were a few others similar.

Having my son recently in the private hospital, I had my own private room with a double bed, fridge, tv, phone, ensuite. My partner got to stay for free as well. I had my own doctor who I had chosen from the start and who was actually present at the birth. I had my own midwife who stayed with us through the entire thing, plus anaesthetist and other specialists on standby. We also had our own paediatrician who checked the baby within minutes of him being born and who we will see on follow up. The food was much better, the treatment was much better, we didnt have to pay for the tv or phone (like in the public hospital) and we didnt have to put up with other people and their relatives (although its ok if you have a private room in a public hospital).

There are other small issues as well. Like when my son got his teeth kicked out playing footy and our private cover paid for the dental work and will pay for a MASSIVE amount of orthodontic work if he needs it. One of my children is mildly dyslexic and has a handwriting problem, so our private cover pays for educational specialists and occupational therapists in full. It also paid for my son's glasses. I also get full ambulance cover with my cover and Im sure that applies to most. I also get 20% off anything at National Pharmacy chemists, so that includes makeup, nappies, wipes, medicines, my daughter's asthma puffers, even panadol, pregnancy tests, hair colour, perfume and anything else they sell! I also get 30% off gym membership.

I also dont pay gaps or excesses for hospital admissions.

I dont think I would like to be without it.

Hope this helps

Jac

PS I should also add that I worked as a nurse in both public and private systems for some years before I left nursing altogether, and I saw enough of the big public hospital system to never want to be admitted to one of them and it was partly what changed my mind... the comparisons were amazing, from a nurse's perspective.

Also all fair points... As we have no pre-existing issues with optical or dental and no history of back probs or the like, I just can't justify it... We had our twins in a public hospital and FWIW, were treated equally as well as in the private hospital with the first child... Differences being the quality of food and only a single bed... We had tv for free, a fridge and an ensuite in a private room... Perhaps just lucky there...???

[XRchic]

We had no pre-existing issues with optical or dental or othodontic until they appeared, sometimes as a result of accidents. Accidents happen with kids. And problems also develop over time.

My Dad had no pre-existing issue with his back either, until he did it.

I think you may have been pretty luck with your public hospital experience. From staying in them, and working in them, I cant say I have experienced anything particularly good, and often its pretty bad. It may vary from one to another, or from one state to another, I just havent had a good experience - being admitted in one many times (different ones), working in them and training in them.

If you can strike it lucky with public hospitals, with a lack of accidents and arising issues in your family, then there isnt much argument for private cover though. It is a lot of money to factor into the budget!

[ronwest]

Originally Posted by Bluefreak

OK I keep hearing the government pumping private health, they are taxing high income earners a surcharge on medicare if they don't have it, many people talk about the benefits but so far no-one has convinced me to take it out...

Can only speak from our recent experience.
My wife and I (and kids when they were covered by our PH supplier) have always been healthy. The odd skirmish with the doctor along the way but nothing serious in close enough to 30 years of marriage and child raising.

Some years ago we opted out of the "extras" as we just didn't use them but kept hospital cover "just in case"....

Early (2am) the Monday before ANZAC Day my wife woke me c/o severe abdominal pain. All we had in the joint was Neurofen so she battled along until I could get her to our local doctor (ain't no way she was going to hosp emergency). Heavy duty pk's from the doc, blood test (negative) and scans/ultrasound booked for Thurs morn.
To cut an even longer story a bit shorter, ultrasound showed gall stones. Our doc got our preferred specialist back from hols, my wife saw him Thurs arvo and had gall bladder removed that Fri morning.

Our private hospital insurance covered all of the hosp costs other than around $100 misc costs and about $700 gap for the anesthetist.

The total would have been something over ten thousand dollars for an overnight stay in a private hosp + op + scans etc.

In this case, private hosp cover is well worth it.

[lisa76]

I can agree with you there ronwest. Gall stones are excruciating. I had mine out via the public system and even though I was fortunate in that I got a date within 8 weeks (was quoted 6-12mths - only got in early because I agreed to standby list) if I had PHI at the time I would've been done so much sooner and been spared some horrific pain.

We have just bitten the bullet and joined PHI as we are both 30 this year - not only that but we both wear glasses and the kids are eventually going to need to go to the dentist. Plus, as xrchic said - kids are inevitably going to have accidents.

Our daughters had trouble with febrile convulsions aswell - their brains can't handle high temps basically anda high fever will trigger a fit in them. Thankfully my eldest has outgrown them, but it meant she had 4 ambulance trips at approx $300 each. My three year old has recently had her 5th fit and won't outgrow them for another couple of years yet.

For us, it's definitely worth the expense.

[EFIwindsor]

I work in a private hospital (RN) and i am a firm believer in you get what you paid for. About the only thing i would go to a public hospital for would be A very major accident/trauma.
Everything else i would go private. I have private health insurance which cost me $100 a month for top cover with extras etc. get back mabe $200 a year in benifits but i would not trade it for the world.

[EFIwindsor]

There will always be good and bad stories from ppl who have gone private as opposed to public and visversa. But overall I believe you be a better standard of care (in public hospitals you are not given certain drugs as they cost too much) and the quality of some implants (eg cardiac stents) are not of the same quality in the public hospitals as to what is use in the private sector. I all come down to $$$$ in the end. Like i said in my previous post "you get what you pay for"

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by lisa76

I can agree with you there ronwest. Gall stones are excruciating. I had mine out via the public system and even though I was fortunate in that I got a date within 8 weeks (was quoted 6-12mths - only got in early because I agreed to standby list) if I had PHI at the time I would've been done so much sooner and been spared some horrific pain.

We have just bitten the bullet and joined PHI as we are both 30 this year - not only that but we both wear glasses and the kids are eventually going to need to go to the dentist. Plus, as xrchic said - kids are inevitably going to have accidents.

Our daughters had trouble with febrile convulsions aswell - their brains can't handle high temps basically anda high fever will trigger a fit in them. Thankfully my eldest has outgrown them, but it meant she had 4 ambulance trips at approx $300 each. My three year old has recently had her 5th fit and won't outgrow them for another couple of years yet.

For us, it's definitely worth the expense.

Lisa, I pretty much had the same thing with the gallstones! About a month after I had my son, I started getting these horrible pains after eating certain things and it went on for months. I ended up calling the doc out to my house one night because the pain was so bad and I was admitted the next day! My gall bladder was full of 5 large stones and had burst open, and one stone had moved and had gotten stuck in my liver, and caused trouble... Im glad I didnt have to wait for that one! At the time I was a full time law student (was end of year exam time) and working full time and there was no way I could have afforded to wait too long!

[ronwest]

I have a lady comes through work every couple of weeks who has gall stones amongst other things.

She is on the public waiting list (Qld) for gall bladder removal and has been told "at least 12 months wait" for the last 3 years...

She's still 12 months away as she will be in 12 months time.

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by ronwest

I have a lady comes through work every couple of weeks who has gall stones amongst other things.

She is on the public waiting list (Qld) for gall bladder removal and has been told "at least 12 months wait" for the last 3 years...

She's still 12 months away as she will be in 12 months time.

Poor thing :(

Lets hope she doesnt get worse, which often happens.

[ronwest]

Originally Posted by XRchic

Poor thing :(

Lets hope she doesnt get worse, which often happens.

well, at least she'll get in.... albeit in a hurry.

[Deadman]

In my case, I can't imagine ever being without top cover private health insurance.. But that's just my situation I guess..

My Dad has had heart problems since 18 so his health has always benefited from private cover, I had braces (if that's how it's spelt) for 4 years among other dental work and 3 operations (knee, foot and mouth) before I was 18 (damn sport ;) )... And now with my wife, we're looking down at the track... She has bad eyesight (and private cover is a great benefit there), we've both had braces and shocking teeth - so our kids will be screwed and cover will be great there to... And so on...

Plus we take good advantage of all the extras and benefits (massage, chiro, acupuncture and other treatments available etc etc) so I guess that's become part of our lifestyle as well...

Anyhow, I guess it depends on you're own circumstances. In mine, I couldn't imagine not having it (plus now we have a corporate deal with work which helps ease the cost as well) - but I can imagine there are those who have never seen a need for it... In my case I just see it as a necessity when working out budget's etc - it's one of the first things money is put aside for - always.

[bob^]

WIth regards to point one, my mother has had 2 hip replacements and both times has been out of pocket $1000 at the most. From the time she saw the specialist, to the operation, was a month, month and a half at the most. Private health insurance has payed itself off for us.

[AC/DC]

I will always have private health insurance

AC/DC

[CAMS290]

I broke my left ankle, spiral break of the Fibula, and major dislocation.
I have private health insurance, and i had the best orthopedic surgeon in Melbourne,and a private room in one of Melbournes best private hospitals.

Had to go back into hospital to have some steel pins taken out 3 months later to give me full movement in my ankle.
If i was in the public system, the second operation would be put on a waiting list as it is classed as non urgent surgery, might of taken years to get the pins out !

The downside is/was everytime i went back into hospital (including 1st admission) it cost me $200.00 excess, and some out of pocket expenses for the anaethesistest <sp>, but i still think my private health cover is money well spent, considering i would be still waiting 3 years later for the pins to come out if i was in the public system.

[Bluefreak]

Just did some online quotes for "top" family cover... WTF,$3k and I still gotta pay a gap...??? That's $18k over the last 6 years(assuming I'd had it) for peace of mind... It has copst way less than that to insure my house, contents, bike & 2 cars over the same period... The $$$ just don't add up against the likes of car insurance.

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by Bluefreak

OK I keep hearing the government pumping private health, they are taxing high income earners a surcharge on medicare if they don't have it, many people talk about the benefits but so far no-one has convinced me to take it out... If I may relay 3 true events concerning my family/friends and private health, read them and then try to convince me why I should spend the money...

1. Father in-law: Required a hip replacement, has had private health insurance(PHI) all his adult life and had never claimed anything significant. His specialist asks if he has PHI, he says yes... Specialist hands him a phone and says cancel it or pay the $10-$15k in gap... father in-law questions the waiting list(being harped on at the time as being in excess of 12 months for elective surgery). Surgeon assures him he wont wait much longer than via his PHI... 3 weeks later he has the surgery in the public system, NO gap fee...

2. Sister in-law: PHI'd up to her eye balls, maximum cover for anything & everything you can imagine... Pregnant with 2nd child, booked into her nice luxury private hospital and all is going well... Seeing the same obstetrician(sp) as my partner, we are bulk billed and she is paying a small gap...??? She goes into labour 2 weeks early, no beds available at the chosen hospital... No beds available at other local private hospitals... Ends up sharing a room with 3 other women at a public hospital and not so much as a sorry from her PHI...

3. Mate at work: Requires arthroscopic surgery on his knee... Again a specialist recommends ditching PHI and going public. 6 weeks after the first specialist consultation, he has had his surgery and is on the mend, without the gap fee...

Just as a side note, an interesting thing happened to us when we had our first child... I elected to pay to go as a public patient to a private hospital for the birth... We purchased a birthing package for $2300... This package covered everything including surgeon/anethisest( I know that one's spelled wrong) should emergency surgery be required. It gave us 5 days in a private recovery room and nice meals served with alcohol. Something else it provided was a guaranteed bed, which I questioned and was informed of the following... For a period of 3 weeks prior/post the due date, a bed will be guaranteed available... In writing and confirmed by several staff. They were not shy about stating that public patients paying to go private were their preferred custom... Quite simply, they make more money from it and as such will guarantee a bed which they will not do for a PHI patient.

very good points and one thats rather hard to argue with. i get angry and feel ripped off having health insurance.
but i'll give you a little bit of the other side.
we had a private obstitrician and payed to stay in a public hospital for the birth as being a private patiant we werent allowe in the public hospital under medicare . so wife goes in 8cm's dialated at 3 am on friday night. midwifes look after her and plan to do the birth. at 5 am baby gets stuck and goes into distress. midwives panic and vacate the room as from this point on it is beyond thier expertese and they are liable for everything . call our private obstetrician now i shouted . they ring he is 1/2 hour away and hits the roof at why they didn't ring him earlier .
public hospital obstitrican ( the only one in the hospital ) comes in and reads file and has shear panic look on face sits in corner stressed i asked what is she going to do . she says i am not sure whilst reading clearly very stressed. after 25 minutes of nothing being done our private obstitrition walks in . ( thank god your here says the public one and quickly vacates . midwives re enter room . private obstitrition organises a forceps delivery . baby born well with a neo native icu doctor standing next to obstitrician in case the baby needs rescuscitation. baby well
MY QUESTION . what wouldve happened if we didnt have a private specialist.

2nd baby breach birth . same private ostitrition, same public hospital .
baby 1 week over due . wife gets up one morning scared that there is next to no movement from baby. race to hospital in car . obstitrition ( public ) examines her , your babies fine she says go back home and come back when contractions start. we look at each other and feel somethings wrong . me says , not good enough ring our private obstitrition. public one rolls eyes back and rings him . tells situation . private doctor says . start inducing the baby ill be ther in 1/2 an hour. 2 hour later baby born well. placenta is dead and grey . doctor says the placenta is shot . the baby wouldnt of survived one more day. !!!!!!!!
my work mates wife gets pregnant they decide to go through public system . go to st george hospital i think it was with contractions . baby gets stuck for some reason no obstitician was at hospital that night . still born delivered by midwives.
2nd baby private ostitrician present . no problems.

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

very good points and one thats rather hard to argue with. i get angry and feel ripped off having health insurance.
but i'll give you a little bit of the other side.
we had a private obstitrician and payed to stay in a public hospital for the birth as being a private patiant we werent allowe in the public hospital under medicare . so wife goes in 8cm's dialated at 3 am on friday night. midwifes look after her and plan to do the birth. at 5 am baby gets stuck and goes into distress. midwives panic and vacate the room as from this point on it is beyond thier expertese and they are liable for everything . call our private obstetrician now i shouted . they ring he is 1/2 hour away and hits the roof at why they didn't ring him earlier .
public hospital obstitrican ( the only one in the hospital ) comes in and reads file and has shear panic look on face sits in corner stressed i asked what is she going to do . she says i am not sure whilst reading clearly very stressed. after 25 minutes of nothing being done our private obstitrition walks in . ( thank god your here says the public one and quickly vacates . midwives re enter room . private obstitrition organises a forceps delivery . baby born well with a neo native icu doctor standing next to obstitrician in case the baby needs rescuscitation. baby well
MY QUESTION . what wouldve happened if we didnt have a private specialist.

2nd baby breach birth . same private ostitrition, same public hospital .
baby 1 week over due . wife gets up one morning scared that there is next to no movement from baby. race to hospital in car . obstitrition ( public ) examines her , your babies fine she says go back home and come back when contractions start. we look at each other and feel somethings wrong . me says , not good enough ring our private obstitrition. public one rolls eyes back and rings him . tells situation . private doctor says . start inducing the baby ill be ther in 1/2 an hour. 2 hour later baby born well. placenta is dead and grey . doctor says the placenta is shot . the baby wouldnt of survived one more day. !!!!!!!!
my work mates wife gets pregnant they decide to go through public system . go to st george hospital i think it was with contractions . baby gets stuck for some reason no obstitician was at hospital that night . still born delivered by midwives.
2nd baby private ostitrician present . no problems.

That, my friend, is a nightmare. Glad things worked out for you and your wife, although not so good for your work mate.

You get what you pay for I guess, as has been said. But at the end of the day it depends on each family's situation, with their health and their finances so each to their own - you can choose to take the risk, or not.

[Bluefreak]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

very good points and one thats rather hard to argue with. i get angry and feel ripped off having health insurance.
but i'll give you a little bit of the other side.
we had a private obstitrician and payed to stay in a public hospital for the birth as being a private patiant we werent allowe in the public hospital under medicare . so wife goes in 8cm's dialated at 3 am on friday night. midwifes look after her and plan to do the birth. at 5 am baby gets stuck and goes into distress. midwives panic and vacate the room as from this point on it is beyond thier expertese and they are liable for everything . call our private obstetrician now i shouted . they ring he is 1/2 hour away and hits the roof at why they didn't ring him earlier .
public hospital obstitrican ( the only one in the hospital ) comes in and reads file and has shear panic look on face sits in corner stressed i asked what is she going to do . she says i am not sure whilst reading clearly very stressed. after 25 minutes of nothing being done our private obstitrition walks in . ( thank god your here says the public one and quickly vacates . midwives re enter room . private obstitrition organises a forceps delivery . baby born well with a neo native icu doctor standing next to obstitrician in case the baby needs rescuscitation. baby well
MY QUESTION . what wouldve happened if we didnt have a private specialist.

2nd baby breach birth . same private ostitrition, same public hospital .
baby 1 week over due . wife gets up one morning scared that there is next to no movement from baby. race to hospital in car . obstitrition ( public ) examines her , your babies fine she says go back home and come back when contractions start. we look at each other and feel somethings wrong . me says , not good enough ring our private obstitrition. public one rolls eyes back and rings him . tells situation . private doctor says . start inducing the baby ill be ther in 1/2 an hour. 2 hour later baby born well. placenta is dead and grey . doctor says the placenta is shot . the baby wouldnt of survived one more day. !!!!!!!!
my work mates wife gets pregnant they decide to go through public system . go to st george hospital i think it was with contractions . baby gets stuck for some reason no obstitician was at hospital that night . still born delivered by midwives.
2nd baby private ostitrician present . no problems.

That's some really crappy treatment... Glad it worked out for you guy's in the end although I'm sure it wasn't exactly something you needed to be thinking about while having a kid...

In the first couple of instances, I wouldn't have stopped ing until someone was sacked, there's no excuse for that level of incompetence.

As for your workmate, that's really sad and not something you'd wish upon anyone... We did some research before we decided to go public with our second pregnancy. We found 2 hospitals reasonably local to us which had specialty maternity units. One had several surgeons and obstetricions on call each and every night(Dandenong public), this was the option we took. Our second pregnancy was twins, double breach when the missus went into labour. We were sat down and clearly explained the relevant risks associated with continuing a "natural" birth and those associated with an emergency caesar... We opted for the caesar, much to the delight of staff and everything ran like clockwork.

I don't know if location makes a huge difference but in Melbournes east, I can't remember the last time I heard anyone with a legitimate about the public system...

[gtfpv]

1st of all i dont think anyone in my stories were incompetant . it was just the circumstances . but private insurance can produce a little bit more gaurantee of the 1st base treatment happening so that reduces extreme extreme emergancy.
the public system is equally as good and public hospitals are the way to go with equipment . but sometimes the public system is too far stretched on certain days . ( and that is the gamble)
incidently our obstetrician gave it away because insurance premiums screwed him. he wrote books on pregnancy and child birth and was the head representitive of obstetrics at the time his advice to all his colleagues in the end was to get out of the job.

[MO]

Originally Posted by CAMS290

I broke my left ankle, spiral break of the Fibula, and major dislocation.
I have private health insurance, and i had the best orthopedic surgeon in Melbourne,and a private room in one of Melbournes best private hospitals.

Had to go back into hospital to have some steel pins taken out 3 months later to give me full movement in my ankle.
If i was in the public system, the second operation would be put on a waiting list as it is classed as non urgent surgery, might of taken years to get the pins out !

The downside is/was everytime i went back into hospital (including 1st admission) it cost me $200.00 excess, and some out of pocket expenses for the anaethesistest <sp>, but i still think my private health cover is money well spent, considering i would be still waiting 3 years later for the pins to come out if i was in the public system.

If that avatar is an example of what you look like no wonder......lose weight and quickly lest you die.

[KTASTRPHE]

I had some compacted teeth out not long ago. These werent my wisdoms - they are already gone. For the two teeth under general anaesthetic, in the hospital for about 6 hours the total bill was about $3000 - because I had PHI it only cost me about $400.
I used to pay for PHI myself, but now my company does it as part of my package (I will still pay for it myself if they didnt though).