Private Health Insurance

[MazDan]

ambulance cover sounds like an excellent idea.

how much and where do i sign?

as for the rest............yeah right like I can afford it..........cant afford to insure my car either.

Thankfully I have never had any probs.........touch wood.

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

^ wow, bit overboard angry there [meant for sunflower]. You have some good points but I'm not sure ridiculing and berating people is the best way to get them across.

I earn good money yes, but I don't abuse the public health system. Can you explain how the system is being abused? And I don't necessarily think 'being screwed over by big corporations is a reality' - looking at all your options and making choices (whether that be for or against insurance) is smart, just accepting it and forking over huge dollars because you're 'screwed anyway' is naiive.

In any case, I will be getting insurance so I guess your tirade doesn't apply to me, I just felt it was a bit unwarranted in the context of the civil discussion we've been having.




ps. also, in case everyone doesn't know... at age 31 it starts getting more expensive to get private cover the longer you leave it... goes up incrementally. Yikes! I just turned 31. Just another reason in favour

 

[ruski]

ambulance cover sounds like an excellent idea.

how much and where do i sign?

as for the rest............yeah right like I can afford it..........cant afford to insure my car either.

Thankfully I have never had any probs.........touch wood.

Maz, unsure where you hail from but for vic its http://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au -- I just signed up the other day.

 

[MazDan]

Maz, unsure where you hail from but for vic its http://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au -- I just signed up the other day.

Thanks ruski...........Im from Syderney so will look it up through googles.........I figure its important cos i started riding dirt bikes.

Thanks again.

 

[katmeow]

ps. also, in case everyone doesn't know... at age 31 it starts getting more expensive to get private cover the longer you leave it... goes up incrementally. Yikes! I just turned 31. Just another reason in favour

I was just about to bring that point up! Definitely one of the reasons to get in before that age.

I've got ambulance and basic extras cover (dental, optical, physio - including remedial massage, psych). Even though it's called basic, they cover quite a bit - I even get money back on some of my prescriptions (that aren't covered by PBS). It costs $950 for the year... bit annoyed that it has gone up again this year, having heard some horror stories from people who've been caught out without it, I wouldn't go without.

I've never really looked around at ani other providers, just stayed with my dad's after I started working full time, but I'm thinking that it might be worth checking around to see what else is offered. I read an article recently that suggested you may be able to save money by mixing matching with different service providers depending on your needs (ie, having ambulance cover with one, and extras with another).

 

[Raz]

So Raz, give us the speil, is Medibank Private any good? I'm pretty sure that's what mum had.

I don't really want to go into what medibank offers as opposed to other funds for two reasons:

• 1. because I work for them so I didn't want it to look like I started this whole thread as a promotional thing..
     and
  2. because I honestly don't know what other funds offer; we're not allowed to discuss it at work due to the trade practices act, so it's best if I don't have anything to compare us to..

My reasoning is similar to hoptis...really the only reason I'm looking at health insurance now is so I don't get hit with LHC Loading when I need it later.

LHC Loading = Lifetime Healthcare Loading. After your 30th birthday, for every year that you've never had hospital cover, it adds 2% per year to the cost of your premiums when you finally do get around to picking up health insurance.

So let's say you've never had health insurance and you're 40....that means that if you get it this year you will need to pay an extra 20% on top of the already exorbitant prices for it. And I know none of us think about it because we're all young and beautiful, but I'm thinking about it now because while I am young and beautiful now, I will also be 40 in eleven years and I figure all my years of ingesting alcohol and drugs and fatty foods have to catch up at some point...

 

[kytnism]

^^ thankgod i havent waited until 30 before claiming life insurance...

...my parents warned me from a young age how important the values of private health insurance were... it was until i was 22 before i took heed... beyond then, and having a child i granted the fact that i'd had myself, my daughter and my partner insured... you can never trust what the future holds, regardless of how resilient you may feel you are at the time...

...its in your best interest...

...kytnism...

 

[quiet roar]

LHC Loading = Lifetime Healthcare Loading. After your 30th birthday, for every year that you've never had hospital cover, it adds 2% per year to the cost of your premiums when you finally do get around to picking up health insurance.

But if you let it lapse at any time, you go back to the LHC regime, don't you?

 

[0ff1cer_ch0ps]

a good site to go to if you wanna check out a lot of covers and different prices from different places and stuff is

http://www.iselect.com.au

it should give you a few options once you put it your age/sex/whatever...

thank me later

in other news, i dont have health insurance... because im a bum

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

LHC Loading = Lifetime Healthcare Loading. After your 30th birthday, for every year that you've never had hospital cover, it adds 2% per year to the cost of your premiums when you finally do get around to picking up health insurance.

So let's say you've never had health insurance and you're 40....that means that if you get it this year you will need to pay an extra 20% on top of the already exorbitant prices for it. And I know none of us think about it because we're all young and beautiful, but I'm thinking about it now because while I am young and beautiful now, I will also be 40 in eleven years and I figure all my years of ingesting alcohol and drugs and fatty foods have to catch up at some point...

Raz... can you help me out with this. Dale turned 32 in January this year. His 2% has kicked in already, right?

If I got singles private health cover for myself now (I turned 31 in March), what's the benefit of adding Dale and upgrading to Family cover now, than say, in a year's time or two year's time (when, for example, I have a baby)? On a $1000 policy his LHL would add an extra $20 a year this year, next year..... an extra $40? In 3 year's time $80? Is that correct?

I'm thinking because of his financial situation, despite the LHL, it might be better to wait to upgrade to Family until we need it for incoming bubs.

I hope I explained that clearly. I obviously suck at maths.

 

[ruski]

^^ thankgod i havent waited until 30 before claiming life insurance...

I'm not sure if you meant to say health insurance here but regardless this is an excellent point.

If you sort yourself up with life (inc disability insurance) now (assuming you're young), its way way cheaper and stays that way for the rest of your life.

 

[fronky]

Get a clue.

I do read the papers - the health system is in 'crisis' and it seems to perpetually be in 'crisis'. However, even though I would like universal public health cover, I acknowledge that it is almost an impossibility. It would just cost far too much to have a properly funded public health system the way things are at the moment.

But I think that the whole concept of private health insurance is a bit of a rort because it is essentially the private sector providing the same services as the public sector, but skimming a profit off the top. The public service is not required to 'turn a profit' like the private sector.

Sure, you could say that by paying a bit extra you get better service or whatever, but basically all you are doing is creating a two-tier health system whereby the rich get the best health care. Fantastic.

If everybody in Australia got over the idea that 'paying tax is bad' and put that $50 a month into the public health system instead of giving it to private companies, then we wouldn't have any problems with the public health system.

 

[quiet roar]

^^^ yep.

 

[Raz]

But if you let it lapse at any time, you go back to the LHC regime, don't you?

Yeah exactly...you do get a grace period of 3 years but then after that 3 years the loading starts kicking in again..

Raz... can you help me out with this. Dale turned 32 in January this year. His 2% has kicked in already, right?

4% now, and yep...it's 2% for every year over 30..

If I got singles private health cover for myself now (I turned 31 in March), what's the benefit of adding Dale and upgrading to Family cover now, than say, in a year's time or two year's time (when, for example, I have a baby)? On a $1000 policy his LHL would add an extra $20 a year this year, next year..... an extra $40? In 3 year's time $80? Is that correct?

I'm thinking because of his financial situation, despite the LHL, it might be better to wait to upgrade to Family until we need it for incoming bubs.

I hope I explained that clearly. I obviously suck at maths.

I'm not sure I get what you were asking exactly so feel free to hit me over the head with something heavy if I'm wrong, but here goes...

The loading only increases while you don't have hospital cover. If Dale's looking at getting hospital cover down the track, he really should get some kind of hospital cover now, even if it's one that's useless....if he gets hospital cover now, he will only ever pay 4% loading while he maintains some level of hospital cover. If he waits, 2% will be added for each additional year he waits.

Other than that, you may actually be better off with single cover until you need the family cover...I know for example that with medibank, the excess for hospital visits doubles when you change from single to family cover...so there are definitely benefits to having two singles instead of one family sometimes.

Hope that helps..

 

[Raz]

^^^Something else that just occurred to me: I don't think this is really common knowledge judging by the amount of calls we get at work about it, but legally private health funds aren't allowed to provide benefits for outpatient medical services through hospital cover. This is particularly relevant to people looking to start a family, because while they may be covered for obstetrics in a private hospital, all that will really cover is the actual childbirth itself. No amount of hospital cover will give you anything towards consultations while you're pregnant, ultrasounds etc etc...

I just thought I'd mention it because I think a lot of people have the impression that if they pay enough for a cover they won't have any costs associated with their pregnancy. It's understandable because it's not like health funds go out of their way to tell you how they CAN'T help you, but a lot of women get a rude shock when they realise just how little hospital cover will do for them through the course of their pregnancy....

 

[toerag]

^^ would that depend on other medical conditions though? My sister has a certain medical condition, and has had to have that many consultations and ultrasounds with a specialist obstetrician throughout both her pregnancies, who is damn pricey let me tell you, and I am almost positive that her and her b/f's health fund covered a certain percentage of those consultations..

I'd have to check though, but I highly doubt the pair of them would have been able to afford that doctor, let alone chosen to get pregnant a second time and go back a second time to that doctor without some coverage from their health fund...

(when the doc told me at my nephews birth the round about figure of how much he earnt just from being at my nephew's birth, I literally fell over!)

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

^^^Something else that just occurred to me: I don't think this is really common knowledge judging by the amount of calls we get at work about it, but legally private health funds aren't allowed to provide benefits for outpatient medical services through hospital cover. This is particularly relevant to people looking to start a family, because while they may be covered for obstetrics in a private hospital, all that will really cover is the actual childbirth itself. No amount of hospital cover will give you anything towards consultations while you're pregnant, ultrasounds etc etc...

I just thought I'd mention it because I think a lot of people have the impression that if they pay enough for a cover they won't have any costs associated with their pregnancy. It's understandable because it's not like health funds go out of their way to tell you how they CAN'T help you, but a lot of women get a rude shock when they realise just how little hospital cover will do for them through the course of their pregnancy....

That suxors. I was under the impression that stuff was covered. And i guess baby consultations is not the sort of thing you can use your local bulk-billing GP for either .

Thanks for explainig the other thing too. So basically, if Dale took out a $1000 policy this year, he'd be paying $1040 - that same $1000 policy next year would cost him $1060 a year, the year after that, if he took it out it would be $1080. And the increased level would apply forever.

I still don't think that's enough to convince him to get insurance until he really absolutely has to (ie. when I have a baby and we need to go to family). Unfortunately

 

[fronky]

I realise some of the inefficiencies that the public service runs under, but these inefficiences, I believe, are absolutely vital to the public service remaining fair and impartial to all citizens which is its role. Furthermore, I don't think that you can neccesarily apply this logic to hospitals etc.. I haven't seen any evidence that priavate hospitals run any more efficiently than public ones. Better funded, maybe.

The reason many people have the idea that 'paying tax is bad' is that at certain levels they're contributing close to 50% of their pay back to the government. If you tell a rich person to stop complaining about their taxes, then also explain that even though they're contributing almost 50% they still only deserve the same health cover as some schmuck on the dole.. well do you see how that doesn't quite seem fair?

Well it may not seem fair to them but it does to me. I really don't think in 21st century Australia that your level of health care should be determined by your income. We live in a freaking society here. And I always have a laugh at the wealthy having a whinge about paying tax and 'dole bludgers'. If dole bludgers have it so good why don't they become one?

 

[Mary Poppins]

I completely and utterly agree with everything you wrote keej, and you put it far more succinctly than I could ever have hoped to.

I agree with rich people paying more tax - but as keej said - I failt to see how they should then not be allowed to spend their wealth however they see fit. And the option should be there for anyone who wants to spend more (and I'm sure many people who aren't significantly wealthy priotise their own health and get private health insurance anyway) to do so - plus it frees up the clogged public health system for people who really need it.

 

[fronky]

It has nothing to do with dole bludgers having it good. It relates to receiving the same benefit from a system that you are contributing far more towards.

But you are contributing far more because you can afford to. You are contributing more because you have benefited most from the opportunities given to you by Australian society. People on $70 grand a year should be paying more tax than those on $30 grand.

IMO the same concept could be applied to education; ie. private schools vs public schools. I don't think it's a horrid idea for richer folk to send their kids off to private schools if they so choose. In the same light, if you've got the money for that extended health coverage then take the opportunity.

Fair enough - you are right. The rich should be able to pay more for better service if they wish. I still think that health is one area where money should not be an issue, I think it cuts deeply at the idea of human equality, and the good old Aussie ideal of a 'fair go'. However in reality if you are sick I guess you will get treatment regardless of whether you are rich or poor.

The amount paid in taxes is not trivial, it's fucking huge. Yet those paying these huge amount in taxes are seen as greedy for wanting to spend their own money for increased benefits. IMO it's more greedy to expect those on higher incomes to help the government subsidize everyone's health care then kicking up a shit when they want to continue to pay for more benefits.

They are not greedy for wanting to spend more money on increased benefits. But I think they are greedy when they complain about having to subsidise everyone else's health care.