Do You Have Private Health Cover?

[Dog_ger]

Yes, Medibank Private...

It's going up again.

[The Ash Man]

Yes
Switched to NIB about 12 months ago after Health Partners got ridiculously expensive

[Sploosh]

No. Too expensive, and always had the feeling that if I ever were to try and claim anything, there would be a huge gap and/or a million reasons why the particular thing I was claiming for wasn't covered.

[JK]

No. Too expensive, and always had the feeling that if I ever were to try and claim anything, there would be a huge gap and/or a million reasons why the particular thing I was claiming for wasn't covered.

Your feeli ng is right with many things ... I think you pretty much finish behind unless you have to spend time in hospital, in which case it's pretty valuable to have coverage.

Rebates on things like dental work are just a fraction of what they used to be (at least they are on the level Ive always been on, not sure about the more expensive plans).

[Footy Chick]

Nope, complete waste of money IMO, I've paid for both of my sinus operations and to have 3 wisdom teeth out in full (private hospitals) and I'd still be well ahead of what I would have forked out for private cover.

[Lunchcutter]

yep for me and my dh.. full hospital with full extra (and still heaps of darn gap fees to boot!) and we still get the priveledge of paying the medicare levy too! have been covered for 24 years am not about to give up now.

[mighty_tiger_79]

yep - AHM

[gadj1976]

yep, like MT79, AHM. Although I understand that's now Medibank Private after a takeover???

Could do without it but after footy I now need several operations to get me back to quasi-normal (not including frontal labotomy).

[mypaddock]

Yes, NIB.

Has already paid me back two fold due to the amount of injuries I had last footy season! They fully cover or pay a substantial amount on things I have had done e.g MRI, X-Ray, physio, dental etc. Well worth the money IMO- especially if you are playing sport, which is the main reason I signed up in the first place.

[Psyber]

Yes, even my Labor supporting father maintained private health cover until he retired, and then trusted Whitlam's promises.
With his health record, having lost continuity of cover, he later found it too expensive to rejoin.
Later, when he died, my sister and I signed our mother up in Mutual Community during one of the promotions they ran, which was worthwhile as she lived till she was 98 and made use of it. [We had figured, in her 70s, she may be considered low priority in a public emergency department, no matter how intellectually intact.]

So, I have been in private health cover all my life, although I have changed funds from time to time - Druid's Lodge, NHSA, Mutual Community, IOR, Mutual again, then the Doctors' Health Fund, then briefly HBA, and back to the Doctors fund.

I have rarely claimed for myself, but my wife did because of her chronic health problems. Her father was dogmatically opposed to private cover, but his father signed her up to IOR as a child, and she maintained it when she was working.

[Felch]

Yes, with SGIC. Have had it for around 7 years. If we didnt have kids, we would probably not have it though.

After our first 2 daughters were born, we decided to drop obstetrics off our cover, as it was going to save us some $$$ per month, and we weren't planning to have anymore kids
Within 3 months of dropping back our cover, we were expecting child #3, so i enquired about paying the difference to SGIC to reinstate or obstetrics cover - probably about $70 in total would have covered it.
SGIC refused our my request, said it was against company policy and we would have to wait the full 12 months if we wanted obstetrics covered - slight problem seeing bubs was due in 9 months !!!
The ironic thing is that we actually saved about $1000 by going public, and my wife and baby got very good care at the WCH.
We had to pay the doctor $900 when child #2 was born privately, and she didnt even make it time to the hospital for the birth !!! She was having dinner !!! (the doctor that is, not my wife )

[Q.]

yep, like MT79, AHM. Although I understand that's now Medibank Private after a takeover???

Could do without it but after footy I now need several operations to get me back to quasi-normal (not including frontal labotomy).

Medibank Private own AHM, but it will still operate as AHM. I've been with them for a couple of years and got a nice lump sum because of the takeover

Have got it because I play footy. I'm paying for peace of mind, knowing that if I need an operation I can get it done ASAP in a private hospital and only pay the minimal excess. The extras benefits come in handy too when you're constantly at the physio and chiro.

[johntheclaret]

Apologies for being dumb here, but I thought you had to have private healthcare in Australia.

Have the rules changed or did I misunderstand, but when I lived there, we had to have Green Cross (not sure if that was a private healthcare plan or not), and then I think we had to claim the costs back against tax for that year. I remember having to pay the doc $2.00 for a visit.

[Pseudo]

Apologies for being dumb here, but I thought you had to have private healthcare in Australia.

It ain't compulsory, but there are incentives (read: taxation law) for having private cover.

[gadj1976]

yep, like MT79, AHM. Although I understand that's now Medibank Private after a takeover???

Could do without it but after footy I now need several operations to get me back to quasi-normal (not including frontal labotomy).

Medibank Private own AHM, but it will still operate as AHM. I've been with them for a couple of years and got a nice lump sum because of the takeover

Have got it because I play footy. I'm paying for peace of mind, knowing that if I need an operation I can get it done ASAP in a private hospital and only pay the minimal excess. The extras benefits come in handy too when you're constantly at the physio and chiro.

Ditto Quichey (lump sum, and reasons for keeping the health insurance).

I just wish that some organisation would offer the ability to cover the gap!

[Psyber]

I just wish that some organisation would offer the ability to cover the gap!

They usually provide cover to the much lower MBS* fee, which is what Medicare rebates are based on - or a few percent over it to "contracted" medicos.
I am not sure whether federal legislation restricts the maximum fee cover they can offer - I think it used to post-Medibank under Gough Whitlam, when the then Health Minister, Bill Hayden, tried to turn the MBS into a maximum fee, which was proven unconstitutional - well, not proven in court as he backed down before it went to court..

There is one health fund that offers cover to the full AMA recommended medical fees - the "Doctors' Health Fund" - but you need to be a doctor or medical practice staff or an associated person to be entitled to join. You could check the eligibility criteria on their web site. Being restricted to a specific membership group may be how they get to do it, if there are federal restrictions.

*The AMA fee has been linked to a formula based on CPI and AWE since 1975, but the MBS tends to go up by only about 60-64% of this each year.

Interestingly, pre-Medibank, federally subsidised private health cover provided shared ward accommodation and 75% of the AMA fee, but you could elect to top it up at your own expense for private room and 100% of the AMA fee - and it was affordable - my father was a clerical assistant in the SA Railways and we had full cover.

[mighty_tiger_79]

as i Understand it, AFL players have there private cover paid for and its also covered for the first 12 months after they retire.

[wycbloods]

Yes as i have a young family i feel that it is very important to have despite the cost.

Medibank Private i am with.

[whatcha got there?]

Yep, with Mutual Community.

Suits me fine with my numerous physio appointments I have a year, although it is capped so I can only claim up to so much each year.

[mick]

yep I 've had it for about 10 years, the company I was with AHM de-mutualised and was taken over by Medibank Private and I got $3,500 + tax free from them, made me feel better about paying the fees. Private health cover is essential IMHO once your over about 45. The public system does the best it can and the staff are dedicated and well trained, but if you need something non-life threating done quickly - forget it.