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VK2AAB > HEALTH 07.05.10 07:18l 59 Lines 2500 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 7435_VK2AAB
Read: GUEST
Subj: Medical System G0TEZ
Path: DB0FHN<DB0FOR<DB0SIF<HB9EAS<OK0NHD<SR1BSZ<WA7V<VK7AX<VK2TGB<VK2IO<
VK2AAB
Sent: 100507/0436Z @:VK2AAB.#SYD.NSW.AUS.OC #:7435 [SYDNEY] FBB7.00i $:7435_VK2
From: VK2AAB@VK2AAB.#SYD.NSW.AUS.OC
To : HEALTH@WW
Hello Ian,
I changed the TO field and subject.
I too was shocked to see the carry on in the US over their medical system.
It seemed positivly barbaric.
Yes Ian we do have a medical system.
There are two parts to it.
The first is Medicare.
If you have a low income or assets you can get free medical service from a
General practicioner and free public hospital treatment.
You can either have the GP bulk bill Medicare for you attending his surgery
or if he gives you the bill you take it to Medicare and you get about 80% back.
If you go to a public hospital under Medicare you do not get a choice of
doctor.
The second part is a non compulsory Medical Insurance Fund.
If you go to a public hospital as a private patient it is usually because
your specialist attends that hospital and uses their facilities.
You can only do this if you belong to a Medical Insurance Fund.
If you go to a Private Hospital you need to belong to a Medical Insurance
Fund.
The Medical funds give a range of additional benifits such as dental,
spectacles, pediatry etc etc. Also fairly cheap travel insurance.
If you are over a certain level of the means test you have to pay an amount
via the tax system for Medicare. I think I do pay a small amount but as I use
Etax, I just put in the numbers and it works it all out for me.
I don't think I have paid any medicare levy in recent times. Not sure.
I went into a major Sydney hospital as a private patient for an operation which
was almost ground breaking at the time and it cost me about $1500.
There were others in adjacent beds who had the same treatment and the same
doctor as public patients and paid nothing at all !
I could have elected to be a public patient if I had been aware.
Now that the procedure is very common I might not have had my own doctor.
Generally the system works quite well, but there has been a lot of delays for
public patients getting operations that they need and it is an election issue
every election.
Pharmaceticals cost $5-40 for pensioners and $15+ generally, but there is a
safety net at about $1000 a year.
If you spend that much, all prescriptions cost $5-40.
Probably some errors in the figures but the scale is about correct.
Mrs Clinton in the US tried to get the Australian system introduced there
when her hasband was President but the politicians were too stupid to see
what she was proposing.
73 Barry VK2AAB
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