Because of this, it’s only sensible to do all we can to make sure that our hearts stay in good working condition, and to take precautions in case anything should happen to it.  Private health insurance for your heart is one of the steps a person can take to protect themselves against the potential financial impact of their health care needs.

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What is Covered

It is important to remember that Medicare covers expenses for many injuries, diseases or illnesses that you might incur. These include examinations, treatments, medical procedures, recovery time in the hospital, medications and in cases, even after-care should you need it.

But the problem with cardiac care is that in most cases, you must see a specialist (a heart surgeon) to diagnose and treat your condition. Medicare then only covers 85% of the costs of seeing a specialist.  Since most cardiac care is expensive and the costs can add up very quickly, it is wise to look at private cover to pay for the difference.  If you have to stay in the hospital, take heart medication, or have other expensive treatments, you may find private health cover useful.

Furthermore, Medicare doesn’t allow you to chose your doctor.  So while you will get the emergency care you need, for ongoing care, you may decide to look into private health insurance to ensure that you can have the specialist you want looking after your heart.

The good thing is that no matter what, you are protected at a basic level for emergency care.  You can get tests done, can get your basic hospital stay (if needed) covered, and more.  The bad news is that paying for ongoing care to see a specialist may be left to you.  As such, either make sure that you are able to afford the out of pocket expenses, or consider private health cover to help you pay.

Compare Private Health Insurance

If you have an existing heart condition, or if you have a family history of heart disease, it may be wise for you to compare private health insurance before making a choice.  This way you can choose potential policies based on what cover you’ll get and what premium you’ll pay for your heart care. Look out for information about:

• cardiac surgeries
• cardiac treatments
• cardiologist consultations
• heart related medications
• any other specific health care you might require

The heart is the most hard-working part of our body. We should take care of it as best as we can, not just through health insurance but also through lifestyle changes such as healthy eating habits, regular exercise, and avoiding unhealthy environments. This way, we can help our hearts and hope to live longer as well as saving money on health care costs.

Related posts:

1. Compare Private Health Insurance: Hospital Cover
2. How to Compare Private Health Funds
3. Compare Health Insurance Limitations: Experimental Treatments

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Why get private hospital cover?

With Medicare covering treatment as a public patient in a public hospital, you may be wondering why you should arrange hospital cover beyond this. Through Medicare, you’ll be treated by doctors and specialists chosen by the hospital, so if you want to have greater control over who treats you, you may prefer to be treated as a private patient instead. Medicare doesn’t pick up the full tab for this – only 75% of the Medicare schedule will be covered – so you can expect to incur out-of-pocket expenses if you don’t have private hospital cover. You can also choose to have your own room rather than sharing with others.

It’s worth bearing in mind that you don’t have complete control even with private hospital cover. If you want to be treated at a particular hospital but with a doctor who isn’t authorised by your insurer to provide the treatment, you won’t be covered.

What is private hospital cover?

Private hospital cover refers to procedures that are carried out while you’re an in-patient who has been admitted to hospital. There are two aspects: hospital costs and medical costs.

Hospital costs refers to fees for hospital accommodation, theatre fees, labour ward fees, pharmaceuticals that are covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and the majority of diagnostic tests. This cover may vary depending on your health fund, so this is another good reason to compare private hospital cover before you commit yourself.

Medical costs include fees charged by your doctor, surgeon, anaesthetist or specialist doctor for hospital treatment. Your health fund will cover you for 75% of the MBS fee and if there is a gap beyond this, you may have to pay part of the costs yourself or your health insurance may include some gap cover.

What does private hospital insurance cover?

A lot depends on your level of coverage, so be sure to compare the type and level of hospital cover offered by different private health funds during your health insurance comparison. If you’re only choosing a basic level of private hospital cover, it generally won’t include things like cardiac cover, obstetrics or joint replacement surgery. These types of treatment will typically be restricted or completely excluded, depending on how broad your coverage is.

The differing levels of coverage offered by health funds means that there is scope to choose a policy which restricts or excludes options that you don’t think that you’ll need at your current stage of life. For example, if you’re young and healthy, you may choose a basic level of coverage that doesn’t include joint replacement or cataracts. The more comprehensive private hospital policies don’t have restrictions or exclusions attached to them, which can be useful if you think you may need a fuller range of options.

What isn’t covered by private hospital cover?

There are a few things that it’s wise to check before you take out private hospital cover. Depending on your policy, you may have restrictions and/or exclusions for which you’re not covered. It’s vital that you spend some time reading the private hospital cover policies in full, so that you’re not choosing a policy which restricts or excludes things that you may need.

As some health funds only have agreements with certain hospitals, check to see whether this is the case for your health fund, as it may leave you restricted in terms of where you can be treated. Take health insurance waiting periods into account too, as you may not be covered if you’ve not served out a waiting period before you need to access the benefits.

What if I need surgery after an accident?

Private hospital cover usually will cover you for elective surgery. For example, if you have been told that you need a specific type of surgery which is covered by your health fund, this will be covered by your private health insurance as long as you’ve served out the relevant waiting period.

If you’re involved in an accident and need to have treatment as a result, you won’t usually have to have served the waiting period before you can be treated. Treatment may be covered in an emergency that you’re not otherwise covered for. For example, if you need to have joint reconstruction but aren’t covered for this on your private health insurance, this may be waived for emergency surgery. The big exception to this comes if you’re involved in a road accident, as this should be covered by the compulsory third party car insurance of the driver at fault.

What if I need emergency first aid treatment?

In this scenario, you may not be formally admitted to hospital, so private hospital cover may not cover you. If you choose to go to the emergency department of a public hospital, you’ll be covered by Medicare. If you’d rather go to the emergency department of a private hospital, Medicare will cover treatment by a GP, but only 85% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule for treatment by a specialist doctor. Tests such as emergency x-rays or blood tests may also lead to out-of-pocket costs.

Private hospital cover will cover you as a private patient  and give you greater choice over where you’re treated and by whom. Coverage levels vary between private health funds, so it’s important to compare health insurance to make sure that you’re choosing a private hospital cover that suits your needs.

As you get older, you may feel that you’ll benefit more from a higher level of coverage that includes things like physical rehabilitation and cataracts cover, which may not seem so crucial when you’re younger. By doing a health insurance comparison to assess your options for private hospital cover, you can choose a level of private hospital cover which best suits your needs.

Related posts:

1. Compare Private Health Insurance: Hospital Cover
2. Private Hospital Insurance to save tax? Minimal or full cover?
3. Need Eye Surgery? Compare Health Cover First!

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Private Health Insurance Rebate: Going Down

Legislation to base eligibility on means testing for the Private Health Insurance Rebate has already passed the House of Representatives. If it passes the Australian Federal Senate when it resumes on February 27, 2012, it will become law. Income testing will then come into effect from July 1, 2012. The proposal is to introduce three new “Private health incentive tiers” according to income, and the new Private Health Insurance Rebate and Medicare Levy Surcharge amounts will depend on which of these tiers a person or household comes into.

This means testing will reduce the Private Health Insurance Rebate paid to single people earning over $80,000 and couples or families earning over $160,000. Currently, Australian private health fund members receive a rebate of 30% of their private health insurance premiums for the under-65s, increasing to 40% for the over-70s. This may be claimed as a tax rebate on the policyholder’s private health insurance premium each year, or the equivalent reduction may be applied directly to their premium.

The changes will see the rebate fall to lower percentages for people with a higher income, while those earning over $124,000 (or $248,000 as a family) will be in Tier 3 of the new system and will receive no rebate at all. The income limits given here are not final at present; they are likely to be adjusted for the 2012 average weekly earnings (AWE), which will be announced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on the 23rd February2012. Families with more than one dependent child will receive an extra allowance on their income limit.

Medicare Levy Surcharge: Going Up

The Government also has plans to increase the Medicare Levy Surcharge, which will rise from 1% to as much as 1.5% of taxable income for Australians in the highest income tier. The Medicare Levy Surcharge is applied if an Australian taxpayer does not hold private health insurance, and earns over $80,000 ($160,000 for families). Again, these income limits are not final.

The Medicare Levy Surcharge is an extra tax on top of the standard 1.5% Medicare Levy all Australian taxpayers pay; there are no plans to change the Medicare Levy itself. It has been suggested that a large amount of the money the Government sources from the Medicare Levy Surcharge may be spent on improving access to dental health care for Australian citizens.

What to Do About Health Insurance Tax Changes

With all these changes in the pipeline, now may be a wise time to compare private health funds. Determine what level of private hospital cover and/or private health extras cover you need, if any. If you want to use private health insurance, find out about ways to reduce your premiums if possible. If you won’t be using private health insurance, you might like to work out what income tier you’ll fall into for Medicare Levy Surcharge purposes.

We’ll continue to report any new information released by the Australian Government with regard to these changes in the health insurance and tax system.

Related posts:

1. Health Insurance and the Medicare Levy Surcharge
2. The Private Health Insurance Rebate: What You Need to Know
3. Private Health Insurance: The Tax Situation

Some common extras that are offered through private health insurance include:

• ambulance cover
• general dental benefits
• optical benefits
• physiotherapy benefits
• chiropractic benefits
• osteopathy benefits
• natural remedies

It’s important to compare extras for private health insurance, as the level of coverage will vary between private health funds.

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Medicare Benefits

Through Medicare, you can receive benefits for:

• Eye tests from a qualified optical specialist
• Some surgical procedures performed by approved dentists
• Acupuncture, if it forms part of a doctor’s consultation

Ambulance cover

This varies depending on where you live. For example, Queensland and Tasmania have emergency ambulance services provided free by the State Government, but in New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, free ambulance cover applies only to pensioners and those on a low income. Medicare doesn’t cover ambulance costs, so you may need to arrange private health insurance with ambulance benefits to make sure that you’re covered.

Dental benefits

There are two types of dental benefits:

General dental

 This includes diagnostic and preventative procedures such as cleaning, plaque removal, x-rays and small fillings. Dental examinations and treatments aren’t usually available as Medicare benefits, unless they are specified items introduced for allied health services as part of the Chronic Disease Management program. There is a two month waiting period for most general dental benefits.

Major dental

This includes orthodontics and braces, wisdom teeth removal, crowns, bridges and dentures. There is a twelve month waiting period for most major dental benefits.

Optical benefits

Medicare covers eye tests with a qualified optician, but if you need vision correction such as glasses or contact lenses, you’ll need to pay for it yourself unless you have private health insurance with optical cover. Optical cover only pays benefits for vision correction. There is typically a two month waiting period for optical benefits.

Podiatry benefits

Podiatry is used to diagnose, treat and prevent problems with the feet and lower limbs. There is generally a two month waiting period for podiatry benefits.

Mental Healthcare benefits

Treatment for stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues is only available through Medicare in certain circumstances. If you want  more extensive insurance cover, you’ll need to compare private health insurance policies that include mental health care benefits. There is a two month waiting period for mental health care benefits.

Physiotherapy benefits

Physiotherapy is used to treat muscle and joint problems and can improve symptoms arising from arthritis, neck and back pain, breathing difficulties, sports injuries and neurological problems. Normally, there is a two month waiting period for physiotherapy benefits.

Chiropractic benefits

This treats problems with the musculoskeletal system, particularly with the spine. It may be used to treat back and neck pain, headaches, migraines, arthritis, carpel tunnel syndrome, injuries, muscle spasms, posture problems and even chronic fatigue. Chiropractic treatment isn’t available through Medicare so you’ll need to arrange private health insurance with chiropractic benefits to be covered. There is a two month waiting period for chiropractic cover.

Naturopathy benefits

This involves a holistic approach to health which focuses on nutrition, dietetics, herbal medicine and massage to encourage the body to heal itself. It can be used to treat a wide range of conditions such as fatigue, anxiety disorders, arthritis, allergies, digestive disorders, headaches and skin complaints. Naturopathy is not generally available through Medicare, but can be arranged as an added extra on private health insurance policies. The typical waiting period is two months.

Non-PBS pharmaceuticals benefits

Some drugs aren’t listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) so if you want to be covered for these, you’ll need to arrange private health insurance with non-PBS pharmaceuticals cover. There is usually a two month waiting period before this cover may be used.

How do I know if I’m covered for extras?

Health funds are legally obliged to state in their Standard Information Sheets whether the policy covers the following extras:

• Acupuncture
• Chiropractic
• Dental features
• Glucose monitors
• Hearing aids
• Naturopathy
• Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
• Optical benefits
• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• Psychology
• Remedial massage

If you want to be covered for benefits that aren’t available through Medicare, you’ll need to arrange private health insurance with your desired optional extras attached. Be sure to compare health funds for general cover as extras can vary a lot between health funds.

Related posts:

1. Investigation: Does Medicare Cover all Health Care Needs?
2. Trying for a Baby? Compare Health Cover for Fertility Treatment
3. Private Hospital Insurance to save tax? Minimal or full cover?

Most Australian health funds offer sign up bonuses to persuade you to choose them, and these may make a difference in your health insurance comparison too. Don’t have the time to trawl around to see what is on offer right now? We’ve rounded up some of the best incentives right here so you don’t have to.

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Waived waiting periods for extras

You will typically have to serve waiting periods before you can claim with a new health fund. This can be up to a year for some areas of cover, but 2 and 6 month waiting periods are common for extras cover. Join these health funds in February 2012 and usual two and six months waiting periods will be waived:

• BUPA Australia - You will have to take out hospital and extras cover to get this deal. The offer excludes Active Saver cover, which is aimed at young and active people who want affordable hospital and extras cover.
• Australian Health Management (AHM) – The offer excludes ambulance cover, Overseas Student Health Care policies and members joining through iSelect on the First Step package.
• Medibank Private - The offer also includes up to 100% back on opticals.
• NIB - The offer only applies to two month waiting periods. You will have to serve the usual waiting period for all other time frames.
• Health Insurance Fund (HIF) – Again, the offer only applies to two month waiting periods.
• The Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia (HCF) – Check that your desired extras are included as not all will be. The offer excludes some extras which have a two month waiting period, including psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care.
• GMHBA

Free cover bonus

Some health funds will offer one month free if you join in February. For BUPA, AHM and Medibank, this applies to the second month. CUA, on the other hand, give the first month free. Check the small print, though, as you will often need to pay premiums by direct debit to be eligible.

HIF are offering 43 free days worth of cover if you sign up now. Once you have paid for your first month of cover, the next 43 days will be free. You need to pay by direct debit for this offer.

Free gifts

Some health funds will give a free gift as a sign up bonus. One example of this is Peoplecare, who offer a free first aid kit if you join them in February. Queensland Country Health Fund are offering a free $150 gift card for use at Lorna Jane if you join before the end of February.

A word of caution

Everyone loves a good deal, but it wouldn’t be sensible to join a health fund purely because of its sign up bonuses. By all means, looks at the incentives, but don’t let them dictate your decision from the start. If you don’t compare health insurance policies in detail, you risk choosing a policy that may not meet your needs. A good bonus has no bearing on whether the private health fund and policy in question are suitable for you, so be sure to do your homework.

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1. Best Health Insurance Tips for 2012
2. Waiting Periods for Health Insurance Cover
3. Travelling Overseas? How to Suspend Your Health Insurance Premiums

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Private Health Insurance Rebate

Although debate continues to stir regarding the government Private Health Insurance Rebate, you can still cash in on this rebate. This is a tremendous incentive for Australians to purchase policies from private health funds. The government will give back a full 30% of the cost of health fund membership for those who take one out. For anyone that can afford it, taking advantage of the government rebate allows you to get high quality care without spending too much.

Medicare offers an adequate level of coverage for someone who doesn’t make a lot of use of the heath care system. However, public health insurance is lacking  for a high percentage of the population, especially for those who want extra coverage in niche areas such as dentistry, reconstructive surgery or infertility. People that don’t opt for private coverage may be hit for large sums of money if a serious medical problem arises and the public health system doesn’t cover it.

In addition, even for those who require only minor services, having access to private doctors and hospitals affords them the ability to choose their preferred providers and care. When you factor in the 30% rebate mentioned earlier, private health care becomes a more affordable way to get peace of mind about treatment costs.

Medicare Levy

The Medicare levy is a fact of life for Australians who earn a living. Although the one percent deducted from their incomes is not within their control, it allows them to take advantage of a highly sophisticated public system that gives all citizens access to health care that would otherwise be prohibitive for many people.

In addition to the levy, there is a 1.5% surcharge added on for people who opt not to register for private health insurance. This, in addition to the private health insurance rebate, is to stimulate more people to purchase private health policies. Why pay the extra surcharge when instead, you can purchase a health policy that provides takes care of your financial obligations in your moment of need?

Obviously, it’s not quite that simple and each person must come to their own decisions about what fits into their budget. The government, however, is certainly encouraging the use of private health funds, and it is trying to meet the needs of all Australians while keeping budgetary constraints in mind.

Health Insurance Comparison

Still not sure if private health insurance is right for you? To evaluate your options and get the best sense of what’s available, compare health insurance funds. Each fund offers a unique package of products and services that suit different customer needs. Often they can be customized, so if you don’t see exactly what you want, you can perhaps still get it by asking the insurer to prepare a custom package.

To properly assess each fund, you can find a lot of information online. Most insurers are proactive about recruiting new consumers and provide a wealth of information about their products and services. They also have telephone representatives available to answer your questions and market the health fund services to potential customers. As more Australians are being courted to purchase private health care, funds are in heavy competition to attract them as customers, and are providing better services and competitive pricing to entice them to join.

Switch as Necessary

If you already have a private health policy, review and reconsider. Since funds are actively recruiting new customers, they are constantly improving their offerings and pricing. What was a good deal last year may have been outdone by much better ones in 2012. Compare health insurance funds to find out what’s being offered this year and if your current policy matches the advantages of other available funds.

Related posts:

1. Health Insurance News: Private Health Insurance Rebate and Medicare Levy Surcharge
2. Health Insurance Comparison Australia: 2011 in Review
3. Compare Private Health Insurance: Hospital Cover

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No Reform Yet

Medicare currently does not cover dental expenses. This makes it financially burdensome for those in lower socio-economic strata to visit the dentist and receive proper dental care. What ends up happening is that some Australians don’t get any dental care at all, because paying out of pocket is just too expensive.

Emergency dental admissions now account for the largest category of acute preventable conditions, simply because many patients didn’t feel that they had the financial  means to deal with what could have been a far less serious problem if treated at an early stage.

While different platforms for dental coverage for all Australian citizens are being discussed, many people are simply not taking out dental insurance, in the hopes that nothing will go wrong. For too many, things do go wrong, and they suffer the financial consequences of foregoing private health insurance.

Why You May Need Dental Cover

No one can hide forever from medical issues. Dental problems have the unfortunate trick of going unnoticed for a significant amount of time before being discovered, deceiving the patient into believing that she is perfectly fine, when in reality her teeth may be slowly decaying. By the time the problem becomes apparent, it is often too late to repair the situation and being back healthy teeth and gums.

The only way to keep your mouth healthy is through regular dental check-ups and prevention. If you visit a dentist regularly enough, they should spot any problems early, and you may be able to hold onto your teeth. Without regular dental care, there is a substantial chance that a person may actually lose some or even all of their teeth.

Frightening statistics show that up to 20% of adults in the lowest socio-economic classes have lost all of their teeth. The figure is only 1% for those in the highest classes, who are able to spend money on private health insurance, including dental, and receive the care they need.

Compare Health Funds

Although dental insurance means more money out of your pocket now, if you compare private health funds you will find that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for dental insurance and that there are various different deals to be had. Some insurers have agreements with certain dentists to see clients at a cheaper price to bolster clientele. Affordable health insurance with a dental plan is out there, but you may have to spend some time on health insurance comparison to find one that suits you.

There are generally two streams of insurance offered. The first, general dental cover, covers the basics – trips to the dentist twice a year for regular check-ups and whatever comes with that, such as x-rays and cleanings. The second stream, major dental cover, covers many extra services for full dental health, such as crowns, orthodontics, fillings, bridges and wisdom teeth removal.

Depending on your stage in life, how many family members you have and what their needs are, you can choose one or the other (or none at all). Most adults will use services covered by general dental insurance, but at some point down the line almost everyone needs something extra, such as a filling or crown. Consider your family’s likely future dental health needs, and look at the costs of the relevant services and treatments. You may decide it makes sense to pay a premium now to cover the costs of dental care later down the line.

Related posts:

1. Dental Cover: Save Your Face and Finances
2. Health Insurance in Australia: Can You Afford What You Need?
3. Preventative Health Care: Chiropractic Medicine

Age in particular starts becoming a significant factor when you get past 30 years old and you still haven’t taken any private hospital cover. This is due to a policy established by the federal government in July 2000 called Lifetime Health Cover (LHC). LHC and how it could affect your insurance costs is something to consider when you compare health insurance from the various private health funds.

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How Lifetime Health Cover Works

The LHC policy basically means that anyone who doesn’t have any private hospital cover by the 1^st of July after their 31^st birthday, and then decides to take one after this date, will be subject to certain financial loadings on their health insurance premiums. The implication is that if you plan on getting hospital cover from the private side of the health system, you should do it early – preferably before you hit 30, if you allow for the waiting periods that apply to some conditions. Otherwise the only choice you may end up with is to either stick to Medicare and its somewhat limited options, or pay higher premiums for private hospital cover.

The additional cost of the LHC is 2% of the premium for every year above the age of 30. To illustrate, a 35 year old then who just purchased private hospital cover for the first time would actually be paying 10% more than a 30 year old who already has such coverage taken at earlier period and maintained.

The loading is cumulative, but it has a maximum of 70%. This surcharge applies for ten continuous years and then it will be removed, provided that private hospital cover is retained. If for some reason the policyholder discontinues his or her hospital cover policy and then takes out another policy in the future, the loading may re-apply and all the years above 30 will be counted again as a basis. This 10-year limit is a recent amendment to the LHC policy. It used to be that the loading remained for life.

Short gaps where a person technically doesn’t have hospital cover are allowed without affecting Lifetime Health Cover. The specific maximum length is 1094 days in total. This is to accommodate circumstances such as switching private health funds. In cases where someone voluntarily suspends his or her membership to a health fund, the hospital cover is considered to be still maintained.

Exemptions and Special Circumstances

Like most rules, there are exceptions listed in the LHC policy, and particular situations have been outlined where the loading may not be applied:

1. People who were born on or before July 1, 1934 are exempted from the surcharge.
2. People who were outside the country on the 1^st of July after their 31^st birthday won’t be subjected to the loading as long as they purchase private hospital cover within a year of their return.
3. If you happened to be abroad on July 1, 2000 and were already 31 years old or above at that time, then upon your return you’ll be given the short gap limit of 1094 days to take out private hospital cover. If you only return to Australia for short visits (up to 90 consecutive days) then you may still be counted as being overseas.

Finally members of the Australian Defence Forces (ADF), and Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card holders, are considered to have hospital cover. If you happen to be discharged from the ADF after the LHC deadline, you’ll also have 1094 days to purchase private health hospital cover before the loading becomes applicable. Meanwhile if your Gold Card was cancelled for some reason, you can still claim past membership as periods of hospital cover.

The Lifetime Health Cover is one of several ways the government encourages citizens to not just opt for private health insurance early, but to maintain their health insurance long term. When you compare health cover from different private health funds, keep the points above in mind and know what to expect from the LHC.

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1. What Is Lifetime Health Cover?
2. Travelling Overseas? How to Suspend Your Health Insurance Premiums
3. Health Insurance for Australians Holidaying Abroad

Australia has a nationwide public health insurance system in the form of Medicare. Unfortunately, while Medicare covers your basic medical costs, it doesn’t include ambulance service. This is something you’ll have to pay for on your own. Private health insurance policies, on the other hand, may include ambulance service, depending on the insurance plan you have and the state you’re living in. To clear up any questions regarding ambulance cover in Australia, here’s a quick state-by-state guide.

Victoria

For Victoria, you need to be subscribed to Ambulance Victoria in order to qualify for free ambulance transport in case of emergencies, paramedic care and even air ambulance services throughout the country. Ambulance Victoria has subscription packages for singles, families and corporations so that if you’re in this state, you can select which works best for you.

South Australia

South Australia has the South Australian Ambulance Service, to which you need to subscribe if you want cover for emergency ambulance transport services and pre-paid emergency care throughout Australia 24/7. The basic ambulance cover is for emergencies, but you can opt for ambulance cover extras for non-emergency situations too.

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New South Wales

In New South Wales, you are automatically covered for ambulance services if you have private hospital insurance. Basic hospital coverage in NSW includes ambulance services, so you won’t have to worry about ambulance transport and paramedic treatment and assistance if you already have a private health fund membership. New South Wales also has a patient hardship policy to help out those who are experiencing hardship and therefore qualify for discounted or free ambulance services.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

For the Australian Capital Territory, there’s the ACT Ambulance Service which provides ambulance transport via land or air, as well as paramedic care for those who have private health insurance in the state. Check with your health insurance company to make sure that your policy includes this option.

Queensland

Queensland offers Community Ambulance Cover (CAC) for all of its residents. This quite simply means that everyone living in the state is automatically covered by the Queensland Ambulance Service for ambulance transport anywhere in Australia. This used to be charged via Queenslanders’ electricity charges, but as of January 2011, the levy has been lifted and ambulance services are free.

Tasmania

The same is true for Tasmania: the Tasmanian Ambulance Service offers free ambulance services for its residents, along with paramedic care and treatment. The only situations that require charges are those related to motor vehicle or workplace accidents, because basic insurance covers these costs. The Department of Veteran Affairs likewise defrays ambulance costs for veterans.

Western Australia

In Western Australia, you’ll need to take out a private insurance policy with St. John’s Ambulance Service WA if you want to be covered for ambulance transportation and care throughout the country. If you live in the metropolitan area, HBF owns and operates St. John’s Ambulance Service, while rural ambulance cover is provided by local St. John’s Ambulance sub-centers.

Northern Territory

Residents of the Northern Territory, like those in WA, will need to take out a subscription to St. John’s Ambulance Service NT to be covered Australia-wide for ambulance services and paramedic care.

Related posts:

1. Ambulance Cover: Don’t Get Caught Seeing Red
2. HCF
3. What Is Lifetime Health Cover?

Having a public health care system means that citizens don’t have so much worry about their health care expenses for examinations, diagnoses, treatments, hospital stays or medications. It also means they can rely on getting accessible, quality health care from the country’s public clinics, hospitals and general practitioners. But with the economic changes in recent years, is this still true?

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What is Medicare?

Public health insurance in Australia is provided under Medicare. Medicare covers the basic health needs of Australians, but does not include all forms of health-related items – there are exceptions such as ambulance services or eyeglasses. These are paid for by the patient themselves from their own pockets, or through private health insurance policies on top of the patient’s Medicare benefits to cover any additional expenses for their health needs.

In addition, some people choose private health insurance in order to avoid the long waiting times that those with public health insurance may encounter. This means that more money is spent on health care services, instead of these services being something everyone may easily and inexpensively access without a private health fund.

Rising Costs of Health Insurance and Care

The problems regarding health care in Australia don’t stop there. Statistics have shown that medication and health services costs have gone up over the past ten years. Some Australians are choosing to forgo medications or other types of health care services, simply because they can’t afford it.

A Newspoll survey states that 19% of the population had delayed or simply chose not to buy non-prescription medicines, 13% didn’t buy a prescription drug they needed, 14% had avoided recommended medical tests, and 13% had put off going to a doctor because of financial concerns. Dental services are at an all-time low of use as well.

Aside from the costs of medicines and other services, the waiting times for patients in public health care institutions in Australia was described as “unreasonable” by 21% of Australians in the same Newspoll. It may take weeks, months, or even years for complex procedures, to undergo treatments and examinations, get test results back and follow through with all the recommended check-ups. Over a third of respondents interviewed for the poll have expressed dissatisfaction that waiting periods have become worse in the past five years.

A Shortage of Doctors

Another worrying issue in Australian health insurance is that the number of general practitioners in public health institutions has been getting lower over recent years. This also accounts for the long waiting periods, as fewer doctors and other hospital or clinic staff means a shortage of supply for an extremely large demand.

Many Australians, especially those in low-income situations, continue to rely on Medicare for their basic health care needs. If you can afford private health insurance, then you can choose whatever policy suits you. But right now, Australians on Medicare are waiting for their government to address the many issues surrounding the country’s public health care system and hope for a brighter, better future, medically speaking.

Related posts:

1. Health Insurance in Australia: An Overview
2. Health Insurance Comparison Australia: 2011 in Review
3. Public vs. Private Health Care: The Pros and Cons