topic PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism in Community Spirit

PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

icyfroth — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 04:07:08 GMT

"When I go to the Dr. I pay $69 and receive $34 back, a visit to a specialist prior to Christmas cost me $268 and I received $72.75 back. The specialist never bulk bills therefore those depending on free health care, those that don’t work, line up at the hospital and have no problem waiting all day because they don’t work and can wait.

Those who are lucky enough to be on the bulk billing scenario don’t pay anything they are paid for by you and me who pay twice.

Why do working p...eople have to pay twice? Those with health care cards also receive prescriptions for $6, those working pay the full price for a prescription.

Medicare costs Australia $20 billion a year and the government receives $10 billion in revenue, a short fall of $10 billion.

How long does Lambie and Muir expect Australia to be able to afford free health care, what happens when those working and paying for those who don’t work retire? Where will health care be in twenty years time if no action is taken today to bring these problems under control.

I do believe Lambie and Muir should not be making decisions about Australia’s health care crisis, is our Prime Minister joking when he asks for them to come up with a solution? "

Entire Article Here

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

gleee58 — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 04:33:44 GMT

How can the increased fees be about saving medicare and covering any shortfalls if those increased fees are going into a medical research fund to accumulate for some years?

Nope, abbott just wants to create a larger social divide than anything we've seen in Australia for many years.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

polksaladallie — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 04:44:30 GMT

Not all health care card holders' prescriptions are $6 (soon to be $6.80). Some are the same as anyone else pays.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

nero_bolt — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 05:00:46 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:

I do believe Lambie and Muir should not be making decisions about Australia’s health care crisis, is our Prime Minister joking when he asks for them to come up with a solution? "

Entire Article Here

Agree and neither of them both welfare mentality and welfare recipients should be making decisions... Heck Lambie was on it and bled the system for a decade or more

How about the left and Labor put up a solution... They dont seem to have one

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

lyndal1838 — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 05:19:55 GMT

Sometimes the government comes out the winner on Pensioner prescriptions too.

Many years ago I went to the chemist for my elderly neighbour, a pensioner. It was when pensioners paid $5 for everything.

One script cost her $5, but I was charged $3.99 for the same item on an ordinary script. Her painkillers were also $5. The chemist pointed out that they were an over the counter item for $1.89.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

boris1gary — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 05:39:26 GMT

no matter, the LyingNP don't have the numbers and their sneaky back door attack on our public health system will be undone come Feb

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/01/14/labor-oppose-gp-changes

Labor to oppose GP changes

"Everyone knows that the Abbott government pull the old political trick of bypassing Parliament, of rushing a regulation in before Christmas, then they change their Health minister, then they've gone on holiday and they expect Australia to swallow their shoddy, shonky broken promises," Mr Shorten told reporters in Queensland.

He said Labor would take the earliest opportunity to disallow the regulation, a move the Greens are already planning with support from some crossbenchers.

"Our position is unequivocal, it's in black and white. We will oppose Tony Abbott absolutely changing the rebate system for our GPs."

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

lind9650 — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 05:52:04 GMT

We are on the Age Pension, but not everything is free. For a referal to the Optamologist I had to pay $120.- no refund from Medicare and every visit cost $69.- with the same $34.- refund as Icy gets. Visits to a Specialist twice a year $114.- each time and no Medicare refund. Special scans an extra $98.- and anoter $120.- for the referal.

I would not mind having to pay the extra $5.- per Doctors visit if the money would help with Medicare funds, but as said before, the money is suposed to go into research to make Australia the top research country. Pharmaceutical Companies make billions and should provide for research. After all, they are the ones who will benefit most financially in the end.

The rumour is that our Government wants to privatise Medibank. God help us all! We'll be like the USA, no private insurance, you'll pay or get no treatment at all if you can not afford it.

$5.- is not much for each individual, as long as it is used for the right purpose.

Erica

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

polksaladallie — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:04:09 GMT

@lind9650 wrote:
We are on the Age Pension, but not everything is free. For a referal to the Optamologist I had to pay $120.- no refund from Medicare and every visit cost $69.- with the same $34.- refund as Icy gets. Visits to a Specialist twice a year $114.- each time and no Medicare refund. Special scans an extra $98.- and anoter $120.- for the referal.

I would not mind having to pay the extra $5.- per Doctors visit if the money would help with Medicare funds, but as said before, the money is suposed to go into research to make Australia the top research country. Pharmaceutical Companies make billions and should provide for research. After all, they are the ones who will benefit most financially in the end.

The rumour is that our Government wants to privatise Medibank. God help us all! We'll be like the USA, no private insurance, you'll pay or get no treatment at all if you can not afford it.

$5.- is not much for each individual, as long as it is used for the right purpose.

Erica

Erica, there has to be a Medicare refund for all specialist bills. It sounds like they are charging you only the difference if you have it set up that way to save you going to Medicare. Have you set it up so that the refund goes into your bank acccount? This is what most people are doing these days, and that is why Medicare offices have disappeared into a corner of Centrelink.

But you must be getting a Medicare refund. It doesn't work any other way.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

boris1gary — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:11:32 GMT

It's more than $5 dollars and if you have a few health problems or a chronic condition the dollars will add up very quickly and a lot of bulk billing GPs will be unable to continue - they want to destroy medicare - they have always hated it and have been trying to destroy it since it was introduced.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

***super_nova*** — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:15:54 GMT

I have paid insurance all my life. Car insurance, house insurance, and medical insurance and I have never claimed on my house insurance, I have never had an accident that was my fault (had couple and the other party paid), and only was in hospital 2x, and ended up in public system because the private surgeon messed me around so much that I decided not to go to the private hospital where she worked. Funny, so I paid out thousands and thousands of dollars for my insurance policies over the years, and never actually got anything back; should I resent the people who did make claims?

But that is how insurance works, you pay and people who need it then get help from the money paid by everybody. And that is how social security works too. Instead of resenting the people who are unfortunate enough to have to live on the $200 a week that dole pays, people should be grateful that they themselves are in position they can afford to live, and have a nice car, and go for holidays, and they can pay for their medical care, and they can afford the medication they need. Because on the dole people can hardly afford to pay their rent, utilities and food.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

lind9650 — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:17:57 GMT

Polks, I do get Medicare refunds for treatments. They usually cost three times as much as I have to pay, but no refunds for referals.

eg. treatment cost $342.- , my cost $114.-

It is still a gud whack out of the pension, especially when one has to see a Specialist every two weeks.

Getting old is no fun and being admonished to have to relay on the pension is even more depressing.

Erica

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

boris1gary — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:22:25 GMT

interesting article I read the other day and something I have been saying for ages - The majority of people with private health still find themselves in public hospitals - it's a rort and a parasite on the public health system - the industry not the people with private cover. By the way its those that don't have private insurance who are working that put the most into Medicare - private health takes it out.

Love this cartoon

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

polksaladallie — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:28:33 GMT

@lind9650 wrote:
Polks, I do get Medicare refunds for treatments. They usually cost three times as much as I have to pay, but no refunds for referals.
eg. treatment cost $342.- , my cost $114.-
It is still a gud whack out of the pension, especially when one has to see a Specialist every two weeks.

Getting old is no fun and being admonished to have to relay on the pension is even more depressing.

Erica

I answered because you did say that you didn't get Medicare refunds.

I understand very well about specialist costs, although I don't have them as often as you do. Some specialists do give discounts to pensioners, I always ask. Some do, some don't.

The only way I afford health care is by never buying new clothes (with the exception of underwear of course). And I wear top brands like Country Road. A shirt which originally would have cost over $100 I buy for about $4 or less.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

bright.ton42 — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 07:05:46 GMT

@lind9650 wrote:
We are on the Age Pension, but not everything is free. For a referal to the Optamologist I had to pay $120.- no refund from Medicare and every visit cost $69.- with the same $34.- refund as Icy gets. Visits to a Specialist twice a year $114.- each time and no Medicare refund. Special scans an extra $98.- and anoter $120.- for the referal.

Pensioners are means tested so many don't qualify for the full benefit. As for paying above the schedule fee with specialists I think it is up to the GP which specialist their client sees. Mine is very good with me and makes sure I don't pay anything for specialist services, scans etc as I'm on the full pension. I don't know if that will change now.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

myoclon1cjerk — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 07:18:55 GMT

Doctors around the country will be informing their patients which political party is responsible for the price hikes (what some here like to label 'reforms').More votes for the other parties at the next election.Keep up the good work.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

boris1gary — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 07:26:55 GMT

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

cherry*135 — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 07:40:39 GMT

The bulk bill clinics in my area don't charge any at all. Totally free. We have at least 3 Sth of Wgong, there is one big one in Wgong CBD (not sure if there are more there).

A person (single) on Newstart Allce (Dole) gets approx $250 a week. Having to pay a gap of $35 as you do for a Dr visit (plus any prescription cost), would leave them very short of money for essentials - food & rent.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

polksaladallie — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 21:14:06 GMT

@bright.ton42 wrote:
@lind9650 wrote:
We are on the Age Pension, but not everything is free. For a referal to the Optamologist I had to pay $120.- no refund from Medicare and every visit cost $69.- with the same $34.- refund as Icy gets. Visits to a Specialist twice a year $114.- each time and no Medicare refund. Special scans an extra $98.- and anoter $120.- for the referal.

Pensioners are means tested so many don't qualify for the full benefit. As for paying above the schedule fee with specialists I think it is up to the GP which specialist their client sees. Mine is very good with me and makes sure I don't pay anything for specialist services, scans etc as I'm on the full pension. I don't know if that will change now.

You don't have to go to the specialist that your GP chooses. You can choose anyone you want.

I doubt that there are many bulk-billing specialists, if any.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

colic2bullsgirlore — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 21:41:51 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:

I do believe Lambie and Muir should not be making decisions about Australia’s health care crisis, is our Prime Minister joking when he asks for them to come up with a solution? "

Entire Article Here

I did not notice you speaking up re Muir making decisions about Australia's refugee crisis when he voted with the

coalition on TPV's

....Hmmmm why is that do you think????

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/05/ricky-muir-vote-reinstates-tpvs-and-hands-coalition-hollow-asylum-victory

The fate of thousands of asylum seekers held in Australian detention centres and thousands more who may seek protection was finally decided by the vote of a single senator from the Australian Motoring Enthusiast party.

Ricky Muir was the final crossbench senator whose vote secured the passage of the migration and maritime powers legislation amendment bill late on Thursday night.

Re: PM HIts Back At Medicare Reform Criticism

idlewhile — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 22:09:42 GMT

They could always plant a money tree to prop up the health system when it blows out to $25 billion a year, that's what Labor will do. or maybe bake a magic pudding?