Private Health Insurance !

A lot of people are under pressure because wages have become stagnant in relation to living costs.  Wage increases related to cost of living are not trickling through to many people and while employment figures are steady, a lot of the employed are working far less than the hours they would desire and their income falls short accordingly.

From the first of April next year there will be an increase in the price of private health insurance, and the good news is that this increase will be lower than expected.   If fact at an average 2.9% it will be the lowest increase in nineteen years, but it will cost the average single citizen  an extra 68 cents a week and a family cover $ 1.99 more.

It is inevitable that some people will drop their insurance cover and revert to having their medical needs catered for in the public health system.  The big difference is that with health insurance the patient gets to pick the doctor of their choice, while Medicare patients are treated by the doctor performing that duty in a public hospital.

It is a fact of life that some of the best surgeons reserve their time to serve in private hospitals where medical insurance can cover the amount they charge for their services. Medicare patients in public hospitals get that operation without charge and often share a four bed ward with others for after surgery care.  It is generally conceded that a stay in a private hospital has the benefit of more comfort, privacy and better food.

There is also a significant time factor.  A privately insured patient can usually get immediate treatment while there is a waiting list in most public hospitals.  Should a significant number of people lapse their private insurance over this cost increase and rely on the public system it is inevitable that waiting time for operations will increase.

There is still competition between the various health funds and this time the increase ranges from 1.98 % to 3.39 % so families can shop around for the best price.  There is the expectation that most private health insurance will be retained because access to the doctor of their choice for surgery without delay is a very important aspect for both individuals and families.

The public health system gets a lot of unwarranted criticism.  When an ambulance attends an urgent health problem the patient is taken to the nearest public hospital emergency department for immediate life saving surgery.  Often, that is a privately insured person who opts to be transferred to a private hospital for recuperation.

The issue that underpins private health insurance - is choice. The decision of by whom they will be operated on - and where remains the prerogative of the patient, and that is something on which many people place great value.