In the last fortnight the up front cost of specialist appointments I’ve attended has been over $800 - ThreadSky

asherwolf.bsky.social • 9 hours ago

In the last fortnight the up front cost of specialist appointments I’ve attended has been over $800

Many patients with complex conditions remain frustrated by out-of-pocket costs for specialist practitioners, where Medicare rebates are often a small fraction of the overall bill.

Comments

purritos.bsky.social•8 hours ago

Frustrating to me is that surgeon gap payments, plus a bunch of other costs, don’t count towards the safety net. Nor when you go over the 10 psychology sessions. Or expensive meds.

And partner asset tests mean I don’t qualify for any help.

chrismardell.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Why do doctors get to decide how many new doctors get trained each year, artificially constraining the often overworked supply of services with inflexible demand?
It’s a racket.

Just train more effing doctors.

chrismardell.bsky.social•7 hours ago

And while they’re at it, they can stop this insane policy of allowing exhausted doctors-in-training to do double shifts while, you know, trying to keep sick and injured people alive.

goatsfoot.bsky.social•2 hours ago

That's not universal health care.

krazykitkat.bsky.social•8 hours ago

I'd been complaining about it on fb, and someone told me it wasn't a big problem.
Glad it's getting some media attention.
I'd also like to know why there seems to be different 'classes' of specialists in terms of rebates. eg. I get more back for the rheumatologist than the head & neck surgeon.

rettopnoj.bsky.social•8 hours ago

I don't understand how they can claim 90% of GP appointments will be free with a rebate of $69 when most GPs seem to charge about $100 these days.

fiestywenchyone.bsky.social•1 hour ago

Not to mention you MUST see specialists in order to have any hope at being successful in applying for the DSP.
Cause folks with disability on DSP or not are famous for having heaps of cash.

samdphd.bsky.social•8 hours ago

Yep. It was $500 up front for my last specialist appointment (and I had to travel 4 hours each way to see them, because the immunologist that was only 90 minutes away couldn’t see me until July.)

mslods.bsky.social•8 hours ago

I paid over $5000 over 3+ years for a cervical cancer vaccine & the associated GP & specialist appointments to diagnose the issue.

mslods.bsky.social•8 hours ago

My youngest brother had to wait far too long for the specialist appointment to find out he had not inherited our father's heart condition colloquially known as 'sudden death syndrome'.

Good news all 4 of us & 1 of my nieces have not inherited it.

Too early to test my other 3 nephews & niece. 😬

mslods.bsky.social•8 hours ago

And let's not get started on the omnishambles that is anything to do with women's health.

aussiesewerrat.bsky.social•8 hours ago

My daughter luckily enough was diagnosed with PCOS before she left Australia to live with her US husband. It made her ongoing treatment easier and helped with the fertility treatment she had to have. Women's health is a shambles everywhere. We are still second class citizens.

mslods.bsky.social•7 hours ago

That is so fortunate she got that diagnosis.

One excellent resource is Jean Hailes

mslods.bsky.social•8 hours ago

Also not going to mention dentists aside to say so overdue for reform it is embarrassing.

angrilydespondent.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Or kids with complex needs/multiple specialists. I have two and the out of pocket would fund the takeover of a small European country.

samdphd.bsky.social•8 hours ago

It adds up. If you include medication, time off work, travel and all the other things it *really* adds up.

mslods.bsky.social•8 hours ago

💯 If I included all the time off work over 3+ years on just this one issue it would be a much much higher figure than $5000

pnumbers.bsky.social•7 hours ago

The rip off of having to have a referral at each visit.

gilgreen.bsky.social•8 hours ago

Ah yes. Apptmt Tues. just to schedule hand surgery was $300. Surgeon's bill for day surgery - bit over $3,000. Hospital and other fees on top of this. I'm "lucky" I can afford to pay, it's this or wait at least another 8-12 months in the public system.
I mostly resent supporting the private system.😡

joshuafoust.com•9 hours ago

*stares in American healthcare*

I truly hope you don’t become like us on this front.

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