MEDICAL EXPENSES - TIPS

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  • Kath Perrin
    Kath Perrin Member Posts: 42 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    Hi Em, can't agree with you more. Everywhere I go and everyone I see I now automatically ask to be bulk-billed or be referred to someone who will. Re Health Care Card, unfortuntely I didn't find out about this until after my surgeries and well into my treatment. I simply picked up the phone, called Centrelink and asked if I was entitled to have one and I was! Ask a family member to help you with the paperwork.

  • jennywren
    jennywren Member Posts: 111
    edited March 2015
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    Interesting comments girls, especially regarding the healthcare card. Is it means tested? I always believed it was and that I therefore wouldn't qualify, so I would be interested to know.

    Hope everyone has a nice Easter x

  • Dot42
    Dot42 Member Posts: 120 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    Hi I live in WA. When I was told by my private health fund, that I face huge out of pocket expenses. I decided to go public when my diagnosing doctor told me that everything is completely covered by public hospital.   (Plus the public hospital is also where my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer).

    I am so glad I went public, I asked to be treated as a public patient. I have not had to pay for any MRI,  Brain Cat scans, ultrasounds, and other tests, chemotherapy, operations and reconstructions. Plus in my hospital, breast cancer patients having masectomy had a private room. I had tissue expanders put in straight away. Now waiting for my next operation to have the silicone implants put in.  No doubt I have to wait for this next operation. I only just been put on the list because of other complications of mine but it only a few months wait.  I am having the operation in July.  Well worth the wait.  The money I saved from not going private, I am now going to use on my family's first overseas holiday with my hubby and 4 kids. 

    So now I am considering cancelling my private health.  Whats the point if it can't help me when I need it.  Plus maybe then I can afford more holidays. lol. Decided since having breast cancer, I want to take more holidays with my family.

    Dot

     

  • Dot42
    Dot42 Member Posts: 120 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    Hi I live in WA. When I was told by my private health fund, that I face huge out of pocket expenses. I decided to go public when my diagnosing doctor told me that everything is completely covered by public hospital.   (Plus the public hospital is also where my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer).

    I am so glad I went public, I asked to be treated as a public patient. I have not had to pay for any MRI,  Brain Cat scans, ultrasounds, and other tests, chemotherapy, operations and reconstructions. Plus in my hospital, breast cancer patients having masectomy had a private room. I had tissue expanders put in straight away. Now waiting for my next operation to have the silicone implants put in.  No doubt I have to wait for this next operation. I only just been put on the list because of other complications of mine but it only a few months wait.  I am having the operation in July.  Well worth the wait.  The money I saved from not going private, I am now going to use on my family's first overseas holiday with my hubby and 4 kids. 

    So now I am considering cancelling my private health.  Whats the point if it can't help me when I need it.  Plus maybe then I can afford more holidays. lol. Decided since having breast cancer, I want to take more holidays with my family.

    Dot

     

  • Em
    Em Member Posts: 35 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    It is means tested in a way, it is based on how much you and your partner have earn't in the past 8 weeks (including bank interest etc) it is very much worth looking in to!

  • Em
    Em Member Posts: 35 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    Ladies I forgot to mention about the Enhanced Primary Care program through medicare. It is for people with chronic illnesses and cancer comes under the program. What it is, is you go to your GP and ask for an EPC for instance for physio. The GP writes it out and you take it to your physio and are able to claim like 6 visits at Medicare (physio is not covered by Medicare but under this program it is). You can also get dental covered you get like $4,000 over 2 yrs to spend on dental work.

    Hope this info helps!

  • Debbie J
    Debbie J Member Posts: 322 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    How does it work with the dental side, what do you have to do?. Debbie

  • Em
    Em Member Posts: 35 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    Hey Debbie, you go and see your GP and ask for an EPC plan for dental. They write one out not to sure about the rest but your GP should know a bit more. Sorry I don't know anymore but I hope some of this info helps x 

  • Em
    Em Member Posts: 35 ✭
    edited March 2015
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    Thanks for the tip Leonie, I have not used dental as I have extras cover, but I do remember someone telling me there is a list of what can and can't be done etc. I have had an EPC for physio and that was straight forward, so comes in handy if you have maxed your extras out or don't have cover x   

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