Public patient Private radiation (Toowoomba)
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to share a useful bit of info for anyone going through something similar. My nearest radiation facility is 4hrs drive away in Toowoomba, but it’s private & I am a public patient. I went for my planning appointment this week & at the end I was taken aside into a small office & given my ‘Estimated Fees’. The admin officer asked if I had means to pay $6000 on day 1 upfront, and that would then be rebated through Medicare. The grand total of 3 weeks treatment was $15000. I said that I could maybe borrow money from
a relative. I felt very patronised & have been stressing for the past few days about how to get that money upfront. To top it off my (old) car broke down on the trip home, so now I need to buy a new one - ugh!
I went to see my wonderful GP today to ask him to sign a Compassionate release of Superannuation form. He said ‘You shouldn’t have to touch your super, you’re a public patient!’ He rang the private hospital and clarified that it would be difficult to access money (particularly after being off work for surgery & chemo since May 2024). A lovely admin phoned me afterwards & explained that Medicare can fund the upfront payments. I just have to sign a form that they email me & each week of treatment I will have the funds from Medicare land in my account & it will then transfer across to the private hospital. I will only have to pay a total of $1000 over the course of my treatment. Phew! I was so stressed about this. Apparently this is not an option for all patients, but I think it’s important info if anyone else is in the same boat. The last thing we need is extra stress!
Just wanted to share a useful bit of info for anyone going through something similar. My nearest radiation facility is 4hrs drive away in Toowoomba, but it’s private & I am a public patient. I went for my planning appointment this week & at the end I was taken aside into a small office & given my ‘Estimated Fees’. The admin officer asked if I had means to pay $6000 on day 1 upfront, and that would then be rebated through Medicare. The grand total of 3 weeks treatment was $15000. I said that I could maybe borrow money from
a relative. I felt very patronised & have been stressing for the past few days about how to get that money upfront. To top it off my (old) car broke down on the trip home, so now I need to buy a new one - ugh!
I went to see my wonderful GP today to ask him to sign a Compassionate release of Superannuation form. He said ‘You shouldn’t have to touch your super, you’re a public patient!’ He rang the private hospital and clarified that it would be difficult to access money (particularly after being off work for surgery & chemo since May 2024). A lovely admin phoned me afterwards & explained that Medicare can fund the upfront payments. I just have to sign a form that they email me & each week of treatment I will have the funds from Medicare land in my account & it will then transfer across to the private hospital. I will only have to pay a total of $1000 over the course of my treatment. Phew! I was so stressed about this. Apparently this is not an option for all patients, but I think it’s important info if anyone else is in the same boat. The last thing we need is extra stress!
