My wife did a surgical fellowship in the USA (1 year of post-grad surgical experience at a major trauma hospital in Seattle, basically equivalent to being a senior resident MD in the US hospital system). A few months in, her fellow American residents asked her how impressed she was with the great American system. She told them she was appalled. Appalled by the expense, such as the exact same brand equipment in the USA being two or three times the price compared to Australia. Appalled by the insurance companies arbitrarily denying payment to more than one of her patients. Appalled by the fact that people were so nervous about costs that they were actually afraid to go to the hospital in the first place when they were sick. When invited to stay on there after the end of the fellowship year, she refused.
We are so beyond lucky. The Medicare Levey is very low. Some of my medication is thousands of dollars, but I have a health care card so most prescriptions are $6.60.
@@davidhuett3579 Hence the saying: America is a business. Which is why private health insurance companies & Hospitals will fight tooth and nail not to have anything like new do.
@@ykook7000 firstly they don't travel and see how other systems work, and secondly many (but not all) Americans are repeatedly told from a young age that the way they do things is naturally the best in the world. It's a potent mix.
In Australia we don't have free dental for everyone. I have dental cover from my private insurance but would happily pay an extra $1,000-$1500 in tax if every Aussie that can't afford private could get free dental. I think most Aussies would.
Speak for yourself, sadly I’m paying too much already I can barely feed my family and pay bills on 60k PA, also sadly I seriously need dental I haven’t been to one since I was a kid and also agree the gov should include it!
My understanding is that it was originally supposed to be part of Medicare but it would have delayed the implementation of Medicare so they never included it. Something like that.
Low income earners can go to dental clinics in Western Australia for free dental work. I have heard good and bad reports as to the quality of care. Unfortunately, there are a large number of people who neither qualify nor can afford the ongoing cost of dental work which is a great pity as greater health issues can arise from decaying teeth.
@@radaraacf As someone making $60K you would not be paying $1000, you would be paying basically maybe $100. And you would get thousands of dollars in dental care. It is pretty sad that people do not understand how the tax system works or how universal coverage works.
Bloody hell! 😳... I had the flying doctor fly out to the middle of nowhere ( had to land on a dirt road ) because my dumb ass fell and broke my arm, from the moment the plane landed on that dirt road, flew me 4hrs to brisbane, into the royal hospital, minor surgery for a few pins, and walked out 3 days later it cost me $4.50 ( because I wanted a mars bar and coke from the vending machine 😂 ), $0 out of pocket medical wise for something that would of cost what? $100k if not more in the states? 😐..
@@KindaAustralian the flying doctor service themselves relies on sponsorships and donations, for what they did for me whenever I see a RFDS ( royal flying doctor service ) charity tin I'll always chuck in a 5er or 10er, but the government does stand in once in a while with a few million dollar donation, this is why it's free thankfully
The funding model of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is interesting. The logic is that people out in the bush shouldn't have to pay more to get health care, or worse be likely to die because they live so far away from a hospital. Therefore the government will cover the costs of operating the RFDS but they need to raise money to buy the aircraft. So the RFDS has a well-oiled organisation to raise the millions it needs to buy jets and King AIrs or PIlatus PC-12s. They have (I think) 87 aircraft that are busy most days - they run an emergency ambulance service but also they do things like take a dentist on a tour regularly so people in the bush can get regular dental checkups.
I was diagnosed with a very rare cancer a few yrs back. Diagnosed in Adelaide , transferred my case to Melbourne, top professors and medical staff. Major surgery, hospital stay and rehabilitation.. cost me ...........$000000000 So thankful to live here
@@christophernicola9293 I'll put it down to the grace of science and our healthcare infrastructure, but we can argue about that another day :) Stay strong mate
As I am an Aussie Vietnam veteran, I pay absolutely nothing for all or any medical/health related matters for the rest of my life. As I'm 74 this is very reassuring. Australia does look after its veterans in this matter. Other veterans may differ with me about psychological aspects but generally speaking I'm very satisfied.
Getting a gold card can be very difficult for a lot of veterans. Including veterans who served under SRCA (from 1986-2004) who can NEVER get a GOLD CARD. As a vietnam vet you would have served under VEA, which has gold card benefits. I served after 2004 and am under MRCA, so have a gold card as well.
A young girl in Victoria needed a heart transplant and spent 8 months in hospital hooked up to a machine with round the clock observation. She then had her heart transplant followed by another 6 months in hospital. Medicare covered the lot. The total cost of the care was estimated to be $1.6M. I would imagine the child’s parents would have gone bankrupt if this were in the USA.
@@harrylongabaugh7402 Yeah soooooooooooo many safety nets in the U.S.A... That is why so many people beg for money online for surgery in the states because they can't afford it.
@Nehemiah Scudder that hypothetical go fund me would probably be seen as a heart-warming story, but for me, the heart-warming story is having a donor heart and excellent medical treatment.
@@harrylongabaugh7402 Safety nets varies widely from state to state. Some states do have those instances covered really well ... other states not as well. There are plenty of stories, from states that have not provided as well of safety nets, that end up needing to seek financial voluntary help or face bankruptcy. This was a very long time ago, but my Dad when he was young also ended up spending over a year in the hospital. Leg got shot, ended up with pneumonia and gangrene by time several hours later finally got to hospital. They were unable to save his entire leg but did save from the knee up. His parents had insurance but it was capped, and it was clear right away that insurance would be max'd long before he would be able to go home. So Dr did not bill for any of his services at all. Tons of surgeries that Dr did all pro bono, or for nada. There was no safety net back in those days, or at least not in that state. His story was broadcast on the radio all over the country. He received several large sacks of mail every single day for months upon months. So many people wrote, some of which also had money. That paid for the hospital after the insurance got max'd and was no longer covering anymore. They tried to pay the Dr, but he refused. If it had not been for the kindness of fellow americans generosity, my grandparents would have gone bankrupt. So yep that was the safety net I guess you could say.
To anyone who says we are lucky to have the healthcare system that is in Australia .... it's NOT luck. It's forward thinking by the governments who introduced it (twice) and constant vigilance is required to ensure its not eroded. Since there's an election campaign on right now I'll let people do their own research on who's responsible. The only luck is in being born or emigrating here.
Thank goodness I own a Australian birth certificate and I can thank my father for that luck as he was awaiting the first ship from Italy to either come to USA or Australia. Thank goodness he was lucky enough to come to Australia, how lucky am I to be first generation born Australian
Kathy Durrow Not forward thinking, just a will to follow the mother country. You will still be on a long waiting list for non life threatening treatment.
So what really occurs- the awful disgusting clowns- aka the "Liberal" party, constantly want to privatise e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g for their "mates" and those are foreign grubby "mates" as well. And now they're led by evil Dutton.
About 50 odd years ago I was in Australia visiting a friend. I had an old condition flare up and went to my friend's doctor. At that time it was all pay as you go. The Dr checked me over and when he found out I was a Kiwi no got a long lecture on how socialised medical care was why I still had my problem. Apparently it was inefficient, provided poor care and the people would wake up soon and drop it. He then prescribed precisely the same treatment that I had been receiving in NZ and making sure that I paid his receptionist I was sent on my way. Hang onto your health system, we wouldn't be without ours and it would be the kiss of death to any politician who suggested dumping or watering it down.
Just FYI, private health insurance does not mean you have to go to a private ED. You are entitled to go to ANY emergency department, you will be seen. The difference is private coverage entitled you to a private hospital for treatment including emergency room if they have one, but will include an upfront out of pocket cost. Just go to the closest one next time, save yourself $300 Source: Am a nurse.
Australians need to hear these type of videos to appreciate what we have. It is astonishing that the richest country in the world treats it citizens with such contempt. The the fact that 60%+ bankruptcies in America are for medical bills, is a sad indictment of the way a lot of Americans have been brainwashed into thinking universal health care is socialism, or communistic.
I agree mate, I live in NZ and we moan about our health system too, but in my experience they do a whole lot with not much. I couldn't have been more thankful for the care I've received. The US model is so obviously designed to generate profits, rather than improve health outcomes. Even with all its problems, give me a socialised healthcare system any day!
60% of bankruptcies in US being for medical bills is greatly misleading. Yes 60% has listed medical as ONE of the reasons or contributing factors needed to apply for bankruptcy. But they also typically list others along with medical as well. In reality the number that solely are due to medical is less than a third. So you really should half that number. 75% of americans overspend and also list money management as one of the causes as well. Clearly 60 + 75 is more then a hundred. Also it is not really being brainwashed, that socialism nonsense is just an excuse they easily latch onto. They do not want (or are hesitant) to admit the real reasons they are against universal health care system. It really boils down to more they do not want to give up their freedom of choices in where to go and which Dr to see, and in having to wait for any services. Once upon a time Americans were happy to pay for such extra service. They no longer are, but they are still accustomed to having lived with that their entire life. That change will take time. In other words the Americans are in large part to blame, but not solely. There are a number of contributing factors and causes. The entire system has needed to be restructured from the ground up, but Americans did not want that. They were happy with it for a very long time. Now they want a simple answer, easy to just blame the insurance companies. So foolishly try to address only one part of the problem which will never work unless all the issues are addressed.
Many systemic problems in America, like their terrible health system, are the result of intense brain washing propaganda paid for and foisted on the general public by their poorly regulated, out-of-control, corporate/business sector, in league with their corrupt political system, who are only interested in making ever higher profits at the expense of the majority of ordinary struggling citizens.
Nationalized healthcare is socialism. It isn't brainwashing, it's the definition of socialism. Amazing how non-Americans have been brainwashed into thinking you know the definition of socialism when you don't. If you have to refer to something as "universal" when it actually isn't, that's a clue that you are not on an honest team. And American healthcare is very far away from living in market freedom. The government controls training, monopolization through patents, monopolization through whether hospitals can be built, who can work in the hospital, what deals you are allowed to make with the insurance company, what arrangements the insurance company can make to pay for it, what services are allowed to be provided, etc. If an actual market healthcare system was ever allowed to exist, it would be the greatest healthcare system in the world. Freedom of choice is actually vastly superior to having economic commissars.
I will never take Medicare for granted and each year I pay the Medicare Levy happily. This came in handy last year when I fractured my spine. The ambulance cost was paid for under my basic medical insurance, whereas my hospital stay was fully covered. I was seen at Blacktown ER first, then next day taken by Patient Transport to Westmead, spent 2 and a half weeks in Westmead. Had 2 MRI's done, 2 CT scans done, 2 X-rays done and they also provided me with my normal daily medication that I'm on (no need for anyone to bring mine in from home). I've had heaps of follow-up specialist appointments with Orthopedic Surgeons and Neurologists and several follow-up X-rays, with all of it covered by Medicare, though I've been lucky to find specialists who Bulk Bill (that is really rare). The only thing I had to pay for was my TV while I was in hospital but if you get a good private insurance cover you can claim some of that back.
I see alot of people scrambling to get private health just to avoid the medicare levy, personally I don't bother and just pay it because Medicare is so good, it's worth it.
My idiot self rode my electric scooter and lost balance and fell.....I broke my wrist really badly in the process. I had to pay Zero Dollars and guess what......Zero Cents for them to see me, X ray it, for the meds, for the Doctor to plaster it up for a week while I waited for Surgery, for the surgery which included 13 pins and plate and everything that came with it, all the meds, hospital stay overnight, more meds to take the next day and finally leave hospital all of that cost zero dollars and zero cents, including all of the follow up visits for physio and checkups which included xrays and MRI scans. The only thing that cost money was to get more pain meds while in the first 3 or so weeks of recovery. It probably cost about $100 total for the whole deal.
@@UltimateGattai - I'm convinced that the push to force people on to private health care is part of the conservative plan to destroy Medicare. I will not take out private health care.
Fellow American here living with PR and I absolutely agree. My wife and I had an incredible experience with our firstborn at the Mater in Brisbane. We go back at the end of May for our second child. The healthcare system is great in so many ways. For example I see a Physio regularly after exercise. When I look at my tax statement every year and see money that’s allocated for Medicare, I know exactly where it’s going. My family and I directly benefit from lots of medical services that are paid in part or whole by Medicare! Even when you have the highest level of private cover, there is often still a Medicare assistance, so everyone who puts into the system benefits.
we had one child in a private hospital and one in the RBWH. My wife had cervical cancer treatment immediately after the first birth. And she got diagnosed with MS treatment after the second birth, so we're pretty greatful that we were in Australia and not in America. I'm pretty sure we'd have been ruined and she wouldn't have been able to afford the MS treatment and probably be dead by now had we been in America, even with my salary over $100k.
@@wholefoodplantbasedmama5398 The bulk of Americans seem to have an almost unique ability to never look to other countries to see how problems have been solved. They insist on reinventing every wheel in America and they are constantly debating about topics that are considered solved in other countries. I believe Kaitlin mentions in the video (or one of her videos) how Americans hate to be compared with other countries, even if its favourable. You've probably seen videos on youtube of Americans that can't even identify USA on a world map, let alone any other countries. I watch the "ABC World News" on SBS and its literally just American news. I gotta wonder if some of them think "world" just means all the states combined.
Low income families and individuals also get their prescription costs per year capped. That is, once they have paid out a certain amount in a financial year, they either pay a reduced rate or zero, not sure which. So you don't have to choose between eating and health costs there either.
My sister in-law is from Canada. She dislocated her shoulder and hadn't got around to sorting out her insurance/ medicare yet so was freaking out because she knew she wasn't covered. When she told the nurses they whispered to each other then told her it was all good. They treated her and sent her home, never billed her.
It’s more like there are reciprocal medical agreements between countries. The same would happen if an Australian needed medical treatment in Japan and did not have medical insurance.
My daughter has a rare blood disorder (Evans Syndrome if you want to look it up). The fundamental difference between treatment here in Australia and the US is that here she is alive and well and can get treatment as needed in any hospital across the country, in the US she would be dead because I would have run out of money for care long ago, even with insurance. I have no exact figures, but I estimate she has at least $200k worth of treatments (IVIG) and other drugs running through her veins. One drug she had for awhile cost $200 a pill and wasn't even covered by the PBS (Pharmecutical Benefits Scheme, subsidizes medications Australians), so the hospital covered it out of their budget and just charged me the standard minimum fee which was about $35 a box (30 tablets), if it was on the PBS it would have been $6.60 a box. So in the US for the 4 months of that treatment it would have cost me about $20k (assuming it's not covered by insurance, which I doubt it would be) and here it was less than $150. People here bag Medicare and it's not with out it's flaws, but the bottom line is this, "if you need care, you get it" and the cost is largely irrelevant.
Australians should watch more videos like this and realize how good our health care system is compared with others in the world. Sadly what you get for free or at a low cost you take for granted. It is not nationalized medicine in Australia, but a 2 tier system, which is probably why is works as well as it does.
.. and they should realise that the federal LNP government are systematically dismantling it!! There have been more than 900 cuts to Medicare since they were returned at the last election. They will slash it even more if given the chance. They (and their donors) want us to be like the US health system. Voters need to WAKE UP to what they are doing, before its too late!!
@@davidhuett3579 Couldnt agree more, David, and that is the main, (and only) reason while I'll be voting Labor this election, if the Libs get in again, it will be "open slather"!
@@MrGlenspace We have a two tier health system over here both private and public, you can opt for either, but you are being recalcitrant and resistant to the truth, because not only is our private insurance cheaper, there are less pitfalls in it for the unwary, and having a two tier system, the private insurers take the burden off the public system which makes the whole health system more manageable.Plus few of you Yanks know about our excellent pharmaceutical benefits scheme which makes medications far more affordable, for instance I can get a monthe supply of Nexium for $7-, and then my beta-blockers cost $7- pcm, and then my ant-depressants whoch retail for about $500- pcm, cost me $7- for a months supply, I "wince" at how much medications cost you, in the US--its laughable
I had a MRI here in Australia. I went private and cost me $250. My doctor told me he has a friend in San Francisco and needed a MRI there. Cost? $10,000! I couldn’t believe it. Is that true? I told my doctor why doesn’t your friend book a flight to Australia, take a 2-3 week holiday, pay for his MRI and still pay less? Well, that’s exactly what he did. Astounding!
My wife is also from the states and yes listening to you is quite eerie because my wife’s experience since moving to Australia has been similar. She still can’t believe how much cheaper and overall experience is in our situation.
If we didn’t have a universal healthcare system, private healthcare companies would charge a lot more. I think that’s the reason the USA is so expensive. No universal healthcare to reign in on their money hungry habits. Canada is another good example of a good health system.
@@josephj6521 yeah we are pretty fortunate in this country especially when you think about how many people almost lose everything in certain countries due to MEDICAL BILLS including the US.
Thanks for the comparison! When researching you'll find Aus has reciprocal agreements with 11 countries with Medicare. Countries we have an agreement with: Belgium Finland Italy Malta the Netherlands New Zealand Norway the Republic of Ireland Slovenia Sweden the United Kingdom.
As an Australian doctor, I am glad to hear that your experience with Australian healthcare has been positive. My son was born at Westmead Private Hospital. It had only been open for 6 weeks at the time.
A good mate of mine in Brisbane had a massive stroke that he was not expected to survive. Ambulance to the hospital (paid for by a very small levy in utilities in Qld), was in a specialist ward for two weeks. Surgery, CT scans, MRI scans, x-rays, loads of medications. Had speech therapy every day. Then transferred to a brand new rehabilitation centre. Own room, speech therapy, physical therapy, counselling every day. Scans and tests regularly. Spent 6 weeks in there and they did such a great job he went home and is living independently with physical therapy and speech therapy coming to him several times a week. $0 charged. He has private insurance but because it was life threatening, the hospital put him through Medicare. He pays $60 a week for in-home care for help him with various chores a few times a week.
Ambulance levy no longer exists in Queensland. Ambulance service is fully funded by the state government which also covers Queensland residents for free Ambulance services nation wide.
Plenty of times I have had to rock up to the emergency department and the Doctors usually give you the medication if you only need a short term dosage. Also never had an issue with payment even without my Medicare card, they don't charge. I pay the levy in my taxes so I think it's money well spent.
In NZ your visit to the ED for your eye would have been free, even if you aren't a resident. Because the event of you losing your contact is an accident, it's covered under ACC.
@@kerisutt7579 I suppose it depends where you are. At Hutt Hospital the few times I've been there, I've never waited more than an hour. When my son was young, I never had to wait at all. But I have been to Palmerston North hospital and it was horrendous the wait time.
@@s6r231 I'm in South Auckland so it's a 6-10 hour wait at Middlemore. My sister is in Palmerston North and she said it's the same there. Pleased you're better off in Wellington🙂
Proud Australian here. I'm actually going in for nose surgery tomorrow. Being a citizen, for me the entire process, from initial tests, specialists, multiple MRIs and scans to the actual surgery has cost me 0$. I will even be spending the night in the hospital after the surgery for free. If I was in the USA, I don't even want to know the debt it would put me in.
Australia's blend of medicare and private health insurance is a remarkable success. Having private insurance gives you the ability for things like having elective surgeries quickly, but the same heart surgeon operating on my grandfather (paid via medicare) is doing the surgery on those with private insurance.
At the hospital I work at there is a Sonographer rostered on call, if the Sonographer is needed they call them in. Also Emergency and other wards have portable ultrasound machines which are used bedside.
Just FYI, even if you’re not covered by Medicare, you can still use public hospitals and your insurance will cover it. You don’t have to go to private emergency rooms. I worked in private health insurance for 8 years. Your non-resident insurance basically covers most of what Medicare covers for residents.
Yeah but a lot of Americans come from the mind set that public hospitals are bad because in america they are, here some of the best drs in the world work in public healthcare. The world best neurological surgeon for many years worked in Australia in public health care he would go to many poor nations too and operate on kids for free.
I came from Vietnam to Australia as an international student and am now a nurse (soon to get PR), I worked with a lot of patients who are not eligible for medicare (visa holders) and I think your experience in ED here in Australia was fantastic. Most patients I've seen were told to pay upfront a lot of fees (doctor consultation was ~300AUD, X-ray about 60~80AUD, Ultrasound was about 200AUD, discharged meds...). Some of my international student friends were diagnosed with cancer and thankfully the doctors and hospitals help them with paper works so they can claim as much as possible for chemotherapy, hospitalization, and even meds. Generally, they get reimbursed 80~ 100% including medications. It would probably cost them more to get treatment in their home countries. We appreciate the Australian healthcare system.
Australian health professional here, have also worked in UK NHS , Australian public health system here is first rate in most of the country. I don't have insurance I trust the public health system and I am very grateful to be Australian and happy to pay my Medicare levy to ensure health care for ALL. By the way, even though you are not a citizen if you have an emergency no hospital is going to turn you away and it will probably cost you nothing
One major difference between the health systems in Australia and the USA is that as Australia has a public health care system the Government negotiates with health providers/ drug companies. Also treatment is dictated by doctors not insurance companies.
Even though we don’t have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Greece, I’ve used an ambulance and a speed boat for emergency treatment plus 3 days at a hospital there. The ambulance and boat was not billed. It was free. We got a $300 bill for the hospital and the travel insurance took care of that.
My wife went through breast cancer treatment ( good outcomes) , everything including surgery, hospital, radiation treatment, free self contained unit for 8 weeks of treatment, pharmaceuticals , out of pocket costs around $1300 , I love our health system 🇺🇦🦘
The Medicare levy is 2% of your taxable income. But only if you earn over $18000, which is our "tax free threshold" (You dont pay income tax or Medicare Levy on the first $18,000 income)
This is an interesting topic for us:) I tried to explain to my husband what healthcare was like in Australia when I lived in the States. We had insurance through a HMO when I was there, and after my employer kicked in their share, they still took $500 out of my pay check each month. The two main things I really didn't like about healthcare in the States is that 1) your job is tied to your insurance. It means that you will do almost anything to keep that job because you can't afford not too! 2) You can only go to the doctors they tell you. Here if I don't like a particular doctor or clinic, I can look around and go elsewhere. Before coming back to Australia to live, I resigned my position at the school I was working at. H.R, from the school district sent me information about taking out private health insurance if I was interested. It was going to cost around $1,800 a month!! WOW!! Now that I am back home, health isn't even a thought anymore:) It is wonderful to not have that stressor in our lives!! Thank you for bringing up such interesting subjects to talk and think about:)
Retired Australian here. My wife and I pay $84 per year for ambulance insurance cover only. Since we get a small government pension, plus living off superannuation and savings, we don't have to pay the 2% Medicare levy or income tax. We get full coverage under Medicare. We only pay $6.00 for any prescribed medications.
@@jurgentreue1200 If you have a Health Care Card from Centrelink, you should get Ambulance transport for free. Look into that and you can then save an extra $84 a year.
@@aussieragdoll4840 Yea so the paramedics told me before they transported me. Yet they still billed me and would not take my health care card as payment. Nor would centrelink cover it. My wife got ambulance insurance after that, and ambulance is still hounding me for the money. Back then I did not have a job and simply could not afford it (why I had an health care card).
There are different medical systems in aus, N.S.W has the best public system cost wise, VIC and W.A have pay as you use it but it is subsidised by Medicare.. $40 to see a gp. Also if you health insurance here you will get 85% back on your tax as it reduces your overal cost to the public health system.
I will never ever complain about the Australian medical system. In the last ten years I have have well over 50 hospital stays, 5 joint replacements (both knees, both hips and one shoulder) and two emergency surgeries. It hasn’t cost me a single cent. Thank you heaps Australia.
Our private health insurance industry is riding on the back of Medicare and private medicine is sketchy as. If you go through the public system, you'll likely get the same specialists as you'd get privately as many practise in both systems.
My hospital experience about 5 years ago had me presenting to the ED with severe abdominal pain, my wife drove me in, so no ambulance fee (I had no insurance at the time). I was seen immediately and after an initial diagnosis, I had about 5 or 6 doctors and a multitude of nurses, and a few blood tests later, I was diagnosed with pancreatitis, they thought I might have been having a heart attack. I was placed on one of those self-administered morphine drips and over the next day and a half I went through maybe 4 bags. Over all, I spent 13 days in hospital, I had a low fever so I had to wait for that to drop before they would operate. I had a large gall stone, maybe an inch in diameter, which was causing the pancreatic fluids to back up and sort of start digesting itself, so really painful. I had a couple of ultrasounds and 3 CAT scans, I then had my gallstone removed under general anesthetic. I was getting daily blood tests and obviously 3 meals a day. Over all, the cost of my visit was just over $100 and that was because I hired TV services at $10/day. The drugs they sent me home with were sufficient to last long enough not to require a follow up script. I would be curious what that would have cost me in the US. A lot of Americans complain about Socialism and conflate it with socialised medicine, they are *not* the same. The politicians and right wing media over there have a lot answer for, they are holding America back and have probably the worst human rights violations in the western world. How they treat their own citizens is deplorable. Having said all of that, Americans are some of the friendliest people out there and will go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Sorry for the political rant, it's a frustrating topic. www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/united-states
Best uneducated guess $40-80K in a low-end hospital, $120-250K in a private hospital, but Hey! the TV would have been free (much better than your experience!). Plenty of people in US are bankrupted by medical costs.
My one and only stay in a public hospital was via A&E for suspected bladder cancer - turns out it was a huge kidney stone ripping its way into the world. I was admitted as a private patient however my only advantage was free tv and a free newspaper. I had the same meals, saw the same doctors, had ultrasounds and CT’s and was provided with free medicine as the public patients were . No bill. The only difference was that the follow up surgery was transferred to a local private hospital - the urologist I saw at the public hospital also operated there too and it meant instead of a 3 week wait I was admitted for the operation in a week. A social worker from the public hospital rang me and asked what support I needed - however my health fund had appointed a nurse practitioner to provide support and counselling so I didn’t need the public system. I was very impressed by both the public system and my health fund. I felt I was the centre of the process and there was never any question that the doctors were calling the shots. If this is socialism I’ll take it every day.
@@VideosCPS 100%, and we don't even realise the Medicare Levy being taken from our pay cheque. Americans claim they don't want another tax yet are willing to pay through the nose for their insurance premiums and then have to fight tooth and nail for whatever claims they are eligible for. That's the problem with health for profit schemes, the mighty dollar *always* comes first.
Even if you don’t have Medicare you can go to a public emergency they will just charge you as a private patient. Most public hospitals also have a private ward if you need to be admitted
My first thought was, that Australian emergency visit was rather high but only because as an Aussie I'm use to paying way less. Compared to the US though... I've seen and heard how much of a nightmare it is over there.
What I have written below applies to Medicare Card holders only. It will be slightly different for people with Overseas Visitors Insurance Cover. Private Hospital Emergency Room visits cost between $300 - $500 just to walk in the door and there's only one, maybe two, insurance companies that will pay anything for that. Then there's the Doctor's fees and tests that you have to pay for which will be partly covered by Medicare. Insurance will not pay for anything done prior to you being officially admitted as a patient, if you're unfortunate enough to be admitted. If you go to a Public Hospital Emergency Room you will not have to pay for anything, except TV rental, phone calls and that sort of thing.
Yes, but it's important to note that she visited a private hospital's emergency room, not one at a public hospital. She'd have paid nothing at all at a public hospital ER; but she'd have had a much, much longer wait before seeing a doctor. My local public hospital's ER has a average waiting time of 4-8 hours, but if you're able to pay a private hospital, you can get assistance in their emergency rooms much more quickly.
@@joandsarah77 I think in certain conditions it is. My late husband was able to get a Medicare card while he was still on a bridging visa awaiting his permanent residency.
My husband had a stroke. He was transferred from one hospital to a specialised stroke unit by ambulance (under lights & siren which was very exciting). Heaps of tests, specialists, therapists and a 4 day stay in hospital. Cost: 0
I still remember going to prenatal classes in southern Sydney. An American couple there were on a 2 year secondment from the US, and they said that having a baby was so much cheaper in Australia that it would be worth it, when pregnant in America, to fly out to Australia and give birth to the child here, rather than give birth in the US -- even taking into account the airfares. You're lucky, you are already here.
Should have considerred Canada for child birth .... would have been closer ....🤔 but then again .... if youre ok to travel long hours during pregnancy ... good on you !!😁
For your consideration, in addition to the public system, there is also compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance to cover medical costs of motor vehicle / road traffic accidents, workers’ compensation insurance covers medical costs of work related injuries and then you have separate private health insurance (for profit or not for profit) which tends to be used for elective procedures, allied health (eg optometry, physiotherapy etc) and for dental. Insurance is quite regulated too, so there are statutes and government regulatory bodies to avoid insurance companies ripping people off.
As others are adding their "ER visit under Medicare" stories - about 4 years ago I became suddenly ill with diffuse chest and abdominal pain. Wife called ambos, they checked me at home, loaded me into th ambulance after I vomited all over them(!) and took me to nearest ER. There I had a chest XRay, a CAT scan (with contrast) and a variety of blood tests. The issue resolved by itself without a cause being identified (which is frustrating) and I was sent home after about 5 hours. I showed my Medicare card when admitted - total charges $0 (including ambulance, which is free in Qld). The CT scan showed up some other possible issues which my GP then followed up with a series of 3 more CTs over the following 12 months - all bulk-billed $0 out of pocket for those too. Medicare levy is 2% of my taxable income so a bit under $200/month - sounds like a win-win to me.
An interesting bit of trivia is that in New South Wales, although there is a call out fee for an ambulance, the cost is per distance and not per method. This covers by road, fixed wing aircraft or helicopter. If someone was injured on a cliff face at a beach for example, the trip by helicopter could potentially work out to be cheaper on a per kilometer basis. But even without insurance, the amount is low enough that the majority of people could afford the callout fee, but most would have this covered by private insurance. For a trip for example from Coogee Beach to Prince of Wales by helicopter, is approximately AUD $450. In the US, the median cost of an Air Ambulance is closer to USD $38,000 and is rising considerably each year, well above inflation (estimated increase is 15% per year). The difference is stark. But the main issue as noted by many US based physicians who try to explain the issue on You Tube, is that every advanced economy (except the US), is either wholly or partially public, with a lot of the control and rigidity in the system, being driven by public economies of scale. There are standardised costs. The US despite being larger, is made up of a lot of smaller private companies. They lose the economies of scale that even a country the size of Australia gains, and costs are driven by profit over health outcomes.
Actually, Canada, UK & Oz have some of the best Medicare for everybody and GP always prescribe generic medicine instead of brand medication(USA). Alot cheaper with the same function.
We are so lucky with healthcare here in Australia. My husband had a kidney transplant last year and I was his donor. We were both in hospital for 6 days and our treatment was excellent. Transplant patients require ICU one one care, plus meds and anti rejection drugs was all covered by Medicare. We are so very grateful and thankful to the hospital and staff.
About a year ago I was rushed to Calvary hospital in Canberra with chest pains. When they realised that it wasn’t my heart they (correctly) suspected my gallbladder. Their ultrasound was closed for the so I had to wait about 6 hours which they were very apologetic about. I can’t imagine such a vital hospital facility closed for a whole weekend. A couple of months after I was there they announced that their radiology department would be going 24/7
Be aware, when you are on Medicare, you will still come out of pocket to see a specialist. (honestly not much, maybe a couple hundred, and only up to $3500 per year, at which point it's capped) you do however get 80% back thru Medicare.
So example, I had to pay $160 for some X-rays and I claimed it thru mediecare, and they sent me back $120 (ish). Also this is not emergency room specialists eg. er room X-rays, all emergency room is covered 100%.
@@hilliard665 I might be out of date with my experience (7 years ago) but I have had A couple CT’s and had no out of pockets. Don’t think I received a bill. I have private insurance too and have colonoscopies every 5 years at a private hospital. I sign a form when I book in and that’s the only paper work I see.
Thanks for your story Kaitlyn. Yes we are lucky here in Australian, I had a motorcycle accident nearly a year ago, I fractured my fifth finger and tore the radial collateral ligament off the bone on my first finger, which required surgery, from my visit to the emergency department, the casting and surgery to the rehab following the surgery, I’ve not had to pay anything. When I was told I required surgery I was booked in within I think 3 days. Yes, very grateful for for our healthcare system!!
Glad you've received good health care here, despite being excluded from Medicare for the time being. The American obsession with 'socialised' medicine seems so ridiculous to us. Americans are gung-ho about public schools. Universal basic health care really shouldn't freak them out!
Public schools.... from a teacher who's done a little bit in the US, Canada and UK (about 9 months each over 3 years), before returning to civilisation in Australia... the UK has a national curriculum (actually 4, one for each constituent country, although broadly similar), which dictates what will be taught... the US is at the whims of the school district as to what is taught, there are state and federal standards of education, which are more suggestions than what is taught.... Canada, like Australia has a National Framework to which the state, province or territory interprets a curriculum focussed on geographically relevant touchstones.... glaciation and permafrost have little relevance to a student in Florida for field exploration. It's elected people who've no knowledge of the chalkface who tell you what to teach in the US, and tell you that you're only worth a peanut wage.
If you understood the history of american healthcare, none of this or their concerns would be a surprise to you at all. Americans have contributed to the costs with their obsessions of wanting and demanding choices. The insurance companies gladly obliged, because that meant they could charge more. The medical facilities obliged to one - attract more and better contracts with insurance, and second - to appease its customers and competition against other medical providers to attract those customers. Ofc this is only one small portion of the issues and escalating costs that contributes, as there are many others as well. Americans also want all this done now (like they do with everything), and although there are wait times for various medical, it is nowhere near the amount of time it can be in AU. Needless to say a couple of decades ago I thought Americans would never deal with nor want a universal health care at any time in my life time. A decade ago I started to wonder if that was no longer the case and maybe Americans could be ok with universal healthcare. Decades ago I could never see most Americans putting up with having to wait 2 - 6 mo's to receive any basic medical services or simple day surgery (like endoscopy), when they can usually have that done in a week or two at most in the US. Decades ago I could never see most Americans putting up with not being able to have their choice in which hospital they went to for that day surgery done AND which Dr performed it. But things have been changing and more and more are actually seriously considering or wanting universal health care system. One big stepping block for all americans getting onboard has been the cost of pharmacy. I was in the medical industry for quite some time (a long time ago) and I never understood the high cost of pharma in the US. It is like big pharma has two prices .... one for the US and one for the rest of the world. At any rate, most americans and politicians that has argued about and attempted to deal with medical insurance companies as being the majority of the blame for the high US health costs. When in reality that is only a portion of the blame. When Americans do complain about high pharma costs, that for the most part gets quickly ignored by the 2 major parties politicians. Lobbyists have done their job well in DC. Americans that generally have the biggest issues with pharma are typically the elderly whom simply often times have a lot of prescriptions and can not afford it. The rest of the minority of Americans that still do really care and do not forget, simply get their medicine from Canada (or maybe Mexico) for easily half the cost if not less. Insurance does have a cap for pharma costs that patients have to pay, and again while that is higher then practically anywhere else in the world. It is relatively speaking a small cost compared to the rest of US health care costs they pay. So they are quick to forget or give up on demanding pharma costs get dealt with. $20 or $60 is more then what it should be when anywhere else in the world they pay cheaper, but it is a drop in the bucket unless they have a lot of prescriptions and that quickly adds up (ie elderly). At any rate often times when a politician does campaign about pharma reform they have come up with these socialised medicine schemes, which might be better then the way it is currently, but they really are not that great of proposals. They are actually kinda scary proposals. And no not all americans are gung-ho about public schools either. Yes a majority are. There is a decent sized minority that is not. So many times there seems to be a debate over private schools being eligible to receive a portion (if not all) of the costs that would have otherwise gone to public school system if parent chooses to have their kids in a private school. Many of this seems to crop up over special needs kids in particular, as it depends where you are in the US, but generally speaking the public school systems fail miserably. So many have lil choice but to send their kids to private school, or to have their kids attend public school but with additional classes from the private sector. Like online private tutors, etc. I have not been in the US for a decade now, so not sure how it is currently. But my prior first 40 years experience with that issue continuously propping up ever now and then, I would gather not much has changed.
It’s maybe the time period for care you’ll notice ….. public emergency rooms on Medicare you can sit there for 2/3/4 hours before being looked at, but private emergency for a small fee is ALOT quicker as you experienced.
I had to have an annual check medical checkup. My GP referred me to a cardiologist, who in turn sent me for thallium scan. All precautionary and nothing was wrong. I didn't have to pay a red cent for any of it, oh I did have to pay for parking at the heart clinic!
I see my cardiologist every year for a check up, ECG, chest echocardiogram, 24hr Holter monitor and blood test. This is all precautionary because I have episodes of atrial fibrillation. Costs me nothing.
Australia: Endoscopy and Colonoscopy done last week, private hospital, private insurance. Total Cost $0 2 months ago : Spinal Surgery, Microdiscectomy L6/S1, Private Hospital, My choice of Specialist, private insurance, everything including initial consult, surgery, including anesthetist, surgeon, assistant surgeon etc etc, 2 night stay in hospital, followup post surgery, etc, scans, blood work, xrays etc total out of pocket $1,900 AUD ($1,350 USD). I could of gotten it done for free under medicare but I would of had to wait several months.
If you're close to Sydney and have an urgent eye issue, go to the Sydney Eye Hospital Emergency Dept. You literally get out of Martin Place train station and it's across the road.
One small point, Emergency Departments in Australian hospitals tend to have more than one room. I worked in large public hospitals in Melbourne for 22 years (in a non-medical role) and heard it referred to as "Emergency", "Emerg", "ED", "Casualty" and "Cas", but never "Emergency Room" or "ER".
Emergency departments in North America are usually called the ER, even though they have more than one room. Reference the TV series "ER". The sign outside at my local hospital here in Canada says "Emergency". I believe inside the hospital it's labeled as Emergency Department and referred to as Emerge or the ER. "ED" usually stands for erectile dysfunction here.
You can go to the public emergency, they will just charge you as a private patient. Private emergency departments in Australia are bare-bones and expensive, if you have a serious problem they'll just transfer you to the public hospitals, which are better resourced.
I broke my back when I came off my horse 400km’s from Perth. I was picked up by an ambulance and taken to a small hospital in my town, from there I was transported by ambulance to a hospital in the nearest larger town, from there I was flown by the RFDS to Perth. I spent four months in Royal Perth hospital and Shenton Park Spinal Unit, going between the two as I had a major operation on my spine. I had multiple MRI’s, a back brace fitted, etc. I then went home, but every month for another six months I was flown on a public flight to Perth for rehab appointments. I then went back to Perth for a final operation to remove the metal rods in my spine. It cost me nothing, not one cent. Thank god for our medical system.
You'll find Optometry also comes under Medicare. Some Optometrists bulk bill their professional fees, some don't but the out of pock expenses for consultations is relatively low. Private health insurance subsidises the cost of optical devices such as spectacles and contact lenses.
When I worked at a hospital in Los Angeles my HMO insurance was $20, a doctor's visit was $20 and the wait time was fast, within 15 to 20 min, a visit to ER was $20 with no additional fees, I often have chest pains so they would do an EKG, where I work the ER visit is free, my 30 day supply of Vicodin or Lortab was $20 at CVS, a co-worker got admitted for UTI and her out-of-pocket was just $20. I have a friend paying $400 monthly for her insurance.
I love how she says "biccy" and "cuppa" now. She's really becoming one of us! I've been to Emergency twice. Once for really chronic food poisoning, the other time I had appendicitis and needed surgery. Of course I didn't pay for anything. I do normally pay to see my own GP, but the Government pays me back through the Medicare rebate.
I was flown from Birdsville to Charleville hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor with a serious leg infection.I spent one week in hospital then flown back to Birdsville by the RFDS.Total cost was $0.
The Sydney Eye Hospital is one of the best eye hospitals in the world, I had a cornea transplant last year there and can tell you many doctors from overseas were training there because of the expertise and international recognition.
I had my retina reattached plus two follow up operations at Sydney Eye Hospital. They were fantastic. Sydney Eye Hospital is also an internationally recognised teaching hospital. People come from all around the world to train at Sydney Eye Hospital. I was under Dr Andrew Chang, one of the best in the business but the guy who performed my first operation was a young visiting Swiss doctor. I had to stay in over night. The morning after my operation, Dr Chang came to see me. The first thing he said was "Your eye was fcuked" I laughed my arse off. I still can't see out of my left eye.
@@paulsz6194,, if the Liberals axed Medicare they'll be voted out and never take power ever again. The conservatives have been chipping away at Medicare for decades.
Medicare also have a reciprocal agreement with others countries for emergency care such as UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Finland, Malta, New Zealand, Slovenia and few others.
My brother (NZ citizen) had a medical event in Australia that resulted in multiple skull fractures, an air ambulance, brain surgery, and a stay in intensive care then a head injury ward. He was released four weeks later, total cost...zip, nada, nothing
apparently attendance at the ED at the (private) epworth hospital in Melbourne is $400 out of pocket. Car parking can be $60 if you are there for more than 4 hours.
I was on holiday a few years ago and had a fall resulting in a GD3 tear of my right quadricep I went to hospital in Tasmania I spent 3 weeks in hospital there I was flown back to Darwin in the Northern Territory, I then spent a further 4 months in hospital hundreds of tests ultra sounds x-rays blood tests and MRI’s plus multiple surgeries. at the end of all that I literally just got up out of bed walked out of the hospital went home. The total cost of all that to me was $0.00. I love the Australian health care system
My only emergency room story. I got bitten by a spyder (that I couldn't identify), and started psychosomatic symptoms so decided to go to hospital. I went to the triage at the emergency room and told them what happened. Their first question was: "Have you developed any super powers yet"? so we all had a good laugh and I tried to find any latent powers... Then left.
Thank you Kaitlyn for sharing your story… our health care system is not too bad here. All Aussie workers pay 1.5% tax for Medicare plus some of us pay around AUD$4,000 additional for private insurance. In a public hospital cost for treatment is free, but can be a long wait. I once waited 4 hours in pain from gallbladder stones. Was on a waiting list for 6 months before having the operation… all free with no out of pocked cost. I could have gone to a private hospital with no waiting period, but the cost would have been capped at $500 by my health insurance. Visit to a General Practitioner (GP) is usually free, and prescription medication is about $7 for generic brands. Also, any injuries from road accidents is covered by VicRoads (in Victoria) including any rehabilitation treatments. But, we all pay about $800pa as part of our vehicle registration. Enjoy your journey down the “rabbit hole”… 👍🇦🇺
I got spinal fusion surgery with a decompress and gauze and rods and screws put in my spine. It cost me about $20 but that was the fee for the t.v. And I was angry parting with that lobster.
As an Indonesian which is Australia’s closest neighbour, you have been very successful in convincing me NOT to entertain the idea of sending my kids to study in the US. Why choose to go that far when Australia is this close and this excellent? I myself have experienced firsthand how awesome Aus healthcare system is when it came to treating my sister’s breast cancer. It did come to our mind to move her to Houston, Texas to afford her better care. Let’s just say we are glad that we didn’t do that. It would have been too wallet-busting and didn’t bring any game-changing outcome anyway.
Just a quick correction. The 1.5% Medicare levy on taxable income is paid by all individual taxpayers whether or not you have private health insurance. You can't avoid the Medicare levy by getting private health insurance but if you do take it up you get a government rebate of 30% on your private insurance premiums.
I have seen many comparisons in regards to health care between the US and other countries. I am glad you had a good experience. If you could not pay the amount for your visit, you are also able to enter into a payment plan to pay it off over a few months. It seems that even the Government and the insurance companies know that if you go bankrupt, they get nothing, so they try to make it easier and actually work with you. Our Medicare is not perfect, far from it, but it does provide at least basic care for everyone that is eligible, if not, your private insurance doesn't cost a silly amount
Relations experiences: 1. vague tummy problems...wait 90 minutes to be seen, wait more in the 'arena' (where all the beds are). 2 hours later, junior doctor turns up. Another hour, another doctor. Suggest overnight. Home next day with some tabs and 'come again' if needed. 2. car crash, some neck pain, history of whiplash. Ambo to hospital. Straight to the major trauma room. Three surgeons, two or three nurses, a couple of others, I couldn't see from where I was. More people turned up to 'log roll' him onto the exam table. Careful exam, stabilise head, off to CT, back. All faster than blinking! 3. relative on chemo, acute pain in the arm with the pump insert (PIC line, I think), private hospital, but as a patient, no cover charge, straight to trauma room, senior surgeon comes, examines, mild analgesia. Found out later other consultant attends, diagnoses, and administers endone, plus script. No charge.
I'm glad that you had a positive experience with an ED here. Generally Australian emergency departments are excellent; there are rigorous requirements for hospitals to be accredited so they have to have a high standard of care and good patient flow models. Universal free public health care is a feature of advanced social democracies (not socialism) whereas the U.S. is a neoliberal-styled capitalist system where profits are the main objective.
Not all hospitals are equal, country hospitals have trouble attracting the most able staff, infact even many suburban hospitals can be mediocre. Best to attend a teaching hospital where the specialists are being trained. The care in these facilities is supervised by the best in the land.
The vast majority of hospitals do not make much of a profit from ER services. In fact most actually lose money. US hospital also have rigorous requirements in order to maintain their accredited certifications as well. But unlike it is here in the AU, in the US they compete with all the other medical providers and so they try to obtain as many and all of them they can in order to compete and attract patients. In other words in the US they actually spend way more time and effort getting obtaining certifications, much of it is wasted instead of sharing various services (and costs, etc) like can be done in a universal health care system. I realize this is just based on her actual experiences, but really an ER is not a fair comparison. I am sure her follow up more extensive video will be much better and a lot more fair comparison. Also FYI, you do realize the US also has many non-profit hospitals as well right? They struggle to stay in business and are not really much cheaper than all the other hospitals. Hospitals in the US in general are just not that profitable. The issues of cost is many and way more complex.
Glad you had a great experience here with our healthcare, and maybe book in for your flu vaccination at chemist warehouse for around $12, especially while you wait for your Medicare to come through.
@@paulsz6194 i was surprised that she said she couldn't go a public hospital because she had private insurance. Is that really the case as it doesn't seem right to me.
@@ianmontgomery7534 yes, that’s true. As I’ve been at hospital for a surgery,(ripped open my finger) and they will ask you if you have health insurance, and whether you would like to be admitted as a private patient , and how it helps the medical system, etc..
@@paulsz6194 American here. Flu vaccine and Covid vaccines can be given at pharmacies at no cost. Federal government pays. Cost of meds are too high because our politicians will not allow any real bargaining with pharma companies. I used to work in pharma and the mark-up for drugs can be over 100%. There is no control, so US patients frequently subsidized bargained costs in rest of the world. It is maddening. Medicare (over 65) is still not allowed to negotiate directly with pharma. As for duplicate services in hospitals, I live in a state where there used to be 3 heart transplant centers. Local politicians opted to open up ability for transplant, so there are now 4 in my city alone and probably 15 or more in the state; each hospital had to pay for equipment and teams, so now the cost is up and no one hospital gets enough patients to justify the costs or give doctors enough transplant experience. Planned stupidity.
You actually can attend a public hospital and use your private cover. My grandparents came to Australia and I paid their private cover since they don’t have Medicare obviously. My grandfather had a heart episode and was admitted to the public hospital for monitoring. I handled the insurance issues- and it was almost nothing at all.
All Australian's over 50 get a bowel cancer screen test kit posted to them every 2 year's. I completed mine and dropped it at the clinic next to the doctors the forgot all about it. Two weeks later doctor made me an appointment to see him, blood in the poop. He then booked me into hospital in one week. Got the camera AND the selfie stick up the clacker. Turns out to be a polyp, it was removed and sent for a biopsy (all good). Total cost was about $80 au. I think 3% of our income tax goes towards funding the medicare system. It's good, people that are having a hard time making ends meet are never left without medical care. Ambulance cover is $180 per year.
My personal recent experience (Australian, pensioner on Medicare): About 3 and a half months ago I had a fall which I took on my right hand - broken wrist and twisted foot. I went to the hospital via cab, had maybe an hour in the waiting area, another hour in diagnostic bay, interrupted by x-rays, and ended up staying overnight in a room full of recliners off a staff area. I presume that is for lower needs cases that don't need to be laying down specifically. The reason I had to overnight is they didn't have the doctors in to reset my arm. My arm was seen to in the morning - had to do two rounds of that, thankfully the second was under heavier sedation. Because I am a pensioner (disability), I got it covered by Medicare, as with the following appointments. Near the end of that months it was diagnosed that it wasn't fully aligned so I had surgery - another overnight stay - also covered by Medicare, with the following check-ups. My wrist is fine now, a few minor aches at times and a scar, but that is all.
Ask yourself why. The USA spends roughly twice the percentage of GDP on health as the OECD average yet has low life expectancy and high infant mortality. Something to consider that is often overlook. The rest of the developed world pay some sort of direct levy or tax to support socialized health care . In the USA your health care insurance cost is not only your direct out off pocket expense Your employees contribution is a cost to them on your employment and is part of your total remuneration package. If you add total medical insurance costs to USA tax rates they are insanely high.
@@robertlee6338 I agree with most you said. Yes in the US it is a smaller portion that pays to support the health care. Most young adults, whom are healthy, typically do not and could care less. While in stark contrast you also have the elderly who usually need services more than most, yet once again are retired and no longer paying taxes, yet can no longer afford insurance either. They are covered under US Medicare system, which is paying for health services even though they (US govt) is no longer getting taxes from them. But this is just only one contributing factor to cause of such high US health care system. HOWEVER, that is not how hospitals work. Hospitals charge more for cash patients then they collect from insurance companies. It is not insurance companies that is covering the next patient. Only IF the cash patient does not pay, but the majority of them do pay. So in other words since more than half cash patients are paying, and paying more then they would have gotten from insurance provider, it is a cash patient that has paid for the other cash patient that was not able to. In reality that is not it either though, the hospital simply writes it off. Hospitals have huge write offs, most of which is actually from insurance payors, because they have contracted negotiated payments for all various services. Regardless what amount the hospital actually bills for.
In regards to the medication provided, most Australian hospitals have their own pharmacy, and will provide a limited amount of medication to tide you over till you see your GP to get a prescription.
There was a documentary I watched a few year's ago comparing the health care in different countries and Australia ranked very highly and the US was near the bottom. I can't understand why people in the US are against universal health care. A measure of country is how it treats it's citizens and health and education shouldn't be the domain of the wealthy.
I stems from the fact that Universal Healthcare is a socialised system. This immediately makes people (mistakenly) think "Socialist" and, thanks to the HUAC and McCarthyism, ti even consider such a thing would be "Un-American". Sadly, no healthcare system can sure indoctrinated stupidity
Not all of us in the USA are against government health care. The amount of propaganda put out by the health care industry is very heavy so many people can't make an informed choice.
@@Catlily5 Does the US still have Obama care or did Trump remove it. In Australia if you can't afford private health care we have Medicare which is for all citizens and it,'s free.
@@georgepappas4628 We still have Obamacare which is a big improvement. It still doesn't cover as much as Australian Health Care. Especially in the states that didn't expand Medicaid.
Had a pimple under my eye get infected on a flight to USA, eye closed up with swelling. Visited Herndon ER - $1000 for a visit and needed antibiotics (Keflex - USD $100). In Australia a GP visit would be free and the Keflex would be subsidised (AUD $12). I never saw the doctor in Herndon.
I had 6 months chemo completely covered by Medicare, there are times private insurance bid good if wanting immediate surgery like knee surgery but if it’s an emergency you’re covered by medicare. All o had to pay was $5.50 fortnight for anti nausea medication. Also had 3 emergency surgeries. We are lucky.
Before Australia adopted socialized medicine the most common reason for personal bankruptcy was exactly what it is now in the US: medical bills. There's a lesson in that, I suspect.
I'm a resident of New Zealand, haven't applied for citizenship at this stage. I sprained my ankle at work a month or so ago. I was sent down to the local medical centre. I spoke to reception and identified my employer and told them the employer would pick up the bill and to invoice them directly. I was triaged by a nurse before seeing a doctor. The doctor sent me for an X-ray which was carried out by a separate clinic in the same building. I was told the cost of the X-ray was $50, again I told them that my employer would pay. I went back to see the doctor who assessed the X-ray, strapped the ankle and discussed ongoing treatment. I was offered a prescription $5 for pain relief. A week later I received an invoice for the X-ray which I forwarded to work, and I had no out of pocket expense and I received full pay for the 2 and a half days of work I missed. 80% from the government and the other 20% out of the 10 days sick leave I receive annually from work.
I recently had an accident on my bicycle and had nasty skin tears on my arms. I went to my local private hospital, paid the $250 fee and received excellent care with no wait including x-ray of my arm and 2 follow up visits for dressings all included in the price. I could have gone to a public hospital, but would have probably had to wait much longer.
My wife did a surgical fellowship in the USA (1 year of post-grad surgical experience at a major trauma hospital in Seattle, basically equivalent to being a senior resident MD in the US hospital system). A few months in, her fellow American residents asked her how impressed she was with the great American system. She told them she was appalled. Appalled by the expense, such as the exact same brand equipment in the USA being two or three times the price compared to Australia. Appalled by the insurance companies arbitrarily denying payment to more than one of her patients. Appalled by the fact that people were so nervous about costs that they were actually afraid to go to the hospital in the first place when they were sick. When invited to stay on there after the end of the fellowship year, she refused.
We are so beyond lucky. The Medicare Levey is very low. Some of my medication is thousands of dollars, but I have a health care card so most prescriptions are $6.60.
How are they so delusional not to see how bad their system is
@@ykook7000 In one word ... 'brainwashing'.
@@davidhuett3579 Hence the saying: America is a business. Which is why private health insurance companies & Hospitals will fight tooth and nail not to have anything like new do.
@@ykook7000 firstly they don't travel and see how other systems work, and secondly many (but not all) Americans are repeatedly told from a young age that the way they do things is naturally the best in the world. It's a potent mix.
In Australia we don't have free dental for everyone. I have dental cover from my private insurance but would happily pay an extra $1,000-$1500 in tax if every Aussie that can't afford private could get free dental. I think most Aussies would.
Speak for yourself, sadly I’m paying too much already I can barely feed my family and pay bills on 60k PA, also sadly I seriously need dental I haven’t been to one since I was a kid and also agree the gov should include it!
My understanding is that it was originally supposed to be part of Medicare but it would have delayed the implementation of Medicare so they never included it. Something like that.
Low income earners can go to dental clinics in Western Australia for free dental work. I have heard good and bad reports as to the quality of care. Unfortunately, there are a large number of people who neither qualify nor can afford the ongoing cost of dental work which is a great pity as greater health issues can arise from decaying teeth.
@@radaraacf As someone making $60K you would not be paying $1000, you would be paying basically maybe $100. And you would get thousands of dollars in dental care. It is pretty sad that people do not understand how the tax system works or how universal coverage works.
On the dole, I'd give up some so others can benefit
Bloody hell! 😳... I had the flying doctor fly out to the middle of nowhere ( had to land on a dirt road ) because my dumb ass fell and broke my arm, from the moment the plane landed on that dirt road, flew me 4hrs to brisbane, into the royal hospital, minor surgery for a few pins, and walked out 3 days later it cost me $4.50 ( because I wanted a mars bar and coke from the vending machine 😂 ), $0 out of pocket medical wise for something that would of cost what? $100k if not more in the states? 😐..
It's so hard for me to wrap my head around that something that extreme cost nothing out of pocket... 🤯
@@KindaAustralian the flying doctor service themselves relies on sponsorships and donations, for what they did for me whenever I see a RFDS ( royal flying doctor service ) charity tin I'll always chuck in a 5er or 10er, but the government does stand in once in a while with a few million dollar donation, this is why it's free thankfully
@@KindaAustralian He had to pay for the Mars Bar and Coke! However, at a convenience store that would probably cost $7!
The funding model of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is interesting. The logic is that people out in the bush shouldn't have to pay more to get health care, or worse be likely to die because they live so far away from a hospital. Therefore the government will cover the costs of operating the RFDS but they need to raise money to buy the aircraft. So the RFDS has a well-oiled organisation to raise the millions it needs to buy jets and King AIrs or PIlatus PC-12s. They have (I think) 87 aircraft that are busy most days - they run an emergency ambulance service but also they do things like take a dentist on a tour regularly so people in the bush can get regular dental checkups.
A Mars Bar...money well spent!! 😅😅
I was diagnosed with a very rare cancer a few yrs back. Diagnosed in Adelaide , transferred my case to Melbourne, top professors and medical staff. Major surgery, hospital stay and rehabilitation.. cost me ...........$000000000
So thankful to live here
was the transfer from Adelaide to Melb covered? STAY STRONG mate, hope you beat this ASAP
@@DaveWhoa thanks mate, yeah it was. Probably the only reason I'm around to talk about it.. all good now by the grace of God.. 🙂
@@christophernicola9293 I'll put it down to the grace of science and our healthcare infrastructure, but we can argue about that another day :) Stay strong mate
@@christophernicola9293 whew! Thank goodness you’re doing OK. 👍
I finally see an example of a bill for a 9 figure sum. I don't know whether to sweat or feel relieved :)
As I am an Aussie Vietnam veteran, I pay absolutely nothing for all or any medical/health related matters for the rest of my life. As I'm 74 this is very reassuring. Australia does look after its veterans in this matter. Other veterans may differ with me about psychological aspects but generally speaking I'm very satisfied.
As an Aussie myself I'm very grateful that you served your country when you did and that we are now taking care of you in return.
Good onya mate and thanks for your service!! We can't do enough for you....👍
Getting a gold card can be very difficult for a lot of veterans. Including veterans who served under SRCA (from 1986-2004) who can NEVER get a GOLD CARD. As a vietnam vet you would have served under VEA, which has gold card benefits. I served after 2004 and am under MRCA, so have a gold card as well.
Well deserved sir. We get to live like we do because of you guys.
@@PBMS123 Is this in USA?
A young girl in Victoria needed a heart transplant and spent 8 months in hospital hooked up to a machine with round the clock observation. She then had her heart transplant followed by another 6 months in hospital. Medicare covered the lot. The total cost of the care was estimated to be $1.6M. I would imagine the child’s parents would have gone bankrupt if this were in the USA.
And in America the cost is probably more than the 1.6 million
Nope, in the states we have safety nets so that doesn't happen.
@@harrylongabaugh7402 Yeah soooooooooooo many safety nets in the U.S.A... That is why so many people beg for money online for surgery in the states because they can't afford it.
@Nehemiah Scudder that hypothetical go fund me would probably be seen as a heart-warming story, but for me, the heart-warming story is having a donor heart and excellent medical treatment.
@@harrylongabaugh7402 Safety nets varies widely from state to state. Some states do have those instances covered really well ... other states not as well. There are plenty of stories, from states that have not provided as well of safety nets, that end up needing to seek financial voluntary help or face bankruptcy.
This was a very long time ago, but my Dad when he was young also ended up spending over a year in the hospital. Leg got shot, ended up with pneumonia and gangrene by time several hours later finally got to hospital. They were unable to save his entire leg but did save from the knee up. His parents had insurance but it was capped, and it was clear right away that insurance would be max'd long before he would be able to go home. So Dr did not bill for any of his services at all. Tons of surgeries that Dr did all pro bono, or for nada. There was no safety net back in those days, or at least not in that state. His story was broadcast on the radio all over the country. He received several large sacks of mail every single day for months upon months. So many people wrote, some of which also had money. That paid for the hospital after the insurance got max'd and was no longer covering anymore. They tried to pay the Dr, but he refused. If it had not been for the kindness of fellow americans generosity, my grandparents would have gone bankrupt. So yep that was the safety net I guess you could say.
To anyone who says we are lucky to have the healthcare system that is in Australia .... it's NOT luck. It's forward thinking by the governments who introduced it (twice) and constant vigilance is required to ensure its not eroded. Since there's an election campaign on right now I'll let people do their own research on who's responsible. The only luck is in being born or emigrating here.
Not now Morriscum is handing health to W.H.O after Fed election
Thank goodness I own a Australian birth certificate and I can thank my father for that luck as he was awaiting the first ship from Italy to either come to USA or Australia. Thank goodness he was lucky enough to come to Australia, how lucky am I to be first generation born Australian
Kathy Durrow
Not forward thinking, just a
will to follow the mother
country. You will still be on
a long waiting list for non
life threatening treatment.
So what really occurs- the awful disgusting clowns- aka the "Liberal" party, constantly want to privatise e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g for their "mates" and those are foreign grubby "mates" as well.
And now they're led by evil Dutton.
About 50 odd years ago I was in Australia visiting a friend. I had an old condition flare up and went to my friend's doctor. At that time it was all pay as you go. The Dr checked me over and when he found out I was a Kiwi no got a long lecture on how socialised medical care was why I still had my problem. Apparently it was inefficient, provided poor care and the people would wake up soon and drop it. He then prescribed precisely the same treatment that I had been receiving in NZ and making sure that I paid his receptionist I was sent on my way. Hang onto your health system, we wouldn't be without ours and it would be the kiss of death to any politician who suggested dumping or watering it down.
Just FYI, private health insurance does not mean you have to go to a private ED. You are entitled to go to ANY emergency department, you will be seen. The difference is private coverage entitled you to a private hospital for treatment including emergency room if they have one, but will include an upfront out of pocket cost. Just go to the closest one next time, save yourself $300
Source: Am a nurse.
Would of charged a copay for my year on ward for chemo if i had private
Australians need to hear these type of videos to appreciate what we have.
It is astonishing that the richest country in the world treats it citizens with such contempt.
The the fact that 60%+ bankruptcies in America are for medical bills, is a sad indictment of the way a lot of Americans have been brainwashed into thinking universal health care is socialism, or communistic.
I agree mate, I live in NZ and we moan about our health system too, but in my experience they do a whole lot with not much. I couldn't have been more thankful for the care I've received. The US model is so obviously designed to generate profits, rather than improve health outcomes. Even with all its problems, give me a socialised healthcare system any day!
well said Invictus....AND ONCE UR OVER 65YS its almost a gift to be an OZ citizen when it comes to healthcare
60% of bankruptcies in US being for medical bills is greatly misleading. Yes 60% has listed medical as ONE of the reasons or contributing factors needed to apply for bankruptcy. But they also typically list others along with medical as well. In reality the number that solely are due to medical is less than a third. So you really should half that number. 75% of americans overspend and also list money management as one of the causes as well. Clearly 60 + 75 is more then a hundred.
Also it is not really being brainwashed, that socialism nonsense is just an excuse they easily latch onto. They do not want (or are hesitant) to admit the real reasons they are against universal health care system. It really boils down to more they do not want to give up their freedom of choices in where to go and which Dr to see, and in having to wait for any services. Once upon a time Americans were happy to pay for such extra service. They no longer are, but they are still accustomed to having lived with that their entire life. That change will take time. In other words the Americans are in large part to blame, but not solely. There are a number of contributing factors and causes. The entire system has needed to be restructured from the ground up, but Americans did not want that. They were happy with it for a very long time. Now they want a simple answer, easy to just blame the insurance companies. So foolishly try to address only one part of the problem which will never work unless all the issues are addressed.
Many systemic problems in America, like their terrible health system, are the result of intense brain washing propaganda paid for and foisted on the general public by their poorly regulated, out-of-control, corporate/business sector, in league with their corrupt political system, who are only interested in making ever higher profits at the expense of the majority of ordinary struggling citizens.
Nationalized healthcare is socialism. It isn't brainwashing, it's the definition of socialism. Amazing how non-Americans have been brainwashed into thinking you know the definition of socialism when you don't.
If you have to refer to something as "universal" when it actually isn't, that's a clue that you are not on an honest team.
And American healthcare is very far away from living in market freedom. The government controls training, monopolization through patents, monopolization through whether hospitals can be built, who can work in the hospital, what deals you are allowed to make with the insurance company, what arrangements the insurance company can make to pay for it, what services are allowed to be provided, etc.
If an actual market healthcare system was ever allowed to exist, it would be the greatest healthcare system in the world. Freedom of choice is actually vastly superior to having economic commissars.
I will never take Medicare for granted and each year I pay the Medicare Levy happily. This came in handy last year when I fractured my spine. The ambulance cost was paid for under my basic medical insurance, whereas my hospital stay was fully covered. I was seen at Blacktown ER first, then next day taken by Patient Transport to Westmead, spent 2 and a half weeks in Westmead. Had 2 MRI's done, 2 CT scans done, 2 X-rays done and they also provided me with my normal daily medication that I'm on (no need for anyone to bring mine in from home). I've had heaps of follow-up specialist appointments with Orthopedic Surgeons and Neurologists and several follow-up X-rays, with all of it covered by Medicare, though I've been lucky to find specialists who Bulk Bill (that is really rare). The only thing I had to pay for was my TV while I was in hospital but if you get a good private insurance cover you can claim some of that back.
I have lived in Australia all my life and taken this for granted. I will never take medicare for granted again.
I see alot of people scrambling to get private health just to avoid the medicare levy, personally I don't bother and just pay it because Medicare is so good, it's worth it.
My idiot self rode my electric scooter and lost balance and fell.....I broke my wrist really badly in the process. I had to pay Zero Dollars and guess what......Zero Cents for them to see me, X ray it, for the meds, for the Doctor to plaster it up for a week while I waited for Surgery, for the surgery which included 13 pins and plate and everything that came with it, all the meds, hospital stay overnight, more meds to take the next day and finally leave hospital all of that cost zero dollars and zero cents, including all of the follow up visits for physio and checkups which included xrays and MRI scans.
The only thing that cost money was to get more pain meds while in the first 3 or so weeks of recovery. It probably cost about $100 total for the whole deal.
@@UltimateGattai - I'm convinced that the push to force people on to private health care is part of the conservative plan to destroy Medicare. I will not take out private health care.
They just removed over 900 items from Medicare
Fellow American here living with PR and I absolutely agree. My wife and I had an incredible experience with our firstborn at the Mater in Brisbane. We go back at the end of May for our second child. The healthcare system is great in so many ways. For example I see a Physio regularly after exercise. When I look at my tax statement every year and see money that’s allocated for Medicare, I know exactly where it’s going. My family and I directly benefit from lots of medical services that are paid in part or whole by Medicare! Even when you have the highest level of private cover, there is often still a Medicare assistance, so everyone who puts into the system benefits.
I was born and had my two daughters in the mater hospital
we had one child in a private hospital and one in the RBWH. My wife had cervical cancer treatment immediately after the first birth. And she got diagnosed with MS treatment after the second birth, so we're pretty greatful that we were in Australia and not in America. I'm pretty sure we'd have been ruined and she wouldn't have been able to afford the MS treatment and probably be dead by now had we been in America, even with my salary over $100k.
it infuriates me because this ought to be a basic human right. I do not understand how America can treat its citizens so poorly. @@madpuppet666
@@wholefoodplantbasedmama5398 The bulk of Americans seem to have an almost unique ability to never look to other countries to see how problems have been solved. They insist on reinventing every wheel in America and they are constantly debating about topics that are considered solved in other countries. I believe Kaitlin mentions in the video (or one of her videos) how Americans hate to be compared with other countries, even if its favourable. You've probably seen videos on youtube of Americans that can't even identify USA on a world map, let alone any other countries. I watch the "ABC World News" on SBS and its literally just American news. I gotta wonder if some of them think "world" just means all the states combined.
Low income families and individuals also get their prescription costs per year capped. That is, once they have paid out a certain amount in a financial year, they either pay a reduced rate or zero, not sure which. So you don't have to choose between eating and health costs there either.
My sister in-law is from Canada. She dislocated her shoulder and hadn't got around to sorting out her insurance/ medicare yet so was freaking out because she knew she wasn't covered. When she told the nurses they whispered to each other then told her it was all good. They treated her and sent her home, never billed her.
That's how Australia is. People generally help each other out.
It’s more like there are reciprocal medical agreements between countries. The same would happen if an Australian needed medical treatment in Japan and did not have medical insurance.
As an Australian tax payer I'm glad they did that. I would much rather she gets the care she needs than being sent away in pain because of paperwork
It's ok, Australian taxpayers paid it all, we work, pay tax, people come and take it free.
@@cranegantry868 Always a selfish one in the crowd and likes to let us all know even if we forget you straight away....
My daughter has a rare blood disorder (Evans Syndrome if you want to look it up). The fundamental difference between treatment here in Australia and the US is that here she is alive and well and can get treatment as needed in any hospital across the country, in the US she would be dead because I would have run out of money for care long ago, even with insurance. I have no exact figures, but I estimate she has at least $200k worth of treatments (IVIG) and other drugs running through her veins. One drug she had for awhile cost $200 a pill and wasn't even covered by the PBS (Pharmecutical Benefits Scheme, subsidizes medications Australians), so the hospital covered it out of their budget and just charged me the standard minimum fee which was about $35 a box (30 tablets), if it was on the PBS it would have been $6.60 a box. So in the US for the 4 months of that treatment it would have cost me about $20k (assuming it's not covered by insurance, which I doubt it would be) and here it was less than $150. People here bag Medicare and it's not with out it's flaws, but the bottom line is this, "if you need care, you get it" and the cost is largely irrelevant.
Australians should watch more videos like this and realize how good our health care system is compared with others in the world. Sadly what you get for free or at a low cost you take for granted. It is not nationalized medicine in Australia, but a 2 tier system, which is probably why is works as well as it does.
So True, we take a lot for granted in our Lucky Country
.. and they should realise that the federal LNP government are systematically dismantling it!!
There have been more than 900 cuts to Medicare since they were returned at the last election.
They will slash it even more if given the chance. They (and their donors) want us to be like the US health system.
Voters need to WAKE UP to what they are doing, before its too late!!
@@davidhuett3579 Couldnt agree more, David, and that is the main, (and only) reason while I'll be voting Labor this election, if the Libs get in again, it will be "open slather"!
Your healthcare cheaper but not nearly as quick or easy access. Plus for many in U.S. cost nit a problem as insurance covers it.
@@MrGlenspace We have a two tier health system over here both private and public, you can opt for either, but you are being recalcitrant and resistant to the truth, because not only is our private insurance cheaper, there are less pitfalls in it for the unwary, and having a two tier system, the private insurers take the burden off the public system which makes the whole health system more manageable.Plus few of you Yanks know about our excellent pharmaceutical benefits scheme which makes medications far more affordable, for instance I can get a monthe supply of Nexium for $7-, and then my beta-blockers cost $7- pcm, and then my ant-depressants whoch retail for about $500- pcm, cost me $7- for a months supply, I "wince" at how much medications cost you, in the US--its laughable
I had a MRI here in Australia. I went private and cost me $250. My doctor told me he has a friend in San Francisco and needed a MRI there. Cost? $10,000! I couldn’t believe it. Is that true?
I told my doctor why doesn’t your friend book a flight to Australia, take a 2-3 week holiday, pay for his MRI and still pay less? Well, that’s exactly what he did. Astounding!
It is just so wrong the way America treats it's people.
👍🤠 🇦🇺
This is a good video about how bad it is over there. ua-cam.com/video/mfoGi-e2wO0/v-deo.html
Hey when you spend soo much on elections, bureaucracy and fighting wars in foreign countries…
@@davidlu7245 And have way too much people than you can afford.....
Don't forget the mega food and mega people. You gotta feed super fat people.
@@samuelchepkwony4895
🤣
My wife is also from the states and yes listening to you is quite eerie because my wife’s experience since moving to Australia has been similar. She still can’t believe how much cheaper and overall experience is in our situation.
If we didn’t have a universal healthcare system, private healthcare companies would charge a lot more. I think that’s the reason the USA is so expensive. No universal healthcare to reign in on their money hungry habits. Canada is another good example of a good health system.
@@josephj6521 yeah we are pretty fortunate in this country especially when you think about how many people almost lose everything in certain countries due to MEDICAL BILLS including the US.
Thanks for the comparison! When researching you'll find Aus has reciprocal agreements with 11 countries with Medicare.
Countries we have an agreement with:
Belgium
Finland
Italy
Malta
the Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
the Republic of Ireland
Slovenia
Sweden
the United Kingdom.
and Spain too, my husband was treated at the ER in the main Madrid hospital for no cost due to this arrangement
I didn't know that! We have our issues, (especially with the current govt.) But I'm so glad to be Australian.
WoW!😀
I'm an Aussie who lived I the UK for a year in 97 and I was able to sign up to the nhs right away being under the commonwealth..
Does this agreement mean if I am in any of these countries, I am covered by medicare?
As an Australian doctor, I am glad to hear that your experience with Australian healthcare has been positive. My son was born at Westmead Private Hospital. It had only been open for 6 weeks at the time.
A good mate of mine in Brisbane had a massive stroke that he was not expected to survive. Ambulance to the hospital (paid for by a very small levy in utilities in Qld), was in a specialist ward for two weeks. Surgery, CT scans, MRI scans, x-rays, loads of medications. Had speech therapy every day. Then transferred to a brand new rehabilitation centre. Own room, speech therapy, physical therapy, counselling every day. Scans and tests regularly. Spent 6 weeks in there and they did such a great job he went home and is living independently with physical therapy and speech therapy coming to him several times a week. $0 charged. He has private insurance but because it was life threatening, the hospital put him through Medicare.
He pays $60 a week for in-home care for help him with various chores a few times a week.
That is how good Australia is, not the best care in the world, but definitely among the best, possibly top 5.
Ambulance levy no longer exists in Queensland. Ambulance service is fully funded by the state government which also covers Queensland residents for free Ambulance services nation wide.
@@4560anton I hadn't noticed. I'm not sure it was a good idea to get rid of it as we already have an annual deficit and constantly growing debt.
Plenty of times I have had to rock up to the emergency department and the Doctors usually give you the medication if you only need a short term dosage. Also never had an issue with payment even without my Medicare card, they don't charge. I pay the levy in my taxes so I think it's money well spent.
In NZ your visit to the ED for your eye would have been free, even if you aren't a resident. Because the event of you losing your contact is an accident, it's covered under ACC.
But there might be an 8 hour wait.
@@kerisutt7579 I suppose it depends where you are. At Hutt Hospital the few times I've been there, I've never waited more than an hour. When my son was young, I never had to wait at all. But I have been to Palmerston North hospital and it was horrendous the wait time.
@@s6r231 I'm in South Auckland so it's a 6-10 hour wait at Middlemore. My sister is in Palmerston North and she said it's the same there. Pleased you're better off in Wellington🙂
Proud Australian here. I'm actually going in for nose surgery tomorrow. Being a citizen, for me the entire process, from initial tests, specialists, multiple MRIs and scans to the actual surgery has cost me 0$. I will even be spending the night in the hospital after the surgery for free. If I was in the USA, I don't even want to know the debt it would put me in.
@@suzannehayes5793 We are fed a lot of anti socialized medicine propaganda since childhood in the USA.
Australia's blend of medicare and private health insurance is a remarkable success. Having private insurance gives you the ability for things like having elective surgeries quickly, but the same heart surgeon operating on my grandfather (paid via medicare) is doing the surgery on those with private insurance.
As some one that has travelled all over the world for work, I can tell you that the care you get in Australia is world class.
Thank you for the reminder of what we take for granted in Australia.
At the hospital I work at there is a Sonographer rostered on call, if the Sonographer is needed they call them in. Also Emergency and other wards have portable ultrasound machines which are used bedside.
Same here. They are there within an hour on the weekend or evenings
Just FYI, even if you’re not covered by Medicare, you can still use public hospitals and your insurance will cover it. You don’t have to go to private emergency rooms. I worked in private health insurance for 8 years. Your non-resident insurance basically covers most of what Medicare covers for residents.
Yeah but a lot of Americans come from the mind set that public hospitals are bad because in america they are, here some of the best drs in the world work in public healthcare. The world best neurological surgeon for many years worked in Australia in public health care he would go to many poor nations too and operate on kids for free.
I came from Vietnam to Australia as an international student and am now a nurse (soon to get PR), I worked with a lot of patients who are not eligible for medicare (visa holders) and I think your experience in ED here in Australia was fantastic. Most patients I've seen were told to pay upfront a lot of fees (doctor consultation was ~300AUD, X-ray about 60~80AUD, Ultrasound was about 200AUD, discharged meds...). Some of my international student friends were diagnosed with cancer and thankfully the doctors and hospitals help them with paper works so they can claim as much as possible for chemotherapy, hospitalization, and even meds. Generally, they get reimbursed 80~ 100% including medications. It would probably cost them more to get treatment in their home countries. We appreciate the Australian healthcare system.
Lovely to have you here in Australia. May the friendship between our two countries live forever.
Hell no. They can keep their culture over there thanks very much.
Australian health professional here, have also worked in UK NHS , Australian public health system here is first rate in most of the country. I don't have insurance I trust the public health system and I am very grateful to be Australian and happy to pay my Medicare levy to ensure health care for ALL.
By the way, even though you are not a citizen if you have an emergency no hospital is going to turn you away and it will probably cost you nothing
One major difference between the health systems in Australia and the USA is that as Australia has a public health care system the Government negotiates with health providers/ drug companies. Also treatment is dictated by doctors not insurance companies.
Even though we don’t have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Greece, I’ve used an ambulance and a speed boat for emergency treatment plus 3 days at a hospital there. The ambulance and boat was not billed. It was free. We got a $300 bill for the hospital and the travel insurance took care of that.
My wife went through breast cancer treatment ( good outcomes) , everything including surgery, hospital, radiation treatment, free self contained unit for 8 weeks of treatment, pharmaceuticals , out of pocket costs around $1300 , I love our health system 🇺🇦🦘
G’day kiddo, Hawkesbury show is coming up on the 6th, 7th and 8th of may , like a county fair, 2nd biggest to the royal Easter show and cheaper
The Medicare levy is 2% of your taxable income. But only if you earn over $18000, which is our "tax free threshold" (You dont pay income tax or Medicare Levy on the first $18,000 income)
This is an interesting topic for us:) I tried to explain to my husband what healthcare was like in Australia when I lived in the States. We had insurance through a HMO when I was there, and after my employer kicked in their share, they still took $500 out of my pay check each month. The two main things I really didn't like about healthcare in the States is that 1) your job is tied to your insurance. It means that you will do almost anything to keep that job because you can't afford not too! 2) You can only go to the doctors they tell you. Here if I don't like a particular doctor or clinic, I can look around and go elsewhere. Before coming back to Australia to live, I resigned my position at the school I was working at. H.R, from the school district sent me information about taking out private health insurance if I was interested. It was going to cost around $1,800 a month!! WOW!! Now that I am back home, health isn't even a thought anymore:) It is wonderful to not have that stressor in our lives!! Thank you for bringing up such interesting subjects to talk and think about:)
Retired Australian here. My wife and I pay $84 per year for ambulance insurance cover only. Since we get a small government pension, plus living off superannuation and savings, we don't have to pay the 2% Medicare levy or income tax. We get full coverage under Medicare. We only pay $6.00 for any prescribed medications.
@@jurgentreue1200 If you have a Health Care Card from Centrelink, you should get Ambulance transport for free. Look into that and you can then save an extra $84 a year.
@@aussieragdoll4840 ,, I'm aware of that. I've been on a part pension since February and ambulance cover has been paid up until October.
@@aussieragdoll4840 Here in Queensland Ambulance is paid for in the power bill
@@aussieragdoll4840 Yea so the paramedics told me before they transported me. Yet they still billed me and would not take my health care card as payment. Nor would centrelink cover it. My wife got ambulance insurance after that, and ambulance is still hounding me for the money. Back then I did not have a job and simply could not afford it (why I had an health care card).
There are different medical systems in aus, N.S.W has the best public system cost wise, VIC and W.A have pay as you use it but it is subsidised by Medicare.. $40 to see a gp. Also if you health insurance here you will get 85% back on your tax as it reduces your overal cost to the public health system.
I will never ever complain about the Australian medical system. In the last ten years I have have well over 50 hospital stays, 5 joint replacements (both knees, both hips and one shoulder) and two emergency surgeries. It hasn’t cost me a single cent. Thank you heaps Australia.
Our private health insurance industry is riding on the back of Medicare and private medicine is sketchy as.
If you go through the public system, you'll likely get the same specialists as you'd get privately as many practise in both systems.
My hospital experience about 5 years ago had me presenting to the ED with severe abdominal pain, my wife drove me in, so no ambulance fee (I had no insurance at the time). I was seen immediately and after an initial diagnosis, I had about 5 or 6 doctors and a multitude of nurses, and a few blood tests later, I was diagnosed with pancreatitis, they thought I might have been having a heart attack. I was placed on one of those self-administered morphine drips and over the next day and a half I went through maybe 4 bags.
Over all, I spent 13 days in hospital, I had a low fever so I had to wait for that to drop before they would operate. I had a large gall stone, maybe an inch in diameter, which was causing the pancreatic fluids to back up and sort of start digesting itself, so really painful. I had a couple of ultrasounds and 3 CAT scans, I then had my gallstone removed under general anesthetic. I was getting daily blood tests and obviously 3 meals a day. Over all, the cost of my visit was just over $100 and that was because I hired TV services at $10/day. The drugs they sent me home with were sufficient to last long enough not to require a follow up script. I would be curious what that would have cost me in the US.
A lot of Americans complain about Socialism and conflate it with socialised medicine, they are *not* the same. The politicians and right wing media over there have a lot answer for, they are holding America back and have probably the worst human rights violations in the western world. How they treat their own citizens is deplorable. Having said all of that, Americans are some of the friendliest people out there and will go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Sorry for the political rant, it's a frustrating topic.
www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/united-states
Best uneducated guess $40-80K in a low-end hospital, $120-250K in a private hospital, but Hey! the TV would have been free (much better than your experience!). Plenty of people in US are bankrupted by medical costs.
My one and only stay in a public hospital was via A&E for suspected bladder cancer - turns out it was a huge kidney stone ripping its way into the world. I was admitted as a private patient however my only advantage was free tv and a free newspaper. I had the same meals, saw the same doctors, had ultrasounds and CT’s and was provided with free medicine as the public patients were . No bill. The only difference was that the follow up surgery was transferred to a local private hospital - the urologist I saw at the public hospital also operated there too and it meant instead of a 3 week wait I was admitted for the operation in a week. A social worker from the public hospital rang me and asked what support I needed - however my health fund had appointed a nurse practitioner to provide support and counselling so I didn’t need the public system. I was very impressed by both the public system and my health fund. I felt I was the centre of the process and there was never any question that the doctors were calling the shots. If this is socialism I’ll take it every day.
@@ironside210 Haha, I know, right? Of all things to pay for, TV, wtf? Once more it was a tiny TV with not much worth watching.
@@VideosCPS 100%, and we don't even realise the Medicare Levy being taken from our pay cheque. Americans claim they don't want another tax yet are willing to pay through the nose for their insurance premiums and then have to fight tooth and nail for whatever claims they are eligible for. That's the problem with health for profit schemes, the mighty dollar *always* comes first.
True on the medical front, but the cars and housing are much cheaper.
Usually in emergency they will have most pharmacy medicines usually for free
we here in Australia we care about you and glad that you are loving your transformation from American to Australian
Even if you don’t have Medicare you can go to a public emergency they will just charge you as a private patient. Most public hospitals also have a private ward if you need to be admitted
My first thought was, that Australian emergency visit was rather high but only because as an Aussie I'm use to paying way less. Compared to the US though... I've seen and heard how much of a nightmare it is over there.
What I have written below applies to Medicare Card holders only. It will be slightly different for people with Overseas Visitors Insurance Cover.
Private Hospital Emergency Room visits cost between $300 - $500 just to walk in the door and there's only one, maybe two, insurance companies that will pay anything for that. Then there's the Doctor's fees and tests that you have to pay for which will be partly covered by Medicare. Insurance will not pay for anything done prior to you being officially admitted as a patient, if you're unfortunate enough to be admitted.
If you go to a Public Hospital Emergency Room you will not have to pay for anything, except TV rental, phone calls and that sort of thing.
Yes, but it's important to note that she visited a private hospital's emergency room, not one at a public hospital. She'd have paid nothing at all at a public hospital ER; but she'd have had a much, much longer wait before seeing a doctor.
My local public hospital's ER has a average waiting time of 4-8 hours, but if you're able to pay a private hospital, you can get assistance in their emergency rooms much more quickly.
@@BellaBarossa Is it free for those on a visa though? I've never looked into it.
I live in the country, no waiting up at emergency here.
@@joandsarah77 I think in certain conditions it is. My late husband was able to get a Medicare card while he was still on a bridging visa awaiting his permanent residency.
My husband had a stroke. He was transferred from one hospital to a specialised stroke unit by ambulance (under lights & siren which was very exciting). Heaps of tests, specialists, therapists and a 4 day stay in hospital. Cost: 0
I still remember going to prenatal classes in southern Sydney. An American couple there were on a 2 year secondment from the US, and they said that having a baby was so much cheaper in Australia that it would be worth it, when pregnant in America, to fly out to Australia and give birth to the child here, rather than give birth in the US -- even taking into account the airfares. You're lucky, you are already here.
Should have considerred Canada for child birth .... would have been closer ....🤔 but then again .... if youre ok to travel long hours during pregnancy ... good on you !!😁
For your consideration, in addition to the public system, there is also compulsory third party motor vehicle insurance to cover medical costs of motor vehicle / road traffic accidents, workers’ compensation insurance covers medical costs of work related injuries and then you have separate private health insurance (for profit or not for profit) which tends to be used for elective procedures, allied health (eg optometry, physiotherapy etc) and for dental. Insurance is quite regulated too, so there are statutes and government regulatory bodies to avoid insurance companies ripping people off.
As others are adding their "ER visit under Medicare" stories - about 4 years ago I became suddenly ill with diffuse chest and abdominal pain. Wife called ambos, they checked me at home, loaded me into th ambulance after I vomited all over them(!) and took me to nearest ER. There I had a chest XRay, a CAT scan (with contrast) and a variety of blood tests. The issue resolved by itself without a cause being identified (which is frustrating) and I was sent home after about 5 hours. I showed my Medicare card when admitted - total charges $0 (including ambulance, which is free in Qld). The CT scan showed up some other possible issues which my GP then followed up with a series of 3 more CTs over the following 12 months - all bulk-billed $0 out of pocket for those too.
Medicare levy is 2% of my taxable income so a bit under $200/month - sounds like a win-win to me.
An interesting bit of trivia is that in New South Wales, although there is a call out fee for an ambulance, the cost is per distance and not per method. This covers by road, fixed wing aircraft or helicopter. If someone was injured on a cliff face at a beach for example, the trip by helicopter could potentially work out to be cheaper on a per kilometer basis. But even without insurance, the amount is low enough that the majority of people could afford the callout fee, but most would have this covered by private insurance.
For a trip for example from Coogee Beach to Prince of Wales by helicopter, is approximately AUD $450. In the US, the median cost of an Air Ambulance is closer to USD $38,000 and is rising considerably each year, well above inflation (estimated increase is 15% per year).
The difference is stark.
But the main issue as noted by many US based physicians who try to explain the issue on You Tube, is that every advanced economy (except the US), is either wholly or partially public, with a lot of the control and rigidity in the system, being driven by public economies of scale. There are standardised costs.
The US despite being larger, is made up of a lot of smaller private companies. They lose the economies of scale that even a country the size of Australia gains, and costs are driven by profit over health outcomes.
Actually, Canada, UK & Oz have some of the best Medicare for everybody and GP always prescribe generic medicine instead of brand medication(USA). Alot cheaper with the same function.
A lot of people from the UK actually rate Australia’s Medicare system better than their NHS.
We are so lucky with healthcare here in Australia. My husband had a kidney transplant last year and I was his donor. We were both in hospital for 6 days and our treatment was excellent. Transplant patients require ICU one one care, plus meds and anti rejection drugs was all covered by Medicare. We are so very grateful and thankful to the hospital and staff.
About a year ago I was rushed to Calvary hospital in Canberra with chest pains. When they realised that it wasn’t my heart they (correctly) suspected my gallbladder. Their ultrasound was closed for the so I had to wait about 6 hours which they were very apologetic about. I can’t imagine such a vital hospital facility closed for a whole weekend.
A couple of months after I was there they announced that their radiology department would be going 24/7
I had a triple bypass with multiple week stay followup rehab etc cost nothing. Beat that!
Be aware, when you are on Medicare, you will still come out of pocket to see a specialist. (honestly not much, maybe a couple hundred, and only up to $3500 per year, at which point it's capped) you do however get 80% back thru Medicare.
So example, I had to pay $160 for some X-rays and I claimed it thru mediecare, and they sent me back $120 (ish).
Also this is not emergency room specialists eg. er room X-rays, all emergency room is covered 100%.
@@hilliard665 I might be out of date with my experience (7 years ago) but I have had A couple CT’s and had no out of pockets. Don’t think I received a bill. I have private insurance too and have colonoscopies every 5 years at a private hospital. I sign a form when I book in and that’s the only paper work I see.
@VideosCPS I don't pay at all at a hospital, but when my gp has referred me to a specialist is the only time I've had to pay.
not necessarily - my specialist bulk billed.
It may just be queensland like this. I've noticed you have to pay for ambulances in other states but not here.
Thanks for your story Kaitlyn. Yes we are lucky here in Australian, I had a motorcycle accident nearly a year ago, I fractured my fifth finger and tore the radial collateral ligament off the bone on my first finger, which required surgery, from my visit to the emergency department, the casting and surgery to the rehab following the surgery, I’ve not had to pay anything. When I was told I required surgery I was booked in within I think 3 days. Yes, very grateful for for our healthcare system!!
Glad you've received good health care here, despite being excluded from Medicare for the time being. The American obsession with 'socialised' medicine seems so ridiculous to us. Americans are gung-ho about public schools. Universal basic health care really shouldn't freak them out!
“Guns-ho about public schools”? Hell no.
Public schools.... from a teacher who's done a little bit in the US, Canada and UK (about 9 months each over 3 years), before returning to civilisation in Australia... the UK has a national curriculum (actually 4, one for each constituent country, although broadly similar), which dictates what will be taught... the US is at the whims of the school district as to what is taught, there are state and federal standards of education, which are more suggestions than what is taught.... Canada, like Australia has a National Framework to which the state, province or territory interprets a curriculum focussed on geographically relevant touchstones.... glaciation and permafrost have little relevance to a student in Florida for field exploration.
It's elected people who've no knowledge of the chalkface who tell you what to teach in the US, and tell you that you're only worth a peanut wage.
If you understood the history of american healthcare, none of this or their concerns would be a surprise to you at all. Americans have contributed to the costs with their obsessions of wanting and demanding choices. The insurance companies gladly obliged, because that meant they could charge more. The medical facilities obliged to one - attract more and better contracts with insurance, and second - to appease its customers and competition against other medical providers to attract those customers. Ofc this is only one small portion of the issues and escalating costs that contributes, as there are many others as well. Americans also want all this done now (like they do with everything), and although there are wait times for various medical, it is nowhere near the amount of time it can be in AU. Needless to say a couple of decades ago I thought Americans would never deal with nor want a universal health care at any time in my life time. A decade ago I started to wonder if that was no longer the case and maybe Americans could be ok with universal healthcare. Decades ago I could never see most Americans putting up with having to wait 2 - 6 mo's to receive any basic medical services or simple day surgery (like endoscopy), when they can usually have that done in a week or two at most in the US. Decades ago I could never see most Americans putting up with not being able to have their choice in which hospital they went to for that day surgery done AND which Dr performed it. But things have been changing and more and more are actually seriously considering or wanting universal health care system.
One big stepping block for all americans getting onboard has been the cost of pharmacy. I was in the medical industry for quite some time (a long time ago) and I never understood the high cost of pharma in the US. It is like big pharma has two prices .... one for the US and one for the rest of the world. At any rate, most americans and politicians that has argued about and attempted to deal with medical insurance companies as being the majority of the blame for the high US health costs. When in reality that is only a portion of the blame. When Americans do complain about high pharma costs, that for the most part gets quickly ignored by the 2 major parties politicians. Lobbyists have done their job well in DC. Americans that generally have the biggest issues with pharma are typically the elderly whom simply often times have a lot of prescriptions and can not afford it. The rest of the minority of Americans that still do really care and do not forget, simply get their medicine from Canada (or maybe Mexico) for easily half the cost if not less. Insurance does have a cap for pharma costs that patients have to pay, and again while that is higher then practically anywhere else in the world. It is relatively speaking a small cost compared to the rest of US health care costs they pay. So they are quick to forget or give up on demanding pharma costs get dealt with. $20 or $60 is more then what it should be when anywhere else in the world they pay cheaper, but it is a drop in the bucket unless they have a lot of prescriptions and that quickly adds up (ie elderly). At any rate often times when a politician does campaign about pharma reform they have come up with these socialised medicine schemes, which might be better then the way it is currently, but they really are not that great of proposals. They are actually kinda scary proposals.
And no not all americans are gung-ho about public schools either. Yes a majority are. There is a decent sized minority that is not. So many times there seems to be a debate over private schools being eligible to receive a portion (if not all) of the costs that would have otherwise gone to public school system if parent chooses to have their kids in a private school. Many of this seems to crop up over special needs kids in particular, as it depends where you are in the US, but generally speaking the public school systems fail miserably. So many have lil choice but to send their kids to private school, or to have their kids attend public school but with additional classes from the private sector. Like online private tutors, etc. I have not been in the US for a decade now, so not sure how it is currently. But my prior first 40 years experience with that issue continuously propping up ever now and then, I would gather not much has changed.
You don't realize how much anti- socialized medicine propaganda has been shoved down people's throats by those who profit off our system in the USA.
It’s maybe the time period for care you’ll notice ….. public emergency rooms on Medicare you can sit there for 2/3/4 hours before being looked at, but private emergency for a small fee is ALOT quicker as you experienced.
I had to have an annual check medical checkup. My GP referred me to a cardiologist, who in turn sent me for thallium scan. All precautionary and nothing was wrong. I didn't have to pay a red cent for any of it, oh I did have to pay for parking at the heart clinic!
I see my cardiologist every year for a check up, ECG, chest echocardiogram, 24hr Holter monitor and blood test. This is all precautionary because I have episodes of atrial fibrillation. Costs me nothing.
Australia:
Endoscopy and Colonoscopy done last week, private hospital, private insurance. Total Cost $0
2 months ago : Spinal Surgery, Microdiscectomy L6/S1, Private Hospital, My choice of Specialist, private insurance, everything including initial consult, surgery, including anesthetist, surgeon, assistant surgeon etc etc, 2 night stay in hospital, followup post surgery, etc, scans, blood work, xrays etc total out of pocket $1,900 AUD ($1,350 USD). I could of gotten it done for free under medicare but I would of had to wait several months.
I’m glad your hospital visit turned out to be relatively cheap but I hope you don’t have to go again. Thanks for your perspective Kaitlyn
If you're close to Sydney and have an urgent eye issue, go to the Sydney Eye Hospital Emergency Dept. You literally get out of Martin Place train station and it's across the road.
One small point, Emergency Departments in Australian hospitals tend to have more than one room. I worked in large public hospitals in Melbourne for 22 years (in a non-medical role) and heard it referred to as "Emergency", "Emerg", "ED", "Casualty" and "Cas", but never "Emergency Room" or "ER".
Emergency departments in North America are usually called the ER, even though they have more than one room. Reference the TV series "ER". The sign outside at my local hospital here in Canada says "Emergency". I believe inside the hospital it's labeled as Emergency Department and referred to as Emerge or the ER. "ED" usually stands for erectile dysfunction here.
You can go to the public emergency, they will just charge you as a private patient. Private emergency departments in Australia are bare-bones and expensive, if you have a serious problem they'll just transfer you to the public hospitals, which are better resourced.
I broke my back when I came off my horse 400km’s from Perth. I was picked up by an ambulance and taken to a small hospital in my town, from there I was transported by ambulance to a hospital in the nearest larger town, from there I was flown by the RFDS to Perth. I spent four months in Royal Perth hospital and Shenton Park Spinal Unit, going between the two as I had a major operation on my spine. I had multiple MRI’s, a back brace fitted, etc. I then went home, but every month for another six months I was flown on a public flight to Perth for rehab appointments. I then went back to Perth for a final operation to remove the metal rods in my spine. It cost me nothing, not one cent. Thank god for our medical system.
You'll find Optometry also comes under Medicare. Some Optometrists bulk bill their professional fees, some don't but the out of pock expenses for consultations is relatively low.
Private health insurance subsidises the cost of optical devices such as spectacles and contact lenses.
When I worked at a hospital in Los Angeles my HMO insurance was $20, a doctor's visit was $20 and the wait time was fast, within 15 to 20 min, a visit to ER was $20 with no additional fees, I often have chest pains so they would do an EKG, where I work the ER visit is free, my 30 day supply of Vicodin or Lortab was $20 at CVS, a co-worker got admitted for UTI and her out-of-pocket was just $20. I have a friend paying $400 monthly for her insurance.
As someone who has lived in both countries I 100% endorse everything Kinda says.
I love how she says "biccy" and "cuppa" now. She's really becoming one of us! I've been to Emergency twice. Once for really chronic food poisoning, the other time I had appendicitis and needed surgery. Of course I didn't pay for anything. I do normally pay to see my own GP, but the Government pays me back through the Medicare rebate.
Cuppa what? And what is biccy?
@@christinebutler7630 oh gorgeous! Cuppa is "cup of tea or coffee". Biccy is short for biscuit, biscuit means cookie.
I was flown from Birdsville to Charleville hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor with a serious leg infection.I spent one week in hospital then flown back to Birdsville by the RFDS.Total cost was $0.
If worst comes to worst , there is a eye hospital in the city by the Hyde park barracks
The Sydney Eye Hospital is one of the best eye hospitals in the world, I had a cornea transplant last year there and can tell you many doctors from overseas were training there because of the expertise and international recognition.
I had my retina reattached plus two follow up operations at Sydney Eye Hospital. They were fantastic. Sydney Eye Hospital is also an internationally recognised teaching hospital. People come from all around the world to train at Sydney Eye Hospital.
I was under Dr Andrew Chang, one of the best in the business but the guy who performed my first operation was a young visiting Swiss doctor.
I had to stay in over night. The morning after my operation, Dr Chang came to see me. The first thing he said was "Your eye was fcuked" I laughed my arse off. I still can't see out of my left eye.
@@jurgentreue1200 Did the doctors tell you there that the Liberals were going to axe Medicare? Is that part of the consultation too ?🤔
@@paulsz6194,, if the Liberals axed Medicare they'll be voted out and never take power ever again. The conservatives have been chipping away at Medicare for decades.
@@jurgentreue1200 exactly. But I don’t know what parts of Medicare they have chipped away at...
Medicare also have a reciprocal agreement with others countries for emergency care such as UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Finland, Malta, New Zealand, Slovenia and few others.
My brother (NZ citizen) had a medical event in Australia that resulted in multiple skull fractures, an air ambulance, brain surgery, and a stay in intensive care then a head injury ward. He was released four weeks later, total cost...zip, nada, nothing
If he was a Kiwi we should have charged him twice as much as that.
apparently attendance at the ED at the (private) epworth hospital in Melbourne is $400 out of pocket. Car parking can be $60 if you are there for more than 4 hours.
I was on holiday a few years ago and had a fall resulting in a GD3 tear of my right quadricep I went to hospital in Tasmania I spent 3 weeks in hospital there I was flown back to Darwin in the Northern Territory, I then spent a further 4 months in hospital hundreds of tests ultra sounds x-rays blood tests and MRI’s plus multiple surgeries. at the end of all that I literally just got up out of bed walked out of the hospital went home. The total cost of all that to me was $0.00. I love the Australian health care system
Keep going... I lived in the US for 9 years. You're in good hands in Australia.
My only emergency room story.
I got bitten by a spyder (that I couldn't identify), and started psychosomatic symptoms so decided to go to hospital.
I went to the triage at the emergency room and told them what happened. Their first question was: "Have you developed any super powers yet"? so we all had a good laugh and I tried to find any latent powers... Then left.
Yeah same here, was bitten by a redback, cost me nothing to go in
I have private health cover , 137.00 a month. Two stays private hospital $0.00. Major heart surgery in Hobart public ICU, CCU 8 days $0.00
And two trips ambulance Tasmania and one trip private ambulance to Calvary for CTA scan cost $0.00
Oh I lied it cost me $50.00 for 8 prescriptions to take home . All meds in hospital covered
Thank you Kaitlyn for sharing your story… our health care system is not too bad here. All Aussie workers pay 1.5% tax for Medicare plus some of us pay around AUD$4,000 additional for private insurance. In a public hospital cost for treatment is free, but can be a long wait. I once waited 4 hours in pain from gallbladder stones. Was on a waiting list for 6 months before having the operation… all free with no out of pocked cost. I could have gone to a private hospital with no waiting period, but the cost would have been capped at $500 by my health insurance.
Visit to a General Practitioner (GP) is usually free, and prescription medication is about $7 for generic brands. Also, any injuries from road accidents is covered by VicRoads (in Victoria) including any rehabilitation treatments. But, we all pay about $800pa as part of our vehicle registration.
Enjoy your journey down the “rabbit hole”… 👍🇦🇺
I got spinal fusion surgery with a decompress and gauze and rods and screws put in my spine. It cost me about $20 but that was the fee for the t.v. And I was angry parting with that lobster.
As an Indonesian which is Australia’s closest neighbour, you have been very successful in convincing me NOT to entertain the idea of sending my kids to study in the US.
Why choose to go that far when Australia is this close and this excellent?
I myself have experienced firsthand how awesome Aus healthcare system is when it came to treating my sister’s breast cancer. It did come to our mind to move her to Houston, Texas to afford her better care. Let’s just say we are glad that we didn’t do that. It would have been too wallet-busting and didn’t bring any game-changing outcome anyway.
Just a quick correction. The 1.5% Medicare levy on taxable income is paid by all individual taxpayers whether or not you have private health insurance. You can't avoid the Medicare levy by getting private health insurance but if you do take it up you get a government rebate of 30% on your private insurance premiums.
I have seen many comparisons in regards to health care between the US and other countries. I am glad you had a good experience. If you could not pay the amount for your visit, you are also able to enter into a payment plan to pay it off over a few months. It seems that even the Government and the insurance companies know that if you go bankrupt, they get nothing, so they try to make it easier and actually work with you. Our Medicare is not perfect, far from it, but it does provide at least basic care for everyone that is eligible, if not, your private insurance doesn't cost a silly amount
Relations experiences:
1. vague tummy problems...wait 90 minutes to be seen, wait more in the 'arena' (where all the beds are). 2 hours later, junior doctor turns up. Another hour, another doctor. Suggest overnight. Home next day with some tabs and 'come again' if needed.
2. car crash, some neck pain, history of whiplash. Ambo to hospital. Straight to the major trauma room. Three surgeons, two or three nurses, a couple of others, I couldn't see from where I was. More people turned up to 'log roll' him onto the exam table. Careful exam, stabilise head, off to CT, back. All faster than blinking!
3. relative on chemo, acute pain in the arm with the pump insert (PIC line, I think), private hospital, but as a patient, no cover charge, straight to trauma room, senior surgeon comes, examines, mild analgesia. Found out later other consultant attends, diagnoses, and administers endone, plus script. No charge.
I'm glad that you had a positive experience with an ED here. Generally Australian emergency departments are excellent; there are rigorous requirements for hospitals to be accredited so they have to have a high standard of care and good patient flow models. Universal free public health care is a feature of advanced social democracies (not socialism) whereas the U.S. is a neoliberal-styled capitalist system where profits are the main objective.
USA invests in its corporations... Australia invests in its people
Not all hospitals are equal, country hospitals have trouble attracting the most able staff, infact even many suburban hospitals can be mediocre. Best to attend a teaching hospital where the specialists are being trained. The care in these facilities is supervised by the best in the land.
The vast majority of hospitals do not make much of a profit from ER services. In fact most actually lose money. US hospital also have rigorous requirements in order to maintain their accredited certifications as well. But unlike it is here in the AU, in the US they compete with all the other medical providers and so they try to obtain as many and all of them they can in order to compete and attract patients. In other words in the US they actually spend way more time and effort getting obtaining certifications, much of it is wasted instead of sharing various services (and costs, etc) like can be done in a universal health care system. I realize this is just based on her actual experiences, but really an ER is not a fair comparison. I am sure her follow up more extensive video will be much better and a lot more fair comparison.
Also FYI, you do realize the US also has many non-profit hospitals as well right? They struggle to stay in business and are not really much cheaper than all the other hospitals. Hospitals in the US in general are just not that profitable. The issues of cost is many and way more complex.
In 2015 I had a quad bypass and was in hospital for over two weeks (private hospital). My out of pocket was $A750. We do do good some times.
Glad you had a great experience here with our healthcare, and maybe book in for your flu vaccination at chemist warehouse for around $12, especially while you wait for your Medicare to come through.
I can only wonder how much that would cost in the USA.. mind you, it probably only costs Chemist warehouse $2 max for that shot.
@@paulsz6194 i was surprised that she said she couldn't go a public hospital because she had private insurance. Is that really the case as it doesn't seem right to me.
@@ianmontgomery7534 yes, that’s true. As I’ve been at hospital for a surgery,(ripped open my finger) and they will ask you if you have health insurance, and whether you would like to be admitted as a private patient , and how it helps the medical system, etc..
@@paulsz6194 American here. Flu vaccine and Covid vaccines can be given at pharmacies at no cost. Federal government pays. Cost of meds are too high because our politicians will not allow any real bargaining with pharma companies. I used to work in pharma and the mark-up for drugs can be over 100%. There is no control, so US patients frequently subsidized bargained costs in rest of the world. It is maddening. Medicare (over 65) is still not allowed to negotiate directly with pharma. As for duplicate services in hospitals, I live in a state where there used to be 3 heart transplant centers. Local politicians opted to open up ability for transplant, so there are now 4 in my city alone and probably 15 or more in the state; each hospital had to pay for equipment and teams, so now the cost is up and no one hospital gets enough patients to justify the costs or give doctors enough transplant experience. Planned stupidity.
You actually can attend a public hospital and use your private cover. My grandparents came to Australia and I paid their private cover since they don’t have Medicare obviously.
My grandfather had a heart episode and was admitted to the public hospital for monitoring.
I handled the insurance issues- and it was almost nothing at all.
All Australian's over 50 get a bowel cancer screen test kit posted to them every 2 year's. I completed mine and dropped it at the clinic next to the doctors the forgot all about it. Two weeks later doctor made me an appointment to see him, blood in the poop. He then booked me into hospital in one week. Got the camera AND the selfie stick up the clacker. Turns out to be a polyp, it was removed and sent for a biopsy (all good). Total cost was about $80 au. I think 3% of our income tax goes towards funding the medicare system. It's good, people that are having a hard time making ends meet are never left without medical care. Ambulance cover is $180 per year.
My personal recent experience (Australian, pensioner on Medicare): About 3 and a half months ago I had a fall which I took on my right hand - broken wrist and twisted foot. I went to the hospital via cab, had maybe an hour in the waiting area, another hour in diagnostic bay, interrupted by x-rays, and ended up staying overnight in a room full of recliners off a staff area. I presume that is for lower needs cases that don't need to be laying down specifically. The reason I had to overnight is they didn't have the doctors in to reset my arm. My arm was seen to in the morning - had to do two rounds of that, thankfully the second was under heavier sedation.
Because I am a pensioner (disability), I got it covered by Medicare, as with the following appointments. Near the end of that months it was diagnosed that it wasn't fully aligned so I had surgery - another overnight stay - also covered by Medicare, with the following check-ups.
My wrist is fine now, a few minor aches at times and a scar, but that is all.
Ask yourself why.
The USA spends roughly twice the percentage of GDP on health as the OECD average yet has low life expectancy and high infant mortality.
Something to consider that is often overlook.
The rest of the developed world pay some sort of direct levy or tax to support socialized health care .
In the USA your health care insurance cost is not only your direct out off pocket expense Your employees contribution is a cost to them on your employment and is part of your total remuneration package.
If you add total medical insurance costs to USA tax rates they are insanely high.
@@robertlee6338 I agree with most you said. Yes in the US it is a smaller portion that pays to support the health care. Most young adults, whom are healthy, typically do not and could care less. While in stark contrast you also have the elderly who usually need services more than most, yet once again are retired and no longer paying taxes, yet can no longer afford insurance either. They are covered under US Medicare system, which is paying for health services even though they (US govt) is no longer getting taxes from them. But this is just only one contributing factor to cause of such high US health care system.
HOWEVER, that is not how hospitals work. Hospitals charge more for cash patients then they collect from insurance companies. It is not insurance companies that is covering the next patient. Only IF the cash patient does not pay, but the majority of them do pay. So in other words since more than half cash patients are paying, and paying more then they would have gotten from insurance provider, it is a cash patient that has paid for the other cash patient that was not able to. In reality that is not it either though, the hospital simply writes it off. Hospitals have huge write offs, most of which is actually from insurance payors, because they have contracted negotiated payments for all various services. Regardless what amount the hospital actually bills for.
In regards to the medication provided, most Australian hospitals have their own pharmacy, and will provide a limited amount of medication to tide you over till you see your GP to get a prescription.
There was a documentary I watched a few year's ago comparing the health care in different countries and Australia ranked very highly and the US was near the bottom. I can't understand why people in the US are against universal health care. A measure of country is how it treats it's citizens and health and education shouldn't be the domain of the wealthy.
I stems from the fact that Universal Healthcare is a socialised system. This immediately makes people (mistakenly) think "Socialist" and, thanks to the HUAC and McCarthyism, ti even consider such a thing would be "Un-American".
Sadly, no healthcare system can sure indoctrinated stupidity
Not all of us in the USA are against government health care. The amount of propaganda put out by the health care industry is very heavy so many people can't make an informed choice.
@@Catlily5 Does the US still have Obama care or did Trump remove it. In Australia if you can't afford private health care we have Medicare which is for all citizens and it,'s free.
@@georgepappas4628 We still have Obamacare which is a big improvement. It still doesn't cover as much as Australian Health Care. Especially in the states that didn't expand Medicaid.
Had a pimple under my eye get infected on a flight to USA, eye closed up with swelling. Visited Herndon ER - $1000 for a visit and needed antibiotics (Keflex - USD $100). In Australia a GP visit would be free and the Keflex would be subsidised (AUD $12). I never saw the doctor in Herndon.
WE LOVE YOU KAITLYN!!! such a lovely addition to our country ♥
I had 6 months chemo completely covered by Medicare, there are times private insurance bid good if wanting immediate surgery like knee surgery but if it’s an emergency you’re covered by medicare. All o had to pay was $5.50 fortnight for anti nausea medication. Also had 3 emergency surgeries. We are lucky.
Before Australia adopted socialized medicine the most common reason for personal bankruptcy was exactly what it is now in the US: medical bills. There's a lesson in that, I suspect.
vlogbrothers has a video on why healthcare costs are so high in the USA.
They say it is mostly because they don't have single payer.
I'm a resident of New Zealand, haven't applied for citizenship at this stage. I sprained my ankle at work a month or so ago. I was sent down to the local medical centre. I spoke to reception and identified my employer and told them the employer would pick up the bill and to invoice them directly. I was triaged by a nurse before seeing a doctor. The doctor sent me for an X-ray which was carried out by a separate clinic in the same building. I was told the cost of the X-ray was $50, again I told them that my employer would pay. I went back to see the doctor who assessed the X-ray, strapped the ankle and discussed ongoing treatment. I was offered a prescription $5 for pain relief.
A week later I received an invoice for the X-ray which I forwarded to work, and I had no out of pocket expense and I received full pay for the 2 and a half days of work I missed. 80% from the government and the other 20% out of the 10 days sick leave I receive annually from work.
If you had gone through the hospital, the x-ray would have been free too
@@chronicmanda because it happened at work I was directed to a particular clinic, but I will bear that in mind for future occasions, thanks.
I recently had an accident on my bicycle and had nasty skin tears on my arms. I went to my local private hospital, paid the $250 fee and received excellent care with no wait including x-ray of my arm and 2 follow up visits for dressings all included in the price. I could have gone to a public hospital, but would have probably had to wait much longer.