Or it could be considered sufficient renumeration for services rendered. If you werent happy with the cost of your open heart surgery Lord Herbert you can always hand it back.

Lord Herbert wrote on May 13^th, 2014 at 9:29am:



I didn't read all the link you posted but I paid over $200 for my first visit to a specialist earlier this year and just over $100 each time I went to see her after that.  And yes, the last time I saw her she told me I would need a new referral to see her next year. It does look to be a rip off if the only reason for a new referral is to charge the higher fee and not a requirement by medicare.

I'm not complaining because she sent me to see a brilliant surgeon and I am now better than I have been for years.

tickleandrose wrote on May 13^th, 2014 at 10:52am:


I opted out of private health care after 11 years of weekly payments on my payslip.

In 11 years I only once needed to use my private health care credentials ... and then they billed me $240 for a simple job of removing a build-up of wax in my ears. Back home the same day.

Needless to say I cancelled this rort the very next day at the pay office.

Been a happy bulk-biller ever since.

That was MBF ... which had so much money in reserves that the NSW premier of the time ordered them to start giving their clients some REAL benefits for what they had been paying for.

Rosie wrote on May 13^th, 2014 at 11:04am:


That's great news, Rosie ~ I'm happy for you. 

I've always gone to Sydney's several university hospitals where the services are free because you are part of the team that's helping to train the post-grads.

I've never had anything but excellent service.

     You think that's bad? Try having a look at the contracts of surgeons etc that "service" public hospitals, if you can?
     They get priority of all theatres etc for their private patients, all those costs borne by the public hospital, and they can at any time bypass the public waiting list to do so.
    Do you wonder at the waiting times for serious operations? That's why, they are required to do the public ones as per their contracts, but they get to choose when and who they do. They can opt out at any time without penalty, they are the "gods" of the system, answerable to no-one! Their private patients get priority at all times in wards, services, and everything else, at public expense!
    For this they are paid huge fees, and they as a group generally get to dictate those fees and their remuneration packages, three MONTHS paid leave is almost standard, and of course they are entitled to keep seeing private patients and using up public resources to do so, and be paid for that, while technically " on leave".
     I nurse I knew who worked in Admin at a public hospital once told me that a small group of surgeons and their perks represented over 60% of that hospitals annual budget! 
       I've been told also that back when the Feds inflicted a parliament etc on the ACT, despite a local referendum that rejected that, then that parliament attempted to put surgeons on straightforward employment contracts, so all the surgeons black-listed Canberra hospitals in retaliation!
       But it's not about the money, oh no, of course not, just as it's not about the money when there's 1 doctor per 400 in Sydney's northern suburbs compared to 1 for every 4000 in the Western 'burbs, and country practices have to import foreign docs because no Aussie one will work out there
      Is it any wonder they scrapped the Hippocratic Oath for their graduation ceremony's?

austranger wrote on May 13^th, 2014 at 1:12pm:


I didn't find that to be true.  I had to wait for a bed just the same as anyone else. I was treated no different to any other patient, the only difference was I had to pay. 

It was quite funny in a strange sort of way how different things are in hospital these days to when I had my kids getting on for 50 years ago.  When I had the kids I was in hospital for a week and not allowed to do anything during that week.  It was a maternity ward so most patients were new mothers.  This time it was a free for all with musical beds so to speak.  After my op I had to wait in the ICU until a bed became available and when it did I found myself in a four bed room with two ladies and one young lad.  One lady was discharged and the other lady kicked up a fuss because she wanted to move into the empty bed near the window.  The nursing staff were brilliant and never once complained and the lady was moved. 

Very soon after that another young lad came into the empty bed.  It wasn't long before the two lads realised they were both in the hospital with the same problem so they had lots to talk about.  About this time I went for a walk down to the coffee shop and when I got back the lady who had been moved to the bed near the window had been moved again, this time to another room. The bed didn't stay empty for long and I will say the nurse asked me if I wanted to move as they were going to have to put another male in the empty bed but I stayed put as I was going home in the morning anyway.

It's a strange world we live in and this would never have happened 50 years ago.

My surgeon was brilliant, the anaesthetist was brilliant, the nursing staff were brilliant and I'm still around to tell the tale.  Maybe I did jump the queue because I went private but that's the way the system works and I make no apologies.

Cause I'm not a burden on society?