HIGH VALUE NEED
- Have the choice of your own doctor or specialist for treatment, as well as the location of that treatment.
- Health insurance allows you greater control over the timing of your hospital treatment. In the public hospital system you may go on a waiting list, based on the assessment of how urgent your treatment is. You could wait more than what is clinically recommended for elective surgery; sometimes longer than 6 or even 12 months.
SPECIFIC STRATEGY
- Private Health Insurance
OUTCOME
- You can be treated at your convenience, and avoid being put on a public hospital waiting list. You will have greater control in being able to choose your own doctor or specialist treatment, and the location of that treatment. In a public hospital, there is no guarantee that a doctor or specialist is available at the time of your treatment, or that the same doctor will oversee your post recovery period.
- Depending on your circumstances, you may be exempt from paying the Medicare Levy Surcharge, which is a further 1% of your taxable income (in addition to the 1.5% Medicare Levy) payable by people who do not take out private health insurance.
