2011-02-01, 07:01 PM
disclaimer: I havent bothered to read all the arguments yet, but this is my POV of the Australian medicare scheme.
In Australia, this is how it roughly works when it comes to healthcare. You work, you pay tax. There are brackets that determines how much you pay. An average person usually pay around 30% of their wages to tax (lets not going into deductions etc).
One of the thing you have to pay is the "Medicare levy", which is standard to everyone, and if you earn < 50k pa, then you do not have to pay excess. Otherwise, you need to pay 0.05% extra if you earn > 50k. Now, if you get private health insurance with hospital cover, then you're exempted from the extra levy.
Every Australian resident has a "Medicare card". This card covers things like doctor visits, etc. It also covers a portion of some medical expenses, eg if you broke your arm, you may claim around 60% of your expenses back.
There is another card calls the "Healthcare card", which can be obtained if you pass certain criterion. This card allows you to buy medicines at a discounted rate (subjected to the government subsidy scheme). There are many meds that a healthcare card holder can buy for like $3, whereas I would have to pay around $30. Anyhow, the subsidy is quite significant.
Then, you have your private insurance card, which you have certain benefits. With private health, I can visit the dentist twice a year for general cleanup for free. It can subsidize a huge amount of my optical spending, chiro, etc. The extra with hospital cover option is so that you can go to a private hospital in case anything happens to you, over a public hospital. I pay approximately $60/month for my coverage plan.
With a Medicare card however, you may go to a public hospital without the need to pay any extras most of the time. The only problem with public hospital is that it can be slow. I recently took someone to the emergency room and she got examined, put on the drip and (should have been) seen by a doctor. All are being covered by Medicare.
In Australia, this is how it roughly works when it comes to healthcare. You work, you pay tax. There are brackets that determines how much you pay. An average person usually pay around 30% of their wages to tax (lets not going into deductions etc).
One of the thing you have to pay is the "Medicare levy", which is standard to everyone, and if you earn < 50k pa, then you do not have to pay excess. Otherwise, you need to pay 0.05% extra if you earn > 50k. Now, if you get private health insurance with hospital cover, then you're exempted from the extra levy.
Every Australian resident has a "Medicare card". This card covers things like doctor visits, etc. It also covers a portion of some medical expenses, eg if you broke your arm, you may claim around 60% of your expenses back.
There is another card calls the "Healthcare card", which can be obtained if you pass certain criterion. This card allows you to buy medicines at a discounted rate (subjected to the government subsidy scheme). There are many meds that a healthcare card holder can buy for like $3, whereas I would have to pay around $30. Anyhow, the subsidy is quite significant.
Then, you have your private insurance card, which you have certain benefits. With private health, I can visit the dentist twice a year for general cleanup for free. It can subsidize a huge amount of my optical spending, chiro, etc. The extra with hospital cover option is so that you can go to a private hospital in case anything happens to you, over a public hospital. I pay approximately $60/month for my coverage plan.
With a Medicare card however, you may go to a public hospital without the need to pay any extras most of the time. The only problem with public hospital is that it can be slow. I recently took someone to the emergency room and she got examined, put on the drip and (should have been) seen by a doctor. All are being covered by Medicare.