Having a low income is like being a kid again – though now every expense comes with guilt | Deirdre Fidge
Having a low income is like being a kid again – though now every expense comes with guilt | Deirdre Fidge
Do I spend hundreds of dollars on a specialist or leave health issues untreated? My choices often involve weighing up which flavour of guilt I’ll feel
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Does Australia not have public health care?
It does. Our healthcare is subsidised by the government. A visit to the doctor isn't free, though - as most (almost all) doctors charge more for a consult than what the government covers. Someone struggling financially as much as the author of this article should be eligible for a Health Care Card though, which should give an almost 100% discount on all things medical.
I don't know that the point of the article was healthcare specifically, or more of a "people are poor, yo!" piece. Because ultimately there are times where people do genuinely struggle financially and may not avail themselves of all the support services the government provides, because they see their circumstances as temporary, or are too embarrassed to admit they need help or other personal reasons.
Someone struggling financially as much as the author of this article should be eligible for a Health Care Card though, which should give an almost 100% discount on all things medical.
Did you mean "should" as in "should in a perfect world"? Because the Health Care Card definitely does not get anywhere close to providing a 100% discount on healthcare.
It's a bit about the psychology of poverty as well, in that the societal view of being poor has an undercurrent of victim blaming, and individuals often absorb that and feel a sense of guilt and shame for something that isn't their fault. Even more so with people on welfare, although the article didn't address that directly.
I know that for myself, when I've been between jobs (sometimes for a month or two at a time) over the years, I haven't bothered dealing with Centrelink etc, because the dole wouldn't even cover my rent. I just lived off savings and got myself back out there. Also had help from family a couple of times.
It does but unfortunately it is far from perfect. Dental is not covered for example.
Oh dang, that sucks. Root canals and crowns are a hell of a thing
Specialist fees (and nowadays a lot of GP fees for that matter) are not fully covered by the Medicare rebate. Typically you'll pay about $300 for an standard consultation appointment and get not quite half of that back.
Shoot, was it more comprehensive coverage before?
GP fees have increased steadily over the last decade but the previous conservative Liberal/National coalition government froze the Medicare rebate in 2014 to try to force more of a user-pays system into place, which led more and more practices to stop bulk billing (only charging the rebate amount, meaning no cost to the patient). The current Labor government (ostensibly centre-left but arguably more centre-right now) has increased the rebate, but it hasn't been enough to significantly reverse the trend yet. Specialist fees have always had an out of pocket cost in my adult lifetime (15-20 years).
Yes, but not for specialist care in all cases. And most practices don't bulk bill anymore so that can be an issue if you have no savings.
Shoot, thanks