Sydney to Manila Flights

[OnMyWay]

4 hours ago, BrettGC said:

waited far too long for the surgery and that has priority. 

Save some time and money, and head up to Subic.  I'm handy with a scalpel and soldering iron, and I work for beer!

 

[JJReyes]

On 5/23/2024 at 10:17 PM, BrettGC said:

Nah mate, just finally getting the hernia fixed up.  After 3 years I'm finally near the top of the Medicare list.

Something similar is beginning to happen with US Medicare.  The government reimbursement is lower than private insurance and the medical professional does not like it.  Seniors are given low priority.  Maybe it is also a tactic to get the government to increase reimbursements.  For minor issues, we visit medical facilities overseas and pay the bills out-of-pocket.  This includes a major surgery while in Ecuador.  There will always be private medical clinics and hospitals that meet global standards in every country.

[Gator]

5 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Something similar is beginning to happen with US Medicare

I think it’s been going on for a while. 5 or 6 years ago two of my cousins doctors, her GP and Cardiologist, stopped taking any new Medicare / Medicaid  patients. They both said it was due to the cuts in reimbursement, waiting time to receive same and the increased amount of paperwork involved. 

[Mike J]

20 hours ago, BrettGC said:

It's under way. Still waiting.  Just covering all bases if it's not approved by the time I need to depart, we'll re-enter under balikbayan.  If that messes up the 13a, so be it; waited far too long for the surgery and that has priority. 

I sort of remember being told that you could leave during the one year probationary but you had to inform BOI and depending on the reason for leaving, length of time away, you 13A would continue to be processed.  It has been quite a few years since I received my 13A so my memory could be fuzzy or things have changed.  That being said you should check it out prior to leaving for the surgery.

[BrettGC]

8 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Something similar is beginning to happen with US Medicare.  The government reimbursement is lower than private insurance and the medical professional does not like it.  Seniors are given low priority.  Maybe it is also a tactic to get the government to increase reimbursements.  For minor issues, we visit medical facilities overseas and pay the bills out-of-pocket.  This includes a major surgery while in Ecuador.  There will always be private medical clinics and hospitals that meet global standards in every country.

It doesn't work like that in Australia.  Medicare procedures are done in public government funded and owned hospitals so if its non-life threatening, you go into a queue.  If the doctor works in a public hospital, he gets paid the scheduled fee.  In most states the majority of hospitals are government owned and run.  Waiting lists have been a thing since Medicare's inception in the 80s.  No out of pocket for the patient, not even the meds they subscribe on discharge. 

34 minutes ago, Mike J said:

I sort of remember being told that you could leave during the one year probationary but you had to inform BOI and depending on the reason for leaving, length of time away, you 13A would continue to be processed.  It has been quite a few years since I received my 13A so my memory could be fuzzy or things have changed.  That being said you should check it out prior to leaving for the surgery.

BOI has told me the same thing.  I'm just hedging my bets despite this in case it's not approved prior to departure.  Better to plan for the worst is my axiom. 

Edited May 27 by BrettGC

[GeoffH]

25 minutes ago, BrettGC said:

If the doctor works in a public hospital, he gets paid the scheduled fee.  In most states the majority of hospitals are government owned and run.  Waiting lists have been a thing since Medicare's inception in the 80s.

Well... sort of; some doctors (including my cardiologist) work in public hospitals but see both public and private patients in that hospital.

Taking Bendigo hospital (which I'm most familiar with) he might be doing rounds and see a private patient and a public patient in the same design of shared room in the same hospital (not all private patients have single room cover) and he'd get paid one rate for seeing the public patient and a different rate for seeing the private patient on the same day.

Some people admit as a private patient to jump the medicare waiting list, I've done that in that past.

[BrettGC]

1 minute ago, GeoffH said:

Well... sort of; some doctors (including my cardiologist) work in public hospitals but see both public and private patients in that hospital.

Taking Bendigo hospital (which I'm most familiar with) he might be doing rounds and see a private patient and a public patient in the same design of shared room in the same hospital (not all private patients have single room cover) and he'd get paid one rate for seeing the public patient and a different rate for seeing the private patient on the same day.

Some people admit as a private patient to jump the medicare waiting list, I've done that in that past.

Yeah I know, I've been a private patient in a public hospital myself, I just didn't want to complicate the explanation too much. I dropped my private health cover when I left Australia.  Best I can tell the hernia actually happened on the way here with oversized bags or when I was packing stuff up to put into storage prior to departure.... Great timing so here I am on the waiting list.  

[GeoffH]

2 minutes ago, BrettGC said:

 Great timing so here I am on the waiting list.  

I hope you have a trouble free surgery and recovery.

[BrettGC]

2 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

I hope you have a trouble free surgery and recovery.

Thanks mate.  It was a bit of a circus getting on the list from overseas without physically seeing an Aussie doctor but it is doable.  I should make a post about how I managed it. 

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, BrettGC said:

Thanks mate.  It was a bit of a circus getting on the list from overseas without physically seeing an Aussie doctor but it is doable.  I should make a post about how I managed it. 

That would be interesting (and potentially useful) to me others, if and when you've got spare time it would be appreciated... but no rush, get yourself seen to first.