Aussies. I haters please. Genuine discussion.

[patongphil]

<deleted> does perdition mean??

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.  

[Odysseus123]

26 minutes ago, patongphil said:

<deleted> does perdition mean??

Look it up on google.

 

You are well on the way.

[Centra]

Are you sure you are paying the same price as Australia. Last March helped a friend to travel to Bali twice to get full upper dentures and repair and bridges for the bottom. $10,000 quote for all the dental work not including the dentures. 4 Adult flights accommodation for 2 weeks the first time and again 3 months later for a week and all insurances $6000 total.

https://www.goinsurance.com.au/dental-tourism-insurance/

[totally thaied up]

40 minutes ago, Centra said:

Are you sure you are paying the same price as Australia. Last March helped a friend to travel to Bali twice to get full upper dentures and repair and bridges for the bottom. $10,000 quote for all the dental work not including the dentures. 4 Adult flights accommodation for 2 weeks the first time and again 3 months later for a week and all insurances $6000 total.

https://www.goinsurance.com.au/dental-tourism-insurance/

I had my gallbladder taken out last year - cost me $10,000 for starters. I could not fly home as it hemorrhaged.  Teeth cost nothing here but you get truly sick like I did, $10,000 is just the start of it all.

 

Would have been free under Medicare

[Odysseus123]

8 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

I had my gallbladder taken out last year - cost me $10,000 for starters. I could not fly home as it hemorrhaged.  Teeth cost nothing here but you get truly sick like I did, $10,000 is just the start of it all.

 

Would have been free under Medicare

Indeed..

 

I dare say that I would hate to see the current costs of my treatment under Medicare..

 

But I will forego that particular pleasure.

 

On the other hand the costs of my artificial limbs are $9,000 and $6,500 respectively..

 

Of course I am sitting back here and waiting for the next round of "A leg of lamb costs.."

 

ROTFLAMAO

Edited June 22, 2019 by Odysseus123

[CygnusX1]

9 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

Would have been free under Medicare

People shouldn’t gain the impression that everything’s free under Medicare. Couple of months ago I visited a doctor in Australia to have my ears dewaxed, the fee was around $75. Less than half of that amount, $35, was refunded to me by Medicare. When I broke my pelvis a few years ago, I would have been up for a fortune if it hadn’t been covered by workers’ compensation.

[Odysseus123]

1 minute ago, CygnusX1 said:

People shouldn’t gain the impression that everything’s free under Medicare. Couple of months ago I visited a doctor in Australia to have my ears dewaxed, the fee was around $75. Less than half of that amount, $35, was refunded to me by Medicare. When I broke my pelvis a few years ago, I would have been up for a fortune if it hadn’t been covered by workers’ compensation.

Of course you did.

 

It is well nigh miraculous just how many Aussies pop up so opportunely on this forum.

And what particular part of Aussie did you come from?

 

I am really interested to know..

 

At present..visit to physician-0

Visit to oncologist.$55.

Ct scan-0

Pet scan-0

All blood tests--0

Chemo-0

[madmen]

21 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

People shouldn’t gain the impression that everything’s free under Medicare. Couple of months ago I visited a doctor in Australia to have my ears dewaxed, the fee was around $75. Less than half of that amount, $35, was refunded to me by Medicare. When I broke my pelvis a few years ago, I would have been up for a fortune if it hadn’t been covered by workers’ compensation.

Public hospital costs

Most treatment in Victoria’s public hospitals is free for all Australian citizens and most permanent residents. These costs are mainly paid for by Medicare.

You will not have to pay for hospital clinical services, doctors’ and specialists’ fees, medication, hospital accommodation and operating theatre fees. However, you may have to pay extra costs for some services such as TV or internet connection  ????

Edited June 22, 2019 by madmen

[CygnusX1]

8 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

And what particular part of Aussie did you come from?

Queanbeyan, NSW (still live there, only part time in my Thai condo).

Doctor seen at Queanbeyan GP Super Clinic, 23 Antill St

Google “Medicare Gap Payment”

 

 

[Odysseus123]

13 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

Queanbeyan, NSW (still live there, only part time in my Thai condo).

Doctor seen at Queanbeyan GP Super Clinic, 23 Antill St

Google “Medicare Gap Payment”

 

 

Why would you have a gap on an ear cleaning?

Either they bulk bill or they don't.

 

If they do not, GP appointment and (nurse) cleaning will be mainly re-fundable under different charges.

 

Unless you have private insurance?.....

Edited June 22, 2019 by Odysseus123

[Lacessit]

14 minutes ago, madmen said:

Public hospital costs

Most treatment in Victoria’s public hospitals is free for all Australian citizens and most permanent residents. These costs are mainly paid for by Medicare.

You will not have to pay for hospital clinical services, doctors’ and specialists’ fees, medication, hospital accommodation and operating theatre fees. However, you may have to pay extra costs for some services such as TV or internet connection  ????

Your post misses or ignores the point medical treatment is not as freely available as you are making out. If it is emergency treatment, yes. If it is a non-emergency situation such as a knee or hip replacement, the patient goes on a waiting list in the public system.

A guy I used to work ( Victoria ) with was in constant pain for 18 months waiting for a hip replacement. That's why I maintain top level private health cover in Australia, to jump the queue for any non-acute condition I may develop.

[totally thaied up]

12 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

Doctor seen at Queanbeyan GP Super Clinic, 23 Antill St

Some of these new 'Super Clinics' will charge you (especially on week-ends). I have heard of this happening in NSW.

 

 

[madmen]

33 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

Queanbeyan, NSW (still live there, only part time in my Thai condo).

Doctor seen at Queanbeyan GP Super Clinic, 23 Antill St

Google “Medicare Gap Payment”

 

 

What are Australians paying?

There are a large number of hospitals and physicians in Australia that do not charge a gap payment. Let’s take a look at the stats!⁴

Percentage of services with no gap payment	88.%
Average gap payment where gap was paid*	$155.72
* i.e. the average out of pocket payment by patients for services where there was a gap

 

Doesn't sound like a fortune to me and 88% dont charge so use one of those

 

How much can I get back from Medicare?

The amount Medicare pays toward your treatment varies based on where you are being treated:

• If you are treated in a public hospital. Medicare will pay 100% of the cost for the treatment itself, the anesthesia, all diagnostic work like blood work and x-rays and all fees like theatre fees, accommodation fees and doctor's fees.
• If you are treated in a private hospital. Medicare will pay 75% of the public rate for the treatment, the anesthesia and all diagnostic work. You and your health insurer are responsible for the rest, including 100% of the cost of all fees like accommodation fees, doctor's fees and theatre fees

Edited June 22, 2019 by madmen

[Lacessit]

23 hours ago, madmen said:

 If I was living purely on an oz pension and struggling with an uncertain future and not meeting the 65k (obviously) or the 800k (probably) I would repatriate and buy a long wheel base van and slowly convert it to a mini home. There are thousands of youtube vids of people and couples living this way , many of them working full time and saving the rent money

 

A solar panel on the roof and you could live off grid and travel across OZ. Or setup in caravan park with an anex. Looks like great fun and piece of mind with medicare and pension cards in wallet

 

 

It is one option I have considered if mandatory Thai health insurance comes into play for retirees in Thailand.

Having said that, I can travel around Thailand with my GF, staying in quite good hotels, for less than $90 a day. Food, accommodation, petrol - the lot. I doubt that's possible in Australia.

While it may still be possible to get a powered site for $25 a night out in the sticks, caravan park costs escalate dramatically anywhere near a city. Assuming one can find one, as many are being taken over by developers.

 

[madmen]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Your post misses or ignores the point medical treatment is not as freely available as you are making out. If it is emergency treatment, yes. If it is a non-emergency situation such as a knee or hip replacement, the patient goes on a waiting list in the public system.

A guy I used to work ( Victoria ) with was in constant pain for 18 months waiting for a hip replacement. That's why I maintain top level private health cover in Australia, to jump the queue for any non-acute condition I may develop.

Your Gap policy is for PRIVATE hospitals not public..You forgot to mention that?

 

Generally hip replacements are not "constant pain" but a dull ache when walking I should know Im about to join the waiting list. Meds knock out most pain anyway. A mate just had a double hip replacement after 10 months wait...would have cost a million baht here

 

[Odysseus123]

6 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

Some of these new 'Super Clinics' will charge you (especially on week-ends). I have heard of this happening in NSW.

 

 

Okay-this I did not know.

 

I am talking about the usual clinics with a Disability pensioners card.I am aware of "the gap" but in my case it has been waived on every occasion but one.

[madmen]

17 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

It is one option I have considered if mandatory Thai health insurance comes into play for retirees in Thailand.

Having said that, I can travel around Thailand with my GF, staying in quite good hotels, for less than $90 a day. Food, accommodation, petrol - the lot. I doubt that's possible in Australia.

While it may still be possible to get a powered site for $25 a night out in the sticks, caravan park costs escalate dramatically anywhere near a city. Assuming one can find one, as many are being taken over by developers.

 

True but the whole idea of a van is to travel.  I posted a link a few pages back in small town victoria apartments for $125 a week. 9000 baht/month and plenty more in the price range in country oz and even gladstone by the sea there are $120 apartments

 

lots of options. 

There is going to come a point where the AUD crosses the threshold of easy living in Thailand and personally at 20 baht to AUD I think we are there. 

Edited June 22, 2019 by madmen

[totally thaied up]

6 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

I am talking about the usual clinics with a Disability pensioners card.I am aware of "the gap" but in my case it has been waived on every occasion but one.

My Mum got caught out at one of these Super Clinics on the Weekend. She came down with a case of Shingles and was in a lot of pain and went to the closest open Clinic. She got charged $55 for it being a Sunday but every other day of the week (minus weekends), it is bulk billed. I was very surprised about that as well.

[totally thaied up]

6 minutes ago, madmen said:

True but the whole idea is to travel.  I posted a link a few pages back in small town victoria apartments for $125 a week. 9000 baht/month and plenty more in the price range in country oz and even gladstone by the sea there are $120 apartments

 

lots of options. 

There is going to come a point where the AUD crosses the threshold of easy living in Thailand and personally at 20 baht to AUD I think we are there. 

I did a lot of research this week on the AUD and some of the bears have got it rated in the high 40s, low 50s in the coming couple of years. I am not that bearish but I know it most likely has got more to go. Does not look good but then if we have trouble with Iran with any sort of conflict, it could change things somewhat.

[Odysseus123]

10 minutes ago, madmen said:

True but the whole idea of a van is to travel.  I posted a link a few pages back in small town victoria apartments for $125 a week. 9000 baht/month and plenty more in the price range in country oz and even gladstone by the sea there are $120 apartments

 

lots of options. 

There is going to come a point where the AUD crosses the threshold of easy living in Thailand and personally at 20 baht to AUD I think we are there. 

Yes-unless you are uber wealthy-the "scissors" will close.It is up to each and every Aussie to decide what that time would be but in my case it was between 23-24 and then I went.

 

The responsibility was mine and mine alone-hence no need to blame  either the Thai or Aussie gov'ts.

As a matter of fact I don't do "blame" very well preferring to take personal responsibility as things happen.. 

[tingtongtourist]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

Public hospital costs

Most treatment in Victoria’s public hospitals is free for all Australian citizens and most permanent residents. These costs are mainly paid for by Medicare.

You will not have to pay for hospital clinical services, doctors’ and specialists’ fees, medication, hospital accommodation and operating theatre fees. However, you may have to pay extra costs for some services such as TV or internet connection  ????

and TV and Internet connection in hospital..

that will be $49.95 per day..

thanks!

[CygnusX1]

1 hour ago, Odysseus123 said:

Why would you have a gap on an ear cleaning?

Either they bulk bill or they don't.

Well, they don’t bulk bill, on an ear cleaning or for anything else, and unless you’re on an age or disability pension, it’s virtually impossible to find any medical practice that does. The appointment went as follows -

“My ear’s blocked with wax”

Doctor picks up his otoscope - “Your ear’s blocked with wax, make an appointment to see the nurse”

The nurse is the real expert in the case of blocked ears, and she did a very good job, worth the amount I paid many times over to regain my hearing.

[Odysseus123]

8 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

Well, they don’t bulk bill, on an ear cleaning or for anything else, and unless you’re on an age or disability pension, it’s virtually impossible to find any medical practice that does. The appointment went as follows -

“My ear’s blocked with wax”

Doctor picks up his otoscope - “Your ear’s blocked with wax, make an appointment to see the nurse”

The nurse is the real expert in the case of blocked ears, and she did a very good job, worth the amount I paid many times over to regain my hearing.

Good for you!

 

I am on a Disability pension so I did not know what you meant-that is why I queried you about the bulk billing,,,

 

How much you reckon the 24 chemo and 30 radiation treatments are gonna cost?

 

It might happen to you someday.

Edited June 22, 2019 by Odysseus123

[CygnusX1]

24 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

How much you reckon the 24 chemo and 30 radiation treatments are gonna cost?

If you have them done in Australia I hope that the cost for you will be minimal or nothing, and I wish you all the best in your treatment. It’s just that apart from workers’ compo, I’ve never had free health care in Australia, and in recent years Medicare’s paid 50 per cent at best, and sometimes nothing at all, in different places and for different procedures. 

[madmen]

19 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

If you have them done in Australia I hope that the cost for you will be minimal or nothing, and I wish you all the best in your treatment. It’s just that apart from workers’ compo, I’ve never had free health care in Australia, and in recent years Medicare’s paid 50 per cent at best, and sometimes nothing at all, in different places and for different procedures. 

Most of us here are either DSP or Pension so the concession card makes all the difference especially on the PBS meds scheme however your not either and that's where the confusion lay

[Odysseus123]

29 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

If you have them done in Australia I hope that the cost for you will be minimal or nothing, and I wish you all the best in your treatment. It’s just that apart from workers’ compo, I’ve never had free health care in Australia, and in recent years Medicare’s paid 50 per cent at best, and sometimes nothing at all, in different places and for different procedures. 

Thank you ,well done.

 

Yes I am lucky and Medicare is paying for it.

 

And NDIS is paying for my legs as well.One day I shall be ale to walk again.

 

God bless my country.

[Lacessit]

11 hours ago, madmen said:

Your Gap policy is for PRIVATE hospitals not public..You forgot to mention that?

 

Generally hip replacements are not "constant pain" but a dull ache when walking I should know Im about to join the waiting list. Meds knock out most pain anyway. A mate just had a double hip replacement after 10 months wait...would have cost a million baht here

 

I won't have a gap in a private or public hospital of any kind. Public hospitals also have privately-insured patients, who add to the bottom line. They are very welcome.

Having seen first hand what goes on at Frankston and Monash public hospitals, a bullock team wouldn't drag me in there again. A pretty good chance of coming out sicker than when I went in. Did you know the term "patient" comes from the Latin patiens, which means to suffer?

Pain is subjective, varies from patient to patient. The problems with prolonged use of meds for pain include addiction, plus potential liver and kidney damage.

About 2006, I had a meniscal tear in my right knee. For a month, I had to sleep upright in a chair because as soon as I lay down, the knee would start throbbing with mid-level pain. Same loss of sleep with my dual carpal tunnel syndromes. I doubt I would have retained my sanity on a public waiting list.

I don't dispute medical procedures involving surgery in Thailand are expensive. That's why I maintain private health cover in Australia. I get good value out of it, because I have a check cystoscopy every six months, in a very well-run private hospital.

I wish you well for your upcoming surgery.

Edited June 23, 2019 by Lacessit

[Lacessit]

11 hours ago, madmen said:

There is going to come a point where the AUD crosses the threshold of easy living in Thailand and personally at 20 baht to AUD I think we are there. 

You may be right. It may even go as low as 18. I can still live comfortably in Thailand at that rate.

However, I think a strong baht will be unsustainable long term because it really kicks export income in the head, and there's a limit to how much military hardware and overseas property the elite can buy. I can wait, because I transfer in large tranches.

[Lacessit]

11 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

As a matter of fact I don't do "blame" very well preferring to take personal responsibility as things happen.. 

If only more people would do that. We are all responsible for our own choices in life. Great comment.