Medibank Private offer - anyone in?

[Isochronous]

Funding people's lifestyle choices that they can afford themselves is welfare. It is definitely not welfare to not charge twice for Medicare. I've already paid for Medicare. A co-payment is double dipping.

But at least you didnt disagree that the last government was economically responsible for trying to cut unjustified welfare

A tax cut is not welfare, medhead. That is what the PHI rebate effectively is. Returning a small fragment of taxes to the people who pay them is not welfare.

When did you pay for Medicare?

 

[medhead]

A tax cut is not welfare, medhead. That is what the PHI rebate effectively is. Returning a small fragment of taxes to the people who pay them is not welfare.

When did you pay for Medicare?

It's not a tax cut. It is a tax offset, it is a direct payment of an individual's private expense.

When did I pay for Medicare? Are you serious? Have you hear about a little thing called a Medicare levy. That's how taxpayers already pay for Medicare.

 

[amaroo]

The revenue I get from my solar panels (another stupid idea) more than covers the loss of the PHI rebate

Given the numbers fleeing PHI - I wouldn't want to be joining the very long queues waiting for public treatment.

MORE than 2.5 million health insurance polices have been dumped or downgraded over the past three years as Australians cut costs amid premium rises and erosion of the government rebate.

data collected by industry group Private Healthcare Australia reveals 1,576,409 policies were dumped and 985,281 downgraded between February 2012 and last December.
The industry regulator rec*orded just over 5.4 million policies with *hospital cover at the end of December.

Private Healthcare Australia chief executive Michael Armi*tage yesterday blamed the churn on the former federal Labor *government, which introduced a means test for the rebate, stripped it from the Lifetime Health Cover surcharge and tied it to inflation, not the rate of premium increases.

“The consequence of those private health insurance policies is that privately insured Australians pay more for their private health cover and when people drop out or downgrade their cover they will rely on the public system for their healthcare, *increasing pressure on our public hospitals,”

 

[moa999]

It is scary that that many people are effectively leaving the private system

 

[Mark3000]

Given the numbers fleeing PHI - I wouldn't want to be joining the very long queues waiting for public treatment.

These waits are already intolerably long. People wait so long that their disease becomes more advanced and hard to treat and then the trainee registrars struggle and outcomes are so much worse. The public system is fine for a car crash but for any elective surgery it is a disaster

 

[amaroo]

These waits are already intolerably long. People wait so long that their disease becomes more advanced and hard to treat and then the trainee registrars struggle and outcomes are so much worse. The public system is fine for a car crash but for any elective surgery it is a disaster

I wonder what the profession calls this type of stupidity - false economy or cost shifting:?: Either way - it completely stuffs the budgets of the states and territories:!:

 

[blackcat20]

Ouch, 10.5% increase for me. Time to think about moving.

 

[Major]

We stayed with Medibank Private and it was a tad over 6%

 

[chelzmalee]

I was with Central West Health (so called "not for profit") and my increase was 50%. I am not kidding.

Safe to say I moved. So maybe opening it up to the free market wasn't such a bad idea?

 

[bismarck]

Up 8.8% for me (health.com.au)

Still pretty cheap and a level of cover that aligns with my needs so will probably stay. This is getting tiresome though.

Too many ads encouraging everyone to use up their Extras cover in the name of getting "value".

 

[PLANT]

Health.com.au is for sale... Careful might not exist when need it?
REF: BRW.COM.AU

 

[PLANT]

Indeed. All because we have a whole heap of unjustified welfare. However, highlighting the line in red rings rather hollow when you've just called the people trying to do something about it as stupid.

Health.com.au is for sale... Careful might not exist when need it?

Ref: BTW com.au

 

[bismarck]

Health.com.au is for sale... Careful might not exist when need it?
REF: BRW.COM.AU

Hmm.....that is a little concerning, I hadn't seen that. I don't expect to need it anytime soon, but it is worth keeping an eye on!

 

[Isochronous]

It's not a tax cut. It is a tax offset, it is a direct payment of an individual's private expense.

When did I pay for Medicare? Are you serious? Have you hear about a little thing called a Medicare levy. That's how taxpayers already pay for Medicare.

Have you done any thinking about the budget at all? The 1.5% levy doesn't even go anywhere close to funding the cost of Medicare.

 

[medhead]

Have you done any thinking about the budget at all? The 1.5% levy doesn't even go anywhere close to funding the cost of Medicare.

So what? That is the charge that the government demands that I pay to cover medicare. Not enough, increase the levy. As for thinking about the budget, Have you done any thinking about it. How the hell is a (double dipping) co-payment that gets put into a research fund going to fund the cost of medicare. It's ironic that you accuse me of not thinking when you clearly don't even know what was proposed and you can't even remember the medicare levy. This is why we have this sort of ludicrous rubbish from the self proclaimed adults.

 

[kpc]

In anticipation of the price rise, I prepaid a year's premiums in advance a couple of weeks ago....so my premiums are now paid up to 31 Dec 2016. 2 days ago, I received a notice to pay my premiums now to beat the price rise.....for the period 1 Jan 17 to 31 Dec 17!!....so I did :shock::mrgreen:...hopefully my premiums are now prepaid til 31 Dec 2017 at today's (prerise) rates!!

Just been notified that my premiums are going up 11% (POST TAX DOLLARS!!) come 1st April 15!!:evil:...luckily I prepaid!!

 

[Isochronous]

So what? That is the charge that the government demands that I pay to cover medicare. Not enough, increase the levy. As for thinking about the budget, Have you done any thinking about it. How the hell is a (double dipping) co-payment that gets put into a research fund going to fund the cost of medicare. It's ironic that you accuse me of not thinking when you clearly don't even know what was proposed and you can't even remember the medicare levy. This is why we have this sort of ludicrous rubbish from the self proclaimed adults.

I don't support the research fund. I want the co-payment to go to debt reduction.

 

[cove]

Now I heard today that Medibank Private has hit a 67 year old with an 11% premium increase due to age and risk factors. This could not have happened when the Australian Government owned Medibank Private.
This change will be troubling for higher risk individuals who are struggling with their income versus living expenses.
I think there may be a lot of members who will change if they can find a lower premium.

 

[drross]

Now I heard today that Medibank Private has hit a 67 year old with an 11% premium increase due to age and risk factors. This could not have happened when the Australian Government owned Medibank Private.
This change will be troubling for higher risk individuals who are struggling with their income versus living expenses.
I think there may be a lot of members who will change if they can find a lower premium.

totally agree cove. I've had quite a few 'older' patients asking my opinion of where they go with their private health insurance. some are changing funds, some are just finding it too hard and are cancelling.

 

[blackcat20]

Medibank rang me yesterday to ask if I "had any questions about (my) cover". Told them I'd just moved elsewhere and they ended the call pretty quickly. Wouldve thought they might have tried to retain me but apparently not.