Before Medicare was intruduced by Labour, we had a system whereby it was standard practice to take private health cover. The public hospitals were for those who genuinely could not afford private cover.

When Medicare was introduced, many people who could well afford private cover, dropped out of the private system and relied totally on the public system. As a result the public system is now under such stress that there are delays for seeing specialists, operations etc.

Medicare is but one more example of relying on government to be responsible for our welfare, rather than accepting our health needs should be our own responsibility, and receive priority over spending on incidentals for our own pleasure

I agree Worldwatcher.
There are many people who can well afford to be on Private Health, as well as pay the 'gap' fees involved in Private Hospital care.

I for one would not even consider dropping Private Health cover , because I want to have surgery as soon as possible if I am in pain!

As it is now, there are far too many people using the 'free' public hospital facilities to make it anywhere near efficient enough to have surgeries completed in a timely manner.

There are many poor people and pensioners made to wait for surgery while in pain, whereas a more financial non-private health person may well have enough money put aside to pay for at least one private hospital stay if they really need it.

The problems arise if they then need ongoing care ... And then they have to wait in line like all the other public system patients.

What really annoys me though, is all the people who front up at public hospital emergency departments with non-emergency conditions, so they can have 'free' treatment and not have to pay for a GP...

Suseonline, I can't resist this "I want to have surgery as soon as possible if I am in pain!" I hope you never get a headache. LOL.

Well Paul, if surgery would relieve headaches I might well consider it! Lol!

For years I had hospital & medical insurance paid straight from my pay by my employer to the funds. It cost a few shillings & worked brilliantly. It was very inexpensive & cost efficient.

Now I pay a heap of tax, & a Levy. It doesn't work well, & is totally inefficient.

Even if our federal public servants weren't the most inefficient workforce known to man, it would still not work well. To pay someone in the tax dept to take money out of our earnings, a bunch more to transfer it all round the place, then another to part pay my doctors bill, leaving me to pay the difference, is about as inefficient a system one could dream up.

Then to get more than some MD handing you a script for a few pills, you have to fight, kick, bite & scream to get any attention or service.

Like most things government, public health is a catastrophe happening right in front of us, & we still put up with it. We are just too cooperative for our own good.

It seems we have much to learn from the immensely successful US medical system which sometimes turns away critically ill emergency patients on the basis of them having no private health cover.

Maybe we could start by diverting public taxes away from handouts to Private Health Funds and put them back into the Public system where they belong.

I also remember the "old" system but that was before the cost of health care exploded during the last few decades.

My original $5.50/fortnight MBF cover has gone up quite a bit since then and it's NOT just because of the introduction of Medibank/Medicare.