16-10-2013, 13:22
we have had a relatively free medical system here and have done so since around 1973-ish..
all tax payers here pay a medicare levy each year on their taxes which is income/means tested(ie:the amount you pay per year depends upon your income), this amount ranges from $50-$200 per tax payer per year...
this gives you free medical attention in hospitals...but if you need a medical procedure like an organ transplant or other serious problem you generally get put on a waiting list unless it is a 'life and death' situation in which case you are dealt with immediately...
to cover the costs of this the Government pays for it out of the taxes from tobacco,junk food(take out) and alcohol sales, a large amount of the revenue also comes from the sale of lottery tickets...
if you choose to have health insurance(like i do and millions of others) you have the right to choose your medical proffessional, the hospital you are admitted to and can go in to be seen almost instantly...
i have no problem paying the annual levy because ther are many people in society(like pensioners) who cannot afford to get private insurance who need medical attention sometimes, the reason i dont mind paying it is because these people came from an era where where insurance didnt exist,they also fought for our country and have paid their taxes also, so give them something back to make their last few years as comfortable as possible..
i get angry when the long term unemployed try to rort the system to get something for nothing when they have never contributed to this country, and when drug addicts get treatment, also refugees who come here and have never contributed to Australia...
back to insurance premiums...
when you take out insurance prior to the age of 35 here, those premiums stay the same forever, for each year you leave it prior to taking it out you pay a premium rate for you rinsurance...
when you have health insurance you also get a rebate at the end of the tax year...
all tax payers here pay a medicare levy each year on their taxes which is income/means tested(ie:the amount you pay per year depends upon your income), this amount ranges from $50-$200 per tax payer per year...
this gives you free medical attention in hospitals...but if you need a medical procedure like an organ transplant or other serious problem you generally get put on a waiting list unless it is a 'life and death' situation in which case you are dealt with immediately...
to cover the costs of this the Government pays for it out of the taxes from tobacco,junk food(take out) and alcohol sales, a large amount of the revenue also comes from the sale of lottery tickets...
if you choose to have health insurance(like i do and millions of others) you have the right to choose your medical proffessional, the hospital you are admitted to and can go in to be seen almost instantly...
i have no problem paying the annual levy because ther are many people in society(like pensioners) who cannot afford to get private insurance who need medical attention sometimes, the reason i dont mind paying it is because these people came from an era where where insurance didnt exist,they also fought for our country and have paid their taxes also, so give them something back to make their last few years as comfortable as possible..
i get angry when the long term unemployed try to rort the system to get something for nothing when they have never contributed to this country, and when drug addicts get treatment, also refugees who come here and have never contributed to Australia...
back to insurance premiums...
when you take out insurance prior to the age of 35 here, those premiums stay the same forever, for each year you leave it prior to taking it out you pay a premium rate for you rinsurance...
when you have health insurance you also get a rebate at the end of the tax year...
"BTO....Bachman,Turner,Overweight
They were big in the 70s....for five minutes,on a Saturday,after lunch..." - Me 2014.
They were big in the 70s....for five minutes,on a Saturday,after lunch..." - Me 2014.