Healthcare in this country is a joke!

I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea and think things are better elsewhere... honestly, it might actually be worse.

Here is the section I previously posted for the diaspora.

Doctor visits are covered by Medicare, but here's the catch: every doctor sets their own rates. If they charge more than what Medicare considers the "recommended" amount, you’re stuck paying the difference out of pocket.
It’s the same deal when seeing a specialist; you end up footing the bill for anything above those recommended rates.
For instance, my primary care doctor charges about $47 for a standard 5-to-15 minute visit, and Medicare covers $25.50 of that.

To give you another example, about 18 months ago, I needed a second or third opinion before having spinal surgery.
I waited four months just to see a top specialist. I already had my MRI and two other opinions in hand. That one visit cost me $180, and Medicare only kicked back $75.

One thing you really need to realize: many specialists only work out of private hospitals and only take private patients. If you don't have private insurance, you aren't getting surgery.

Back in 2004, I had a Laminectomy at two levels. My specialist practiced privately but would operate at the public hospital if necessary. Since he stopped operating, I had to wait nine months at that same hospital just to see a different neurologist. Otherwise, I would have been waiting over a year since I wasn't currently scheduled for surgery.

Right now, I’m on an 18-month waiting list for both shoulders and elbows due to musculoskeletal issues and degeneration—dealing with bursitis and tendon tears in all four joints.
Luckily, through my primary doctor, I can get X-rays done at a clinic using ultrasound-guided injections.

Australia is facing a massive medical crisis. Just yesterday, there was a segment on MSN questioning whether the system is truly collapsing.

Even the Minister for Southern Australia took medical leave due to the intense pressure and work stress.

Just a few more examples from what I’ve written elsewhere:
Wait times for specialists—whether it's an orthopedist or even a neurologist—are stretching past a year. Personally, I hit the 24-month mark, though I've currently been waiting 18 months.

People are waiting up to five years for hip or leg surgeries. They end up so desperate that they turn to TV news and the press, often teaming up with opposition politicians, just to get their cases noticed.

There was one woman who dealt with continuous incontinence for two years—she couldn't even leave her house—and nothing happened until she finally went to the media.

Sure, if you have private insurance, you'll see a specialist quickly and get your surgery on your own timeline instead of waiting five years.

This situation isn't isolated to Southern Australia; it's happening across the whole country. You wouldn't even know it unless you follow the news or happen to be someone desperately needing specialized care or surgery.

Maybe New South Wales-Sydney is so saturated with doctors and specialists that they only bother working if they can charge more than what Medicare pays. I doubt that's the case, though. I'm more inclined to believe it's just a lack of experience on Mr. Spiker's part and his good luck in not needing a hospital or specialists right now.

I could go on, but this is already getting to be too much.

It also seems that after the trade deals were signed with the Americans, we're paying more for our medications. We'll soon find ourselves just like them—struggling like the poor, unless you're wealthy enough to afford private insurance.

So, there you have it: a prime example of Western medical care.

👋

Scott Allen10 said:Sorry, but I don't think that's how it works. If a surgeon, dermatologist, or any specialist gives a recommendation, isn't it the PRIMARY DUTY of the family doctor—the one actually seeing the patient with those specialist findings—to figure out what’s covered and what isn't?

Seriously, why should anyone—especially someone elderly, frail, or sick—have to deal with the headache of calling up various services, associations, or Medicare just to make sense of all the constant rule changes, policy shifts, and bureaucratic nonsense? It feels like Medicare intentionally keeps things muddy just to save a buck.
That’s strictly the family doctor's job! If they read the specialist's report, they should be able to tell you point-blank: "Here’s what you can get through the system, and here’s what you can't."

Both my neurologist at the clinic and my rehab doc recommended physical therapy five times a week, but the so-called medical board only approved three sessions. What am I supposed to do? Who do I even complain to?😕

And those three sessions are about to run out soon. At this rate, I feel like they'll eventually cut those off too.

Just so you know, I can afford to pay out-of-pocket for those extra two hours for now, but on top of everything, I'm dealing with osteoporosis issues too.

Some of my vertebrae are messed up, so I have to be super careful not to break any bones while I'm already struggling like this.

By the way, I took some Fosamax and practically froze solid just reading the warning labels!

The rehab doctor prescribed it based on my X-ray, and my primary doctor wrote the script without any issues. She usually covers whatever the specialists recommend, though I barely see her anymore since my husband handles everything for me—I can't really get around on my own feet right now.

When the weather was warmer, my husband could at least wheel me over in a wheelchair since the clinic is close... well, close enough for people who can actually walk.

😢

As for myself, I’ve been struggling quite a bit with kidney stones... I seem to deal with an attack every few months, but this most recent one has been absolutely brutal, the worst yet, and it simply won't let up, leaving me in pain for a full week now. I find myself wondering what on earth I can actually do to finally get this sorted out.
I did consider heading straight to the Emergency Room—which is where I end up every single time because the cramping is just so intense I can barely move—hoping they might run some imaging or perhaps perform a procedure to break those stones up, but that isn't how it works... They might examine me, administer some injections to dull the pain, and then send me right back home to follow the "standard procedure."
And that standard procedure involves...
- waiting upwards of a month just to get an intravenous urogram (assuming you're lucky enough to even secure an appointment),
- followed by another one or two months waiting to see a specialist,
- and if you are truly fortunate enough that the tests are clear enough to actually pinpoint the stones, you could be looking at many more months of waiting just to get on the schedule for lithotripsy or surgery.
And all of that is assuming everything goes perfectly smoothly.
In reality, when you try to schedule any of this, you often find yourself being shuffled from one hospital system to another, being told things like, "Oh, you belong to that hospital network, not ours," and then suddenly your test results aren't considered valid because a stone shows up on one scan but not another... there's no doctor available, or there's this issue, or that issue, and eventually, you realize it might take years to actually reach a resolution.
There is, of course, a much faster route involving a certain "envelope" under the table to make everything move along instantly, but unfortunately, I just can't seem to save up enough money to afford that particular "envelope"!

lonecrane25 said:I’m dealing with kidney stones. I get an attack every few months, but this last one was easily the worst yet—it’s been absolutely relentless for a full week now. What can I actually do to get this sorted out?

Well, you could try a lot of things... but maybe start by giving it a little time to see what develops, and then apply some basic common sense to figure out if what you're planning is even realistic? .. 😉

guinness said:You can hear plenty of things at first, but eventually, you need a little common sense to figure out if any of it is actually possible, right? 😉

Over in the USA, they just locked up someone posing as a Naturopath who was claiming to cure cancer and other terminal illnesses.

The facts are simple: the guy had zero training. He bought a diploma, registered himself, and the government didn't bother to check—unlike the actual professional associations.
It all fell apart once his expensive "medicines" were tested in a lab and found to contain absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. Meanwhile, a few people died because they were promised he could heal them, leading them to skip conventional medicine and chemotherapy.

As for you guys, someone needs to give you a reality check. You need to stop these constant attacks and this rude way of trying to push nonsense onto vulnerable people.
😠 😠