In August last year I found myself facing the prospect of needing to undergo thyroid surgery. I had two options: either I could get it done for free through Medicare or get it done privately at a cost of $11,000. If I opted for Medicare, I would have to be on call for three months and my surgery would be done by a trainee or registrar surgeon. If I did it privately, I could get it done within a week at a time of my choosing, and I would have an experienced oncologist performing the delicate procedure.
Like most people I weighed the pros and cons. $11,000 is a lot of money, but no one wants to gamble with their health. Given the choice, most people would want an experienced surgeon operating on them. I also needed to factor in the urgency of the procedure and the time off from work I would need to organise. All these considerations led me to get it done privately at a significant financial cost to myself.
The disparity between the private and public healthcare systems has recently come under scrutiny in light of the criticism aimed at Charlie Teo, a renowned brain surgeon whose operations are estimated to cost up to $120,000. As was pointed out by the University of Sydney's Professor Woo, many patients were resorting to crowd funding to cover their medical costs.
What followed was a media frenzy, with Teo claiming he would quit if the criticism were to continue and pointing out that his fee was only $8000-$15,000 of the $120,000 medical bill. Some complained, while others defended the 'celebrity' doctor, with Health Minister Greg Hunt warning medical professionals against excessive fees.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, expenditure on health for 2016-2017 came in at $180.7 billion which is $7400 per person. Two thirds of that expenditure is funded by the government, with the rest either coming from health insurance providers or private funding. Like many Australians I struggled to afford private health insurance and never took out a policy. I didn't think I would face the prospect of going under the knife any time soon, let alone be weighing up my health prospects in terms of value for money.
If I had insurance, my health bill would have been reduced to about $4000, as health insurers generally only cover your hospital bed, not the surgeon's fees, which are rarely if