Health Conditions

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, according to the Cancer Council, with more than 2 in 3 of us likely to be diagnosed in our lifetime. One of the most common treatments – including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma – is surgical excision to remove the lesion. In fact, based on Medicare data, more than 100 skin cancer treatments for squamous and basal cell carcinoma took...

Kidney stones are a painful condition that can affect 1 in 10 men and 1 in 35 women in Australia. While most stones will pass by themselves, some people will need to go to hospital for treatment and pain relief. In an emergency, you’ll be treated free in a public hospital but there can be long waiting lists for non-emergency kidney stone treatment. It’s faster to get treated in a private hospital, but there...

Around 14% of Australian women are living with endometriosis, a painful condition where tissue grows outside the uterus. There’s no cure for this debilitating condition, but there are treatments to relieve the symptoms – including surgical options. If you’re living with endometriosis and want the option of skipping long wait lists and having surgery in a private hospital, health insurance is worth considering. According to The Guardian, public wait lists for endometriosis surgery can...

Around 43% of Australians will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime, and some may need to be hospitalised for treatment. While treatment in public hospitals is free under Medicare, our mental health services are under enormous strain, so you might consider using your health insurance for psychiatric care in a private hospital or psychiatric facility for faster treatment. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, in 2023-24 around 21% of overnight...

If you find wearing glasses or contact lenses annoying or impractical, laser eye surgery might seem like the right decision for you. According to Optometry Australia, around two-thirds of Australians wear prescription glasses and 13% wear contact lenses. If you’re among that number and your optometrist has suggested laser surgery, there’s lots to weigh up...

If you’ve been told you’ll need surgery in the near future and you have private health insurance, you might be wondering whether it’s better to go to a public or private hospital. In 2023-24, around 67% of elective surgeries in Australia were done in private hospitals. While being treated in a public hospital is free under Medicare, there may be long waits to be seen by a specialist and then to have your surgery – and you can’t choose...

Waiting for hernia surgery can be a long, and potentially painful, process. The latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that the median wait time for hernia surgery was 77 days (around 2.5 months). But that’s only an average – around 6% of people waited more than a year for their...

If you’re likely to need surgery this year, you could be in for a long wait. Although your surgery will be free under Medicare in the public health system, there may be a lengthy wait for non-urgent procedures. Of course, if you have health insurance, you can be seen quicker as a private patient, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your surgery will be free. Depending on your policy, and the doctors...