Medicare

Cancer survival rates are increasing in Australia, which the government’s Cancer Plan says is thanks to better screening programs, earlier detection and improved treatments. Chemotherapy is one of the key treatments for many types of cancer, where drugs that destroy cancer cells are given orally, through an IV or as a cream, according to the Cancer Council. Depending on your insurer and doctor’s advice, you may be eligible to have chemotherapy in your own home, administered through specialised nursing programs,...

If you’re waiting for varicose veins surgery in a public hospital, you could be waiting months. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, more than 50% of people waited more than 133 days (4.5 months) for varicose veins surgery in a public hospital in 2024-25. If you have Hospital Cover that includes the Heart and Vascular System clinical category, you could skip the queue and go to a private hospital for...

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...

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...

If you’re admitted to hospital as a private patient, your insurer won’t pay the entire bill for your treatment. As well as the Gap, which is determined by your doctor and your insurer, you’ll also need to pay an excess and possibly also a co-payment, determined by your policy. So what’s the difference between these...

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 2024-25, 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...