Opt Out Of Medicare For Providers: Fill & Download for Free

Your perception of Australian health care as described is slightly off. We do not have a choice of government or private. Every citizen and permanent resident is entitled to medicare benefits ( this is what you are calling govt health). We all pay an extra 2% for this in our income taxes ( called the medicare levy). Note if you do not work and you do not pay tax, you are still covered. Note the 2% does not cover the cost of medicare, around 12% of federal revenue is spent providing medicare.You then have the option ( it’s not an option for all which I will explain later) to top this up with private cover. Even if you have private health, you cannot opt out of medicare, you still have to pay the medicare levy in full and you are still covered by medicare.So why have private health insurance at all? Medicare is actually pretty good, and for most folks most of the time is all you need, private health just gives you extra benefits. Things like optical and dental may be part of your private insurance, these are not covered by medicare. Also under medicare if you need non life threatening surgery you go on a waiting list until it’s your turn. I recently had a shoulder reconstruction, on the govt. waiting list it could be 12 months or longer before its my turn, but I have private health insurance, so It was six weeks from seeing the specialist until my surgery was complete. Additionally under private health you can choose who does the procedure and choose where it is done. In a public hospital under medicare you will likely be in a shared ward, with private health you may have a private room in a private hospital. A private hospital may have, nicer rooms, furniture, better food, etc. The overall health care would likely though be on par.Just because you have private health you still use medicare. If I see my GP, that is 100% paid by medicare, a simple X-ray of ultrasound again 100% paid by medicare. My private health only pays for items not covered by medicare. I have private cover but still for the most part use medicare most of the time.Talking about choice, private health is seen as lifting the burden on the public system, everyone that gets treated in a private hospital makes those public waiting lists shorter. For this reason the government “encourages” high income earners to have private health insurance. The Medicare Levy Surcharge is a separate and additional tax of 1% to 1.5% that you'll have to pay if you're a high income earner and don't have private health cover. This paid on top of the 2% levy everyone pays. In short my private health insurance pays for itself because if I did not have it, I would pay more than my premiums in additional tax for the same basic care.It likely seems unfair that some of us have to pay both, but that is the only way the system can work, otherwise we would have a system where the old the frail the poor could not afford basic health care & nobody wants that.Hopefully this answers your question, there is no choice between systems they complement each other, there is no dumping of patients because everyone is entitled to medicare. Medicare is the safety net for basic health care.EDIT:1.You do not go on a wait list for emergency procedures, waiting lists only apply to non-life threatening surgery.2. When I had my shoulder reconstruction, I first saw my GP and then he sent me to see the surgeon. The surgeon booked me in and I provided the hospital my medicare and private health details. Later that day the hospital called me back and said all arrangements were finalised for 4 weeks time and I would have no out of pocket expenses. At no point does the insurer decide whether or not a procedure is required. The hospital only checks with my insurer that the procedure is covered by my insurance , my insurer has no say in whether or not the procedure is required.

Warren is gaining traction, for sure, but she is being disingenuous with the American people and she needs to stop it. She has co-opted the term “Medicare for All” when she doesn’t support it. What she supports is Medicare as an option for those who can afford to buy into it.Many people are trying to equate Warren’s healthcare plan with Bernie’s, and they are completely different plans. Bernie wants to guarantee an expanded version of Medicare (that covers all procedures, medications, hearing aids, eye glasses, and prostheses) at no cost out of pocket. Warren doesn’t want to expand Medicare, but simply wants to give people an option to buy into it through an insurance provider. It won’t cover any more than it covers today, which is inadequate for many people. She’s using the same terminology that Bernie uses, and people are confused.Warren does not support Medicare for All.

You don’t because that’s not true! At least not in the sense that the rest of the developed world would understand it. And 90% is NOT universal!! I would dare say even that is wishful thinking. And even then, that means 36 MILLION people without health coverage! Without reasonable access to health services. You consider that to be ACCEPTABLE??Healthcare in the US is a confusing miasma of ‘options’ to obtain health services. Majority of us have employer provided coverage, which varies widely in what is covered, not covered, what you pay and the insurance provider pays, etc. Which can change from year to year and employer to employer. Hardly ‘universal’.Then you have the assortment of public coverage. Medicare, Medicaid, VA, TriCare. Some done on a federal level - Medicare/VA/TriCare - but again not ‘universal’. VA, until recently, care is given STRICTLY at VA hospitals or facilities. There has been some effort to allow care from outside the system. Given the chronic underfunding provided to the VA, my guess is most providers will opt out of taking a VA patient. TriCare is the military version of Medicare.Medicare is paid by federal entity, but at prescribed amounts which allows care providers to opt out. So, again, hardly universal. AND to even provide care at acceptable levels requires the purchase of supplemental and ‘parts’.Bottom line the US does NOT have ‘universal’ healthcare by any stretch of the imagination. I know the refrain from the right is nobody is dying in the street from lack of access to healthcare. Actually, they are. While not literally in the street, people are dying, even those with coverage! What we have is profit based care. If you can afford it or the premiums to a good plan, you have world class care, no doubt. If you don’t? Pain, suffering and death, just that plain and simple!