Getting Insurance.
I so hope that Australia does not end up like America in that regard.... The standard of a our health care has dropped.. but at least we can ALL get access to those things you mentioned.
I may get flamed for this so remember, this is just my opinion. Realistically every healthcare system in the world has problems. Im actually very happy with our American healthcare system for the most part. Some insurance carriers are better than others but Id much rather have a challenge getting healthcare benefits than having to wait months for a life saving operation like bypass surgery on a free healthcare system. I know a guy whos Brother died on a waiting list in Canada for bypass surgery as he was on a three month waiting list for the procedure (rationed healthcare stinks!) It also took months for him to even get a diagnosis for his condition as he had to be put on waiting lists to have his tests done. This guy now wishes he had his Brother come to American to get the procedure, he would have had it in a week or two here and would have saved his life.
Earlier this year I was sent to a sleep doctor and diagnosed with sleep apnea and I had a diagnosis and started treatment two weeks from my referral date. Ive talked to people in countries with socialized medicine that had to wait six months to a year for the necessary tests and doctor visits to finally get treatment. My Father was diagnosed with prostate cancer and from the time of his referral to an oncologist to the time he started treatment was about a week. Hes doing fine so far!
I only had to wait about 10 days for my MRI I had yesterday while that same MRI would have taken me on average over six months in Canada and some in certain areas of Canada has waited as long as a year. Do I want that over my American system? NO WAY!!!
http://www.vhl.org/newsletter/vhl2001/01bjmric.htm
Given that the above is all mostly anicdotal (n=1 case), all in all, I relish in my American healthcare. Its not perfect but when you have insurance its some of the best available in the world. There are however problems with the uninsured that do not have access or cannot afford healthcare in American. There is debate over how many fall into this category but proponents on both sides of the issue estimate it to be between 15 and 44 million. It seems to me that its probably somewhere around 20 to 30 million, after eliminating those that can have it if they wanted but for whatever reason dont sign up for it.
I dont know what socialized healthcare is like in Australia but it appears that critical procedures are handled well but elective or non-critical procedures have significant waiting lists as well. I also read that many people get private insurance to avoid the waiting lists at public hospitals by going to private hospitals for treatment. So its all not perfect. We in America also have a problem with prescription drug costs but thats another story.
---------------
Regardless, back to the topic at hand: There are a lot of ways to get insurance coverage. Most of them have to do with getting employed. Another way is to get onto public assistance if you qualify. If youre over 65 you can get on Medicare. Its easier if youre married as you can often times get on a spouses benefit plan.
Another way I did it was to go into business for myself and a few other partners (usually takes two or three people.) We started a corporation and then applied for group coverage with Blue Cross. They accepted our group and we were able to select which type of coverage we wanted and whala, we were covered. It took about three months to do though but it was worth it. BTW, a little secret, if youre an owner/founder of a corporation you dont have to have a paycheck to be covered in a group plan, all you have to do is make sure you pay your premiums. BTW, corporations are not hard to form, the best place is Delaware or Nevada.
I also know that some counties (thats COUNTIES) have county healthcare systems and county hospitals that anyone can use. The problem is that its generally lower quality and takes a while to get appointments for doctors and exams, which is expected in socialized medicine I guess. But hey, it is nearly free. I had a friend that used a county hospital for some heart trouble he was having before he got on an individual insurance plan.
Many colleges and universities have clinics where you can go for cheap exams and treatment. I used my college clinic a few times for vaccinations and exams when I was in college.
Finally there is a lot of information on the web about getting insurance. That maybe a good place to look as well.
I do wish you luck in getting insurance though, there are a lot of ways to get it.
