The medical bill shows that you have to pay thousands of Australian dollars for the operation, which may be a mistake, although many blame Medicare (Medicare) and healthcare providers.
More than 700 people responded to the Quad Square program's survey of paid medical expenses.
As part of a survey of paid medical expenses, (ABC: Natalie Behjan) 's (Four Corners) program invites people to send medical bills. More than 700 people responded to the survey.
Some of you have paid tens of thousands of paid medical bills even with private health care.
One of the problems we've found is that patients need to have multiple tests on a disease, and when tests and consultations go up, the bill goes up, (bill creep).
Bills are getting longer and many of these items are not covered by private health insurance companies because they are carried out outside the hospital, which is not covered by the medical fund, according to the law.
Madonna. Butt (Madonna Buiter) paid nearly A $16000 for breast cancer-the cost of nearly 40 separate tests and tests.
The mother of the two said she and her husband had to spend their savings to pay for a home deposit to fill the gap in medical expenses.
"they said,'in that case, you should look around for cheap surgeons,'" she told the quadrangle show. "it sounds good to me, but from my point of view, I can now say that when you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you need surgery. I don't know if it was so realistic or reasonable at the time. "
Ms Butt said it was difficult to get a clear picture of all the costs she faced and that her private health care company could only provide very limited help.
"(I) run between different surgeons. Then I made an appointment for an operation, and they couldn't even tell me which anesthesiologist I was going to see, so I didn't even know the cost, "she said.
Hidden expense
Worryingly, in some of the bills seen in the quadrangle, the patient was asked to pay an appointment fee or management fee, which medical authorities say is illegal.
Many surgeons will receive more kickbacks from the health fund if they sign contracts that agree not to charge the difference fee (gap fee), a way to conceal such an agreement.
The maximum reservation fee seen in < quadrangle > is more than A $6000.
"the advance fee or other charges other than surgical charges are actually illegal and should not exist," he said.
John, Dean of (Royal Australasian College), Royal Australasian College of surgery. Barton (John Batten) told the quadrangle.
This should be reported when the patient is asked for an appointment fee.
"if patients see a similar expense in the statement, they should ask the doctor what it is, and the relevance of this to diagnosis or medical care, and if they are unable to give a satisfactory response, they should not pay for it," he said. And consult with health fund providers, "Australian Private Health Insurance CEO Rachel. David (Rachel David) said.
Who's responsible for this?
Almost none of the interviewees wanted to blame their surgeons for actually paying medical bills, but medical policy experts say their focus should be on those people.
Policy adviser Terry. Barnes (Terry Barnes) once gave Tony. Two health ministers, including Abbott, who acted as advisers, said health insurance companies were vulnerable targets.
"these companies have some kind of PR problem, they are often seen as bad people, and they are convenient bad people because they sell products that are as unpopular as fart in an elevator," he said. "Healthcare providers are often regarded as unblamable. They are angels in white. "
Stephen, head of (Grattan Institute) Health at the Gratham Institute. Some surgeons pay "outrageous" bills, according to Dakota (Stephen Duckett).
"doctors can charge as much as they want. "it is almost impossible for insurance companies to set up insurance premiums to cover all the fees charged by some doctors, which could be an order of magnitude higher than the normal fees," he said.
One problem is that in the 1940s, a constitutional amendment prohibited fee-levied doctors from charging management fees.
So what can you do?
Discuss with your general practitioner whether he or she knows what kind of professional physician he or she should refer to.
There is nothing to do with how much the doctor charges, so ask the surgeon to see if he has joined the no-difference or known difference plan.
If the specialist wants you to do a non-health insurance program, ask what impact the program will have on your insurance.
After meeting with a specialist and discussing the insurance policy, insist on asking about expenses.
Don't be embarrassed when asking about items you don't understand. If you don't think you can't pay for their proposal, you should tell them.
Most surgeons re-set fees when they learn that the patient has difficulty paying.
Surgeons are running a business and charging is the way they make money, so exploring how much they charge is just a business transaction.
Refuse to pay an appointment fee, management or care fee, and consult a medical fund directly with a surgeon to refer to a similar bill.
Then ask others for advice. This is your right.