Hi Everyone.
I just had a biopsy done on my nose and they did 2 cuts. It cost $239.50 and the Medicare rebate brought it down to $131.05.
If I need to have surgery and skin grafts later on, how much would I expect to pay?
Am I paying too much or is there a better option?
Thanks.
Thanks, that would be great.
Sorry but my mum was unsure, at the clinic and the hospital they scanned her Medicare card and her Medibank Private card, she hasn't had any out-of-pocket, I assume Medibank covered what ever wasn't covered by Medicare..
Poor old girl looks like a witch at the moment with a huge bandage and tape across her nose and cheeks, one across her forehead, and a large area on her neck from the skin graft bandaged and then covered with one of those clear waterproof dressing…
No worries. Wish your mum a fast recovery.
Maybe the question should be "how much will it cost NOT to have cancerous cells removed?"
Pretty inelastic demand for having no cancer!
Die in a year rather than decades to save millions
What are the odds it is canercerous
The specialist said there is a good chance it is a basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.
You could maybe use those Victorinox steak knifes and DIY?
Coles/Flybuys Knife promo? lol
Assuming you are covered by medicare (which your original post suggests) it will be free in a public hospital. Cancer operations are prioritised so you shouldn't have to wait very long.
If you want to pick your surgeon/have a specific time/ hospital etc then you could elect to use private health insurance. Keep in mind private health insurance doesn't cover everything though and there will likely still be a gap payment in excess of the medicare rebate.
Would there be any benefit in getting private health insurance at this stage? How can I find out who is one of the better surgeons to choose?
You'd have to check if theres a waiting period - if there is one, then it would be counterintuitive to wait it out and not treat the skin cancer. The easiest way to pick would be to ask friends (esp if they work in a hospital operating theatre). It's like picking any professional/tradie… you can look at the reviews online, but they may or may not be accurate.
I don't think any health fund will pay for pre-existing condition right away, just go public.
Your doctor will provide a quote for all costs. Just ask.
am I paying too much?
WTF? Trick question?
Damn Rudolf, all this time you thought your Nose was just red and shiny…
Tough break.
Check the coupon page
You've paid $131.05 to have a professional of how many years' standing administer anaesthetic, perform an excision, stitch you up again, and likely arrange for you to come back and have stitches removed … and had another professional perform a biopsy of the excision to determine if you have a life threatening condition … and you reckon you might be overpaying?
As well as the technicians that examine the biopsy
I don't think I'm over paying. Im 43 years old and I remember 15 or 20 years ago never paying anything for medical treatment. I thought Medicare would cover skin cancer. I also thought previously in Australia most medical costs were covered by Medicare? Maybe I was a bit naive.
No you weren't naïve. That's what decades of death by a thousand cuts (no pun intended given your treatment) to Medicare by the federal government will do.
I remember my parents paying for medical treatments when I was a boy of less than 10 years old. It's always been a feature of healthcare.
Some choose to pay … others choose to have someone else pay. Nothing's free when it comes to healthcare.
To have mine removed cost me around $300 out of pocket
I too felt like it was a bit expensive.
Then I realised, it’s not too bad a price to keep living.
I get it might be a bit expensive, but your life is worth more so don’t worry if you could have got it a bit cheaper.
It really should be cheaper given not a lot of people can afford such a basic need.
And it's quite common in older people
Did you need a skin graft?
No, mine was a biopsy then later got it removed, then a final check up/stitches removal.
Ring around your local skin cancer clinics, a couple of years ago I had two skin cancers removed from my scalp that required two skin grafts from my neck. It was completely bulk billed & I didn’t pay a cent.
I just had skin cancers ( hard lumps ) removed from my leg by my Dr just by freezing them with nitrogen, he did say that these don't seem cancerous so no need to send off for tests unless they regrow. So just cost me a drs visit
My elderly mum had this done in a public hospital the other day, day-surgery, general anesthetic, one off her nose and a skin graft from her neck, and another off her forehead, she was told the hospital side of it was all covered by medicare… She hasn't had the final bill from the clinic yet, I guess they'll hit her with that when she returns to get the dressing removed on the 30th…
She has private health insurance but I assume she had it done on the public system because that's where her doc referred her to…
I'll ask her for details when I see her later today if you like…