Second in series – Articles on out of pocket medical expenses
In her previous post in Croakey’s #OutOfPocket series, Margaret Faux acquainted us with Section 51 (xxiiiA) of the Australian Constitution, which enshrines doctors’ right to set their own fees, regardless of government and other rebates. It’s a provision that makes out of pocket costs (OOPs) for medical care difficult to contain.
In this article she explains why a referral to a ‘no gap’ specialist from your GP is no guarantee of a gap-free hospital stay, and how, even if you have advanced detective skills and an IT application, it can be difficult to predict the cascade of care that might lead to costs.