Universal public health care is an Australian birthright | Peter Goers

Does the funding of private health weaken the public system? Of course it does, writes Peter Goers.

I’m a picture of health – a Picasso! Incredibly, given my dissolute lifestyle, my health is pretty good – touch wood. I have the cholesterol and blood pressure of a teenager but I have the bladder of a very old man – and, boy, was he glad to get rid of it.

I have a rare degenerative nerve condition, Charcot-Marie-Tooth which causes me to have serious balance issues and to walk with a stick.

But I mustn’t grumble.

Plenty of people are worse off than me and I know most of them.

Recently, I became the poster boy for complaints about the long waits and endless delays for elective surgery in the public health system.

I’ve waited 18 months for an operation to remove a very bad cataract, only for that finally scheduled operation to be delayed.

I’m among 21,849 South Australians waiting for elective surgery.

Public patients need patience.

All of us need the public health system but those who can afford private heath cover need it less than those who can’t.

The question was asked of me – why don’t I have private health cover?

Entertainer and radio personality Peter Goers. Picture: Dean Martin

In 1992 I was attacked outside my house. After excellent emergency attention at the RAH, my GP told me that my broken nose needed to be reset in an operation and I confirmed my top table private heath cover which I’d had forever.

I had day surgery in a private hospital and I sent about $3000 worth of bills to my private heath insurer and they were refused because I was six weeks late paying my most recent instalment.

Then the RAH contacted me to book my operation which I could’ve had for free.

TELL US WHY IN THE COMMENTS

I then abandoned private cover except for extras cover for dental and other services which currently costs me $62.29 a month.

In the last 32 years I’ve been extremely well-served by the public heath system until this recent issue.

This week I made enquiries as to the cost and benefits of getting private heath cover. My extras cover is with the excellent Medibank Private which I chose because it was government owned although, sadly, it was privatised by the Abbott Government in 2014.

I had a relaxed 45 minute conversation with Jacki Dowley, a very knowledgeable Medibank Private consultant.

She and I agreed that I’m unlikely to fall pregnant, need IVF or weight loss surgery which reduces the cost of my cover. She recommended Silver Plus Secure cover which would cost me $106 a week with a $500 excess, lots of dreaded gaps and a year long wait before I could be treated for existing conditions such as my cataract.

I can’t afford that.

Had I been paying for private heath insurance it would have cost me the equivalent of $161,200 over the last 32 years and I haven’t needed it.

We all subsidise public and private health cover just as we all subsidise public and private education.

I’ve gladly paid the Medicare Levy and the Medicare Levy Surcharge. Our taxes subsidise wealthy people’s private health cover which is further subsidised by substantial tax rebates from the government.

It’s the same argument as the public/private school divide. Does the funding of private schools weaken the public school system?

Ambulances parked at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Ramping Picture: NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Does the funding of private health weaken the public system. Of course it does.

This is all a pertinent example of the havoc wrecked by neoliberalism – by conservative governments obsessed by funding people’s choice and weakening public opportunity.

So the more wealthy among us get immediate attention and the less affluent of us wait. Insurance is a good thing.

Most of us cherish our household and motor insurance as a great comfort. Health insurance may be a great comfort to you.

A universal healthcare system is an Australian birthright. There are enormous demands on it which will only increase given our ageing population.

It will never be as good as the peerless system in Cuba but it will always be better than the appalling user pays system in America.

I did an online survey through Choice magazine and the result advised me against taking private health cover.

So I’ll continue to be very grateful for the public health system and all who work in it with the occasional complaint.

I’ve only complained once in 32 years and hope to only complain again in another 32 years time.

Originally published as Universal public health care is an Australian birthright | Peter Goers