No Health Insurance?

If you are not in a Health Fund, and we have decided you need surgery, you have two alternatives:

1. Go on a Waiting List at the Public Hospital, or
2. Pay for the operation yourself ("self insure")

I admit patients to two Public Hospitals (Blacktown and Mt Druitt) where I do regular lists of elective surgery (now called Planned Surgery) including Joint Replacements and Knee Ligament Reconstruction operations. The care there is free of charge to you. However, be aware that the Waiting List for operations in the Public system is considerable, currently upwards of twelve months (as of October 2011) and patients are brought into hospital on a "first come, first served" basis.

An increasing number of people are choosing to "Self Insure" or pay for their own surgery, so they don't have to wait (particularly if they are very uncomfortable with their condition and feel they have saved money on Private Health Insurance Premiums over the years). This is often a worthwhile investment in your future as it means you can have your operation straight away when you need it and be getting your life back to normal as soon as possible.

The costs may not be as high as you think, especially for some less invasive surgeries like Arthroscopy and ACL Reconstruction which can be done as Day-Only cases, and my office will be happy to provide you with an accurate costing. You will usually get a substantial portion of the medical fees back through Medicare (although not all), and we will assist you to get an accurate written estimate of the Private Hospital charges before you go ahead.