I know quite a few of ewe's are dinasaurs & on the pension
Serious Q believe it or not
Went to see my dad in who's in hospital for a few days & my mum was saying that they have to pay the Specialists bills
I thought the govnment took care of pensioners medical bills.

Oldies worked for wages all their lives till retirement

I think you have to pay then claim it back from Medicare mate.
I don't really know how it works but Denise said to make sure the quack knows he's a pensioner because they could charge a lower rate and it will all be covered by Medicare or the gap could be smaller.
My heart guy used to zip my Medicare card because we knew his secretary then when she left he started getting cash up front.
Just pay it for him & tell him it's his birthday present.

Not the point Fed they have been paying the bills from the heart quack they get 1/2 back from medicare but one of the udder specialists cant recall which one they get nothing back.
Point here is ok oldies can afford to pay bills but what happens to old folk who need such medical treatments & dont have the money.

Kinda Sucks

Unfortuntely the present day politicians dont give a damn about anyone, especially the old ones...our medical system is an absolute disgrace at the moment...unless your on the verge of dying go see how long you have to wait in our hospital emergency departments.....

If people only went to the doctors when they were really sick then there would be enough money to pay the doctors more money.

Hi Majed.

SERIOUS ANSWER TO SERIOUS QUESTION

Doctors are allowed to charge above the "scheduled fee"; the govt will only reimburse the patient the scheduled fee. Now if the pt receives the services in an hospital environment the healthcare funds are allowed to pay the difference or "gap".
The schedule fee is what the govt considers a 'fair' payment for services rendered.

Jumpy ... is your Dad in a Health Fund like MBF? If the service was provided in a hospital then the fund should pay for some of the "gap".

Here are some reasons as to why there is no reimbursement:
1) the doctor has already claimed the Medicare rebate and the gap is NOT covered
2) there is no current referral for the doctor's services so the pt pays the full amount - if the services are provided in a hospital there should be a referral.
3) the doctor or practioner does not have a current 'provider number'.

Further to your question of
SIMPLE: they end up in an outpatients department waiting for hours to see a registrar/specialist who is employed by the hospital!

Yes it 'Sucks' and 'Stinks' !!!

But there are some specialists out there that only take medicare for their older/pensioner pts - they are the GOOD ones!