There's no dicking around with insurance companies in Australia is there? No qualifying, no putting submissions to them etc etc. If the surgeon considers it medically necessary then bob's your uncle?

I rang our fund, Defence Health, and they said as long as it was medically necessary, no problem. I'm paranoid about a surgeon saying yes, OK, having the op and then the insurance company saying "we're not paying for that".

I have to keep reminding myself our health system is not the same as in the USA!

australia has kickass insurance-its where we are retiring to and go every year-havent been this year but am getting married there and im anxious to get there again-loooooooove it.

Well Australian's whinge pretty heartily about the standard of our health system but by world standards, its pretty darn good!

Where are you getting married?

outside Melbourne then spending 3 weeks on Heron and Lizard Islands.

Ooh, lovely!

yeah im hoping so-never been to those 2 islands our wedding was postponed so sadly we r going during a hot ass time but itll be nice.

Hey Jachut,

When I started looking into it, I called my fund (MBF) and they said the same thing - If the doctor says you need it, we'll cover it. There's a specific code for the lapband that insurance companies use to refer to it .. I have it in one of my books and that's what I quoted them for the procedure.

Being from the states originally, I really appreciate the Australian healthcare system and especially programs like TAC. People gripe about it alot, but when my dad was here on holidays, he got an Australian motorbike license cause he was going to be here for 5 months. A car hit him one day when he was riding. Broke 2 vertebrae, torn ligament in his knee (whichever one it is the footy players are always having to have surgery for), collapsed both lungs, broke 6 ribs and his big toe. Had to have his spine fused and has to have a full knee reconstruction this year. TAC covered it all - not a penny out of pocket. Had he been at home when it happened, he would have ended up paralyzed waiting to get the money for the surgery, or had it and then gone bankrupt trying to pay it back.

Taxes may be a bit higher, but in my opinion, its definitely worth it.

Hi. I'm insured with Medibank Private. Once my surgery date was set, I went into the local office to check on how much I would get back - it didn't even enter my head that they wouldn't cover it as my surgeon had told me that I would get a certain amount back from my health fund. So that's all I did.

I am so grateful that we don't have to go through all the same crap with insurance companies like our American friends do. I work in the healthcare system in Australia, and complain and worry about it too, but it really does seem so much better than other places in the world.

I live in Australia, Victoria. My Insurance is Medibank private, and was $2.700 out of pocket for my surgery.

I had my surgery at The Avenue Private.

Dr A Skinner, who works with Professor O'Brien, is brilliant. The after care, fills, dietition, appointments etc are free for the rest of our lives.

Makes life with the band very easy with such good aftercare.

Regards Lapband.

Our health system is fantastic...especially the private system. I could talk all day about the public system...not so good in places as we know. Overworked and underfunded. I'll be keeping my private health cover!

I wasnt in a private health fund when I was banded and I didnt want to wait the 12 months so I self funded but all my visits to the Dr and fills are all covered by medicare. I havent had to pay a cent after the surgery.

I had no problems. I just had to have a form filled in by my GP (not the surgeon) saying how long I had been overweight, and that I had tried to lose it before, and I got 85% covered.

yep, I had a pretty good time too. I had hospital excess of $800, surgery fee $500 and $450 for the anasthetic, the rest was covered. And because I live in the middle of nowhere my flights to and from the hospital were covered and only cost $25 each way.

Any of you Aussies going to the lap band conference in October? I am, I cant wait.

I'd love to, it's a week before my surgery...but with the obvious expense of the surgery I just can't justify it

Any of you Aussies going to the lap band conference in October? I am, I cant wait.

No, I found it really hard to "get to know" the ozbanders. You had to already be "in" to be "in" if you know what I mean?