In Australia, the cost of an operation in a hospital can be very expensive. This article aims to provide a basic rundown of the financial costs involved in the Australian health system. Generally health cover is free for Australians under Medicare. What this means is that all Australian residents who are registered for Medicare are covered through a public health system.

However, some Australians including yourself may opt for private health cover. The Private health system offers patients the ability to select your surgeon for your operation. It therefore gives you a better service by choosing the best surgeon that is appropriate for your elective surgery. It also means if it is a life and death surgery, you will be offered first priority for the surgery with a higher chance of survival and recovery.

It is important to understand however that when selecting your the type of health cover you would like, the majority of the fees are not covered. In fact, most of the health insurance cover goes towards paying for the hospital stay rather than the surgery itself. What this means is that patients can be surprised with what is called the GAP fees, the out of pocket costs that can be a result of a surgery. Below are 5 of the most common GAP fees that occur when a patient undergoes an operation in Australia.

1. Initial Consult fee

This is the cost to meet with your surgeon before surgery. The consultation is normally billed per hour and depending on how the consult goes, there may be a few other appointments before your surgery. This includes any tests and discussions about your surgery. The general cost you should expect to pay is $180 to $280 for the first initial consultation.

2. Subsequent Consult

Following your first consultation, you may require to attend further consults to receive back test results and have a general discussion on the risks of your surgery as well as any other concerns or processes that need to be completed prior to your surgery. Generally, the average cost can be $95 to $200.

3. Cost of Surgery

As stated previously, the cost deductions covered by Medicare and private health insurers may not cover the cost of the actual surgery. There is a GAP for most of the providers available in Australia. Most surgeons would perform a procedure or surgery first. The following day you will be invoiced directly for the procedure. This will include a GAP fee and can cost from anywhere between $200 to $5000. The cost of the surgery is dependent on the surgeon, the type of surgery or operation completed and any complications involved.

4. Hospital bed and Theatre costs

For those with private health insurance, you will require to check whether your surgery includes this cost or if there will be an excess cost after a certain point. It is important to note that certain orthopaedic procedures may be excluded from your policy and therefore need to be checked prior to booking in surgery.

5. Other Fees

There’s also other minor fees that can add up including the anesthetist’s fees. This is the specialist who provides the anesthetic to the patient during the operation. The out of pocket cost can vary from $250 to $1000. Your anesthetist will contact you prior to surgery and obtain informed financial consent before the surgery.

In addition to this, an assistants fee can also be invoiced to the patient. The assistant helps the surgeon during surgery and can generally cost between $100 and $350.