I had considered dropping it too and totally understand anyone who would for quite a few reasons. Luckily though we didn't, as DH needed a double hernia op and from when he was diagnosed to the time he had the op was only about 3 or 4 weeks, as opposed to waiting in the public system for at least a year or more. He was working in construction and I don't know how we would have coped if he had have had to put up with the pain for that long...

If you needed to could you re-draw on your home loan or do you have savings you could dip in to to pay for any surgery that was required fairly quickly, that you may have to go on a waiting list for?