management fee/medicare safety net

[Hollybolly]

Mel - Completely agree with your whole post!

And TBH I agree with Mels points, and besides, I like my OB, and that money that I pay him is asking him to drop everything and be at my side when I need him.

Exactly how I feel, too Ruf

There's no way I would change as my OB is my FS as well... he got me here & so knows exactly what I need & how to go about it to get me the rest of the way!

He did say that they would wait for confirmation from the government towards the end of the year, but were looking at charging differently to make it better for patients etc - I think in terms of item numbers etc.

We have passed the safety net this year well & truly with 2 full stim cycles of IVF at a little over $6000 each time - but I'm so glad we got a pregnancy this year, so I'm happy enough that our cycle worked while we were still able to claim the IVF through the safety net! The OB fee would have been an extra bonus, but at this point, I'm so damn happy I have a positive result, I'm happy with anything now

[emstar]

Hey does anyone know if this is definitely going ahead? I heard that it still had to pass the senate but can't find any info

I miss out by a few weeks, am guttered!!! My ob fee is $4000, but he is brilliant and have no choice as the hopsital I want to give birth will only use their obs.

I do think Obs have been overcharing, they earn over a million per year from medicare alone so medicare are just trying to get them to reduce the prices. They have gone up considerably since the safety net was still introduced but I wish it could be delayed a bit longer!

[melbel]

It has passed the senate with a few modifications to the IVF section but the general ostetrics is basically the same as the original outline unfortunately....you can read the new limits here:

MBS Online - Changes to the Extended Medicare Safety Net in the 2009-10 Budget

Hope that helps.

[emstar]

thanks Mel! yeah I rang medicare last week and they said it was still being passed in the senate.... obviously she had no idea!

[Mrs McAwesome]

Hi ladies,

Just an update. I had my last app with my OB yesteday for 2009 and he let me pay the management fee then. I went into medicare and claimed it straight away and they put it in my bank account no worries no questions. The receipt I claimed with nowhere said I was 20 weeks preg.

My OB was $2000 and I got $1396 back from medicare so very happy with that. Otherwise the lady at medicare said the scheduled fee is only $122 and that is all I would have got back if I didn't have the safety net.

[JLeigh29]

Thanks for your update Mrs Hendo. Have been reading this thread with interest as I paid our management fee yesterday - $1850. Medicare gave us back just over $700. How does that work as I thought once you reach the safety net you get back 80% of oop expenses and by our calculations we've definitely reached the safety net? Am I right or is that baby brain? And will private health cover any of the rest of the expense, does anyone know?

[Mrs McAwesome]

Your OOP won't be covered by your private health... Well most won't I work for medibank and I know we definately won't.

The safety net is $1100 ish.. We had already reached $890 ourselves prior to paying the management fee which is why we have gotten more back. As the scheduled fee is only $122 you got back an extra $500-$600.

Prior to doing your tax next year make sure you get an annual statement of benefits from medicare and your private health fund as any OOP over $1500 for the financial year you will get back 20%

[berrme]

Private health cover doesn't cover anything that is not in a hospital, so none of the general ob fees before the birth are covered.

The medicare safety net only includes your out of pocket expenses, so maybe you are over estimating by including the total of the bills from the ob so far?
I found that it was the management fee that put me past the safety net limit so we only got the 80% back for about half of the management fee that was past the limit. I hope that made sense.

[BlackRose]

Hi ladies,

Just an update. I had my last app with my OB yesteday for 2009 and he let me pay the management fee then. I went into medicare and claimed it straight away and they put it in my bank account no worries no questions. The receipt I claimed with nowhere said I was 20 weeks preg.

My OB was $2000 and I got $1396 back from medicare so very happy with that. Otherwise the lady at medicare said the scheduled fee is only $122 and that is all I would have got back if I didn't have the safety net.

That's really interesting Mrs Hendo, because I asked my OB if I could pay my 20 week fee early to claim the 80% back and he said no because I wasn't at 20 weeks by 31DEC. I noticed you weren't at 20 weeks either, so how did you claim this money back from Medicare? didn't your OB have to state you were at 20 weeks or over by 31st December 09?

Thanks!

[Mrs McAwesome]

I have heard most OB won't do it as they are worried about getting into trouble. Medicare just go off the the item no on the receipt. on it states nowhere that I was 20 weeks along. When i went into medicare i was only 15.5 weeks along and noone asked me how far along i was either.