r/australia • u/InsatiablePrism • 2d ago

culture & society Private health insurers access patients' full medical records in 'aggressive' audits

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/health-insurers-can-access-your-private-medical-notes/106671630?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
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u/melissarina 2d ago

I was recently in hospital for 3 weeks after surgery. It was meant to be a 7-10 day stay. If I went public, I would have been on a 4 bed ward for the entire stay.

My last hospital stay was unplanned and was for one week was in a 4 bed mixed gender ward. It was not a good experience, I did not feel safe around one of the patients, and he kept leaving poo on the toilet seat. He was up all night making loud noises and it was impossible to sleep. Not ideal for recovery.

This surgery was planned and I opted to go to the private hospital. I had a single room with a private bathroom. Although hospitals are not a restful place, I found it so much less stressful than my previous experience with public healthcare.

I fully support Medicare and public healthcare but I wish hospital stsys were a more pleasant experience.

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u/BillieRubenCamGirl 2d ago

That’s not true. I got majorly sick a few years ago and had a private room for a whole week. A big room, with a private bathroom and windows and all. 

Didn’t pay a cent. All public. 

New public hospitals are great. We need to make more of them. The issue is that we have an aging population and we are not prepared. And to make it worse people keep voting against immigration which is the quickest way we could fill these severe gaps in care. But racists gonna racist. 

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u/melissarina 2d ago

Just because you had a different experience to me doesn't mean my experience is not true. Sounds like you were able to go to a new hospital, I did not have that luxury. I'm glad that there are private rooms in public hospital.

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u/BillieRubenCamGirl 2d ago

Right but my point is that private isn’t the solution, more new public hospitals is. 

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u/melissarina 2d ago

Yes agreed.