[SV650rules]

I have experience of the Australian Medicare system, it is amazing. It is half private half public. There is set fee for treatments that you get reimbursed - if you want to go to a more expensive clinic or hospital you will have to pay the 'gap' between what Medicare will fund and what you were charged. You have to pay for treatment up front and take your Medicare ID card and your invoice to a local Medicare office ( one or more in every town ) and you can get refund same day. They control the system better than we do, and having to present a valid Medicare card for refunds prevents abuse by foreign heath tourists, you can still get treatment but you pay the whole bill. The NHS needs such a system, my wife used to work in medical system over there and test results came back same or next day, not in two weeks.

Their system is less open to abuse than our 'international health service', but if you need long term drugs or treatment ( or simply cannot afford treatment) they will give you a 'bulk billing' exemption so that all your invoices go straight to Medicare for payment. We need such a mix of public and private healthcare in UK, because our present system is abused and exploited scandalous, both by doctors and patients.