Perks Of Private Insurance
Newcastle Herald
Saturday October 25, 2008
THE best way to avoid parking fees at the Hunter's public hospitals is to be a private patient.
While public patients are about to be slugged $4 for parking at Belmont, Maitland, Wallsend and Waratah campuses and longer-staying parkers at John Hunter may pay as much as $10 a visit, private patients will get their parking free. Hunter New England Health director of corporate services James Brown said the public system benefited so much when patients declared and used their private insurance that it was worth offering incentives to induce them to do so. He said two free all-day parking vouchers were offered to private patients as one such incentive. When private patients are treated in public hospitals, their health funds have to reimburse the hospital, unlike public patients whose care is funded from the hospitals' own budgets.Mr Brown suggested that people leave their cars at EnergyAustralia Stadium and catch the free shuttle bus.Car parking cash cow Editorial, Page 18
© 2008 Newcastle Herald