Mums 定価つきの out of 私的な obstetrics care
When it （機の）カム time for Bridget Crowe to have her babies, she was の中で an 増加するing number of Australian parents turning to the public hospital system.
The Melbourne mother-of-three couldn't 正当化する the high out-of-pocket hospital 料金s - and specialists say she's not alone in shunning the 私的な system 予定 to cost.
国家の 協会 of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 大統領，／社長 Gino Pecoraro told AAP the nation was "証言，証人／目撃するing the 事実上の 崩壊（する） of 私的な obstetrics".
Part of the problem was that Australia's birth 率 had fallen to a 記録，記録的な／記録する low, while the 大多数 of women giving birth elected to use the public system because of the cost of 私的な health cover, the Brisbane-based specialist said.
"People who are having babies are all 存在 軍隊d to go to the public 部門, which was never designed or ーするつもりであるd to do all of the work," he said.
"(Public hospitals) are really struggling, but it's a symptom of the 病気 that there hasn't been enough 資源ing or planning to run obstetric services."
In 2016/17, 23.7 per cent of childbirth 手続きs carried out in hospitals took place in 私的な 施設s but the 株 has 刻々と fallen to 21.8 per cent in 2020/21.
Dr Pecoraro said a reboot of the entire 部門 was needed, with a particular 焦点（を合わせる） on Medicare and 私的な health 保険.
"The 連邦の 政府 hasn't had the courage or the 有罪の判決 to stand up to the 私的な health 保険会社s and make sure that they cover pregnancy in all the 政策s," he said.
Dr Pecoraro said it was "cruelty and sexism" for women to 直面する 意味ありげに higher 私的な health 保険 costs ーするために be covered for pregnancy and birth.
"And Medicare isn't blameless in that either - we've had a Medicare rebate 凍結する for specialists for six years," he said.
Melbourne obstetrician Bronwyn Hamilton agrees.
She said the Medicare rebate barely touched the surface of running a 私的な clinic.
"Unfortunately, if out-of-pocket costs didn't 存在する we would 現実に lose money for each 患者 we took on for their pregnancy and birth," Dr Hamilton said.
The Medicare rebate of $329.70 に向かって 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s for the 'planning and 管理／経営' of a pregnancy does not cover her costs, such as staffing, 保険 and rent.
Dr Hamilton said many of her inner-city 私的な 同僚s were struggling for 商売／仕事 予定 to the 押し進める に向かって the public system.
"Although we have a world-class public system with 高度に qualified midwives, it is now under 厳しい 緊張する and under-資源d," she said.
"That 緊張する has been 原因（となる）d by more people 存在 unable to afford 私的な care even though many of them would like to."
In 2019/20, 69 per cent of 私的な 患者s with 保険 who gave birth vaginally without 複雑化s did not 直面する any out-of-pocket doctors' costs, によれば the 連邦の 政府's 医療の Costs Finder.
The remaining 31 per cent typically paid $350 in out-of-pocket 料金s, while 57 per cent of 患者s whose babies were 配達するd by Caesarean section 直面するd out-of-pocket doctors' costs typically 価値（がある） $420.
However the 人物／姿／数字s don't 含む hospital 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s such as accommodation or theatre costs, which usually reached into the thousands of dollars and might not be fully covered by 保険会社s.
Ms Crowe and husband Matty 最初 planned to go 私的な but changed their minds because of the out-of-pocket costs.
"We 初めは 増加するd my 私的な (保険) ニュース報道 to 含む pregnancy when we were thinking of trying for our first (child)," she said.
"Then I was told the out-of-pocket cost for the 大多数 of doctors in my area started around $5000.
"This cost と一緒に the 増加する in our 賞与金 was 重要な for us. So we decided to go with the public system."
Rachel David, the CEO of 私的な health 保険 産業 団体／死体 私的な Health Care Australia, 譲歩するd out-of-pocket costs often turned pe ople off 私的な maternity care but 追加するd the system was difficult to navigate 予定 to the Medicare 利益s 計画／陰謀.
私的な health 保険会社s were often not 許すd to co-基金 outpatient care if a Medicare 利益 was payable, she said, 追加するing that the system as a whole was "too rigid".
"What we don't want to happen is for 私的な obstetrics to disappear, the 全労働人口 to disappear and then have a very big 負担 on the public hospital system and create some bottlenecks which 現実に 衝撃 患者 care," she said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said cover for pregnancy and birth was 義務的な in 最高の，を越す-tier health 保険 計画（する）s, however it was a 商業の 決定／判定勝ち（する） for 保険会社s if they 含むd 類似の cover in cheaper 政策s.
"The 利益s paid for pregnancy and birth are 一般に of a 重要な 量, which 要求する higher levels of 賞与金s to cover," she said, 追加するing that these 利益s 反映するd 料金s 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金d by doctors and hospitals over which the 政府 had no 当局.
