Holy moly - $30,000+ for Gastric Sleeve??? Does that sound right?

Hiya, They have to pay you the $30k, the tax is on top of that and taken directly out of your super in addition to the $30k, you dont have to find it and pay it yourself :)

hHi Fat20sFit30's

It completly sux about the presures with getting funding. the tax is applied on the sum you take out of your super and also paid out of your super ( at teast thats what happened in my case) So you have to have enough in super to cover the amount you want and enough to cover the tax amount. I am hopingI don't get taxed again on it but what's done is done. It is also a very big stress worring that something could go wrongand you need exrta funds to cover extra hospital costs.
The reason I was nocked back in the first place is because i did not list every thing I paid out of my wage. They wrote back and said (in summary) I should just save up for it. There was a right of appeal and so I resent it with a very detaild list of how I spent my page  and the statement that it was highly unlikely that  I would ever be in the position to save enough money to pay for the opperation before my health and earning ability were impacted by my excess weight.
You also need to know that getting approval to use your super does not mean
 it will be in your bank account the next day. Once you have the approval letter you need to contact your super company to get whatever paperwork they require and to send that back to them with a copy of your approval letter and then they put it in your bank account. In my case this part took 10 business days and I was quite stressed as I was not sure I would have it in the bank to pay all af the casts that had to be paid one week before the surgery.
I still hope it all goes well for you but wonder if you have found out what the gap would be if you wait the extra  six months on you current level of insurance.
I just wish the government would realise that funding this surgery would mean a lot lesshealth problems and in the long term far less cost to tne public purse

I totally get that you want it NOW --> that is exactly how I felt but in the end I waited.  

Not only does it save you a bucket load of money but (knock wood) if there were unexpected complications (even something small) then you are completely covered cost wise, whereas if you are self-funding and have to spend a couple of extra nights in ICU for some reason then there's already four or five thousand more.

And yes, you have to pay a HEAP in tax too which isn't very clearly explained.  I think the way it works is something like... they tax it when they let you take it out, and then they count it as part of your income for the year at normal tax time too so then you are taxed at a higher rate somehow (it's like paying tax twice!)

Sorry to put a negative spin on it though.  One thing I can say is the 12 month wait is worth it in my opinion - the surgery is changing my life for the better.

Hi
Is it worth looking at the costings for other surgens in your area.  I was 
done in Melbourne by Mr Nottle and only paid around $13000. There were additional costs for visits to dietitian and psychologist as well as respiritory specialist and at home sleep studies ( which can now be bulk billed).
I know the hospital I went to had a special deal for the 3 nights ($7110 rather than $12296). I was not required to do a gastroscopy or stay in icu the first night. There are other bills I have had to pay for including pathology and swallow test but they have only cost about $400.
I did access my super and there was a bit of messing around getting the money (I was rejected on my first application). You also need to know that you will be taxed on the amount you take from your super so you need to have enough in your super to cover the tax as well.
Don't get me wrong I am very glad I did this but it might be worth looking to see if you have any other options. Perhaps others from your area may have suggestions.Good luck.

Yeah I applied for my super to pay the gap. No dramas there :)

Without PHI that sounds about right. The surgeon is about $3k more expensive than the one I had, but they do set their own fees. 

The invoice I got from my PHI for what they paid for my hospital bed was close to $20k, thats where I finally saw the benefit of waiting and paying PHI premiums for 12 months.