Dear Justine, Barb, Tina, Jo et al Well done wonderful women ... if the ACT goes with your proposal it will lead the way for other states to follow.
You are correct in saying your costing of C/S is an under- estimate. Their are all the on-going costs that, according to medibank private, are difficult to calculate accurately. The private health insurers have so many additional bills presented after most C/S undergone by their members - bills from anaesthetists. Paediatricians, GPs (wound infection) Pschyciatrists (post-partaldeptression) etc - they just keep on coming in to Medibank Private long after the woman is discharged from hospital! This humungus C/S cost is the reason why medibank private is anxious to begin offering a NATURAL BIRTH package with a MIDWIFE to its members once the midwives have their own PI insurance. (Those midwives who are currently employed in hospitals and who say they don't want their own PI insurance obviously can't see the potential for undertaking additional private births to supplement their wages.) Once the private health insurance companies start offering natural birth packages it will increase the number of natural births in the private sector tremendously and decrease the number of surgical births as more Obs return to their lucrative gynae practices.... Until more women read "Man-made woman" maybe. Cheers Jan -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
