Many Australians are dumping their private health insurance policies after realising they are still facing huge bills for out-of-pocket costs. With many paying about $2000 a year for private cover, it’s no surprise people are shocked to receive quotes of up to $160,000 for surgery. While many are critical of rising premiums, NSW Central Coast resident Bob Caine believes part of the problem is how much surgeons are charging. He told news.com.au there was a huge difference in the amounts he was quoted for his hip surgery. “Some quotes were mind-boggling. Some surgeons charged $160,000 for two hip replacements,” Mr Caine told news.com.au. He said he phoned dozens of surgeons and shopped around for a month but the lowest quote he could find was $12,000 per hip, which would have meant shelling out $24,000 for his procedure, something the pensioner could not afford. In the end he contacted his […]