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Breast cancer

breast-mm affected-cancer/cancer-types/breast-cancer/what-breast-cancer
    • Home
    • Types
      • Ductal carcinoma in situ
      • Lobular carcinoma in situ
      • Early breast cancer
      • Paget's disease of the nipple
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    • Statistics
    • Risk factors
    • Symptoms
      • Ductal carcinoma in situ
      • Lobular carcinoma in situ
      • Early breast cancer
      • Paget’s disease of the nipple
      • Inflammatory breast cancer
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      • Metastatic breast cancer
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        • Triple test
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        • Breast-conserving surgery
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        • Breast reconstruction
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        • Early breast cancer
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        • How does chemotherapy work?
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        • What does chemotherapy involve?
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        • Questions to ask
      • Hormonal therapies
        • Hormone receptors
        • Types of hormonal therapy
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        • Menopause and oestrogen production
        • Deciding about hormonal therapies
        • Questions to ask
      • Targeted therapies
        • HER2 receptors
        • Types of targeted therapy
        • Questions to ask
      • Complementary & alternative therapies
        • Complementary therapies
        • Questions to ask
        • Where to find more information
      • Metastatic breast cancer palliative care
        • What is palliative care?
        • Accessing palliative care
        • Questions to ask
      • Ductal carcinoma in situ
      • Lobular carcinoma in situ
      • Early breast cancer
      • Paget's disease of the nipple
      • Inflammatory breast cancer
      • Locally advanced breast cancer
      • Metastatic breast cancer
      • Follow-up
        • Physical examinations
        • Breast imaging tests
        • Questions to ask
      • Advanced disease
        • When treatment stops
        • Facing the possibility of dying
        • Putting your affairs in order
        • Questions to ask
      • Recurrent and secondary cancer
        • What makes spread more likely
    • Living with
      • Practical aspects of diagnosis
        • Costs of treatment and prostheses
        • Travel schemes
        • Questions to ask
        • Choosing a cancer treatment
      • Physical changes
        • Body image
        • Menopause
        • Fertility
        • Lymphoedema
      • Emotional changes
        • How you might feel
        • Effects on partners
        • Effects on children
        • Effects on family and friends
      • Physical changes – metastatic
        • Pain
        • Symptoms and treatment side effects
      • Emotional changes – metastatic
        • Common feelings
      • Practical aspects - metastatic
        • Work
        • Financial support
        • How to access support at home
        • How to access support outside home
        • Questions to ask
    • Life after
      • Health
        • Fatigue
        • Poor sleep
        • Lymphoedema
        • Menopause
        • Pain
        • Diet
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        • Fear of recurrence
        • Feelings of loss
        • Isolation
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      • Menopausal symptoms
      • Screening
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      • Early breast cancer
      • Metastatic breast cancer
      • Ductal carcinoma
      • Lobular carcinoma
      • GP guides and resources
      • Follow-up care
      • Breast cancer Qstream
    • Home
    • Types
      • Ductal carcinoma in situ
      • Lobular carcinoma in situ
      • Early breast cancer
      • Paget's disease of the nipple
      • Inflammatory breast cancer
      • Locally advanced breast cancer
      • Metastatic breast cancer
    • Statistics
    • Risk factors
    • Symptoms
      • Ductal carcinoma in situ
      • Lobular carcinoma in situ
      • Early breast cancer
      • Paget’s disease of the nipple
      • Inflammatory breast cancer
      • Locally advanced breast cancer
      • Metastatic breast cancer
    • Awareness
      • iPrevent
    • Diagnosis
      • Tests
        • Triple test
      • Stages of breast cancer
      • Receiving a diagnosis
      • Diagnosis of early breast cancer
        • What the pathology report means
      • Diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ
        • What the DCIS pathology report means
      • Diagnosis when breast cancer spreads
      • Questions to ask
    • Treatment
      • Treatment team
        • Members of the team
        • Talking with health professionals
        • Questions to ask
      • Deciding about treatment
        • Travelling
        • Pregnancy
        • Tips for making decisions
        • Questions to ask
        • MammaPrint ® (70 gene signature) test
      • Surgery
        • Breast-conserving surgery
        • Mastectomy
        • Surgery to the armpit (axilla)
        • Surgery for metastatic breast cancer
        • Breast reconstruction
        • Choosing a surgeon
        • Questions to ask
        • Care after surgery
      • Radiotherapy
        • Early breast cancer
        • Metastatic breast cancer
        • Questions to ask
        • Skin care
        • Travelling
      • Chemotherapy
        • How does chemotherapy work?
        • Type of chemotherapy
        • What does chemotherapy involve?
        • Side effects
        • Questions to ask
      • Hormonal therapies
        • Hormone receptors
        • Types of hormonal therapy
        • Side effects
        • Menopause and oestrogen production
        • Deciding about hormonal therapies
        • Questions to ask
      • Targeted therapies
        • HER2 receptors
        • Types of targeted therapy
        • Questions to ask
      • Complementary & alternative therapies
        • Complementary therapies
        • Questions to ask
        • Where to find more information
      • Metastatic breast cancer palliative care
        • What is palliative care?
        • Accessing palliative care
        • Questions to ask
      • Ductal carcinoma in situ
      • Lobular carcinoma in situ
      • Early breast cancer
      • Paget's disease of the nipple
      • Inflammatory breast cancer
      • Locally advanced breast cancer
      • Metastatic breast cancer
      • Follow-up
        • Physical examinations
        • Breast imaging tests
        • Questions to ask
      • Advanced disease
        • When treatment stops
        • Facing the possibility of dying
        • Putting your affairs in order
        • Questions to ask
      • Recurrent and secondary cancer
        • What makes spread more likely
    • Living with
      • Practical aspects of diagnosis
        • Costs of treatment and prostheses
        • Travel schemes
        • Questions to ask
        • Choosing a cancer treatment
      • Physical changes
        • Body image
        • Menopause
        • Fertility
        • Lymphoedema
      • Emotional changes
        • How you might feel
        • Effects on partners
        • Effects on children
        • Effects on family and friends
      • Physical changes – metastatic
        • Pain
        • Symptoms and treatment side effects
      • Emotional changes – metastatic
        • Common feelings
      • Practical aspects - metastatic
        • Work
        • Financial support
        • How to access support at home
        • How to access support outside home
        • Questions to ask
    • Life after
      • Health
        • Fatigue
        • Poor sleep
        • Lymphoedema
        • Menopause
        • Pain
        • Diet
        • Exercise
      • Feelings
        • Finding a new ‘normal’
        • Fear of recurrence
        • Feelings of loss
        • Isolation
        • Anxiety and depression
        • Not sure how you feel?
      • Relationships
        • Partners
        • Children
        • Friends
        • Colleagues
      • Practical issues
        • Returning to work
        • Questions to ask your health fund
    • Support
    • Clinical trials
      • What happens in a clinical trial?
      • What are the phases of a clinical trial?
      • Advantages and disadvantages
      • Questions to ask about clinical trials
      • When to find more information
    • Health professionals
      • Menopausal symptoms
      • Screening
      • Breast cancer diagnosis
      • Early breast cancer
      • Metastatic breast cancer
      • Ductal carcinoma
      • Lobular carcinoma
      • GP guides and resources
      • Follow-up care
      • Breast cancer Qstream
  1. Home
  2. Treatment
  3. Surgery
  4. Breast reconstruction
  5. Deciding about breast reconstruction
  6. Factors affecting decisions about breast reconstruction
  7. Comparison of public versus private breast reconstruction surgery
  • Treatment team
  • Deciding about treatment
  • Surgery
    • Breast-conserving surgery
    • Mastectomy
    • Surgery to the armpit (axilla)
    • Surgery for metastatic breast cancer
    • Breast reconstruction
      • Types of breast reconstruction
      • Breast reconstruction after preventive mastectomy
      • Breast reconstruction after a diagnosis
      • Timing of breast reconstruction
      • Deciding about breast reconstruction
        • Factors affecting decisions about breast reconstruction
          • Comparison of public versus private breast reconstruction surgery
          • Tax rebates and financial assistance for breast reconstruction
        • Making decisions about breast reconstruction after a breast cancer diagnosis
      • External breast prostheses
      • Questions to ask
      • Living with a breast reconstruction
    • Choosing a surgeon
    • Questions to ask
    • Care after surgery
  • Radiotherapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Hormonal therapies
  • Targeted therapies
  • Complementary & alternative therapies
  • Metastatic breast cancer palliative care
  • Ductal carcinoma in situ
  • Lobular carcinoma in situ
  • Early breast cancer
  • Paget's disease of the nipple
  • Inflammatory breast cancer
  • Locally advanced breast cancer
  • Metastatic breast cancer
  • Follow-up
  • Advanced disease
  • Recurrent and secondary cancer

Comparison of public versus private breast reconstruction surgery

  • Printer-friendly version
  • A|A

It is your choice whether you have breast reconstruction in the public or private system. Your decision may affect the financial cost and timing of your surgery.

Having a breast reconstruction as a public patient means that Medicare will cover all or most costs. All claims for breast reconstructions are reviewed by the Medicare Claims Review Panel and decisions are made on an individual basis. The individual may be required to pay the cost of a permanent prosthesis.

Even if you have your breast reconstruction in the private system, Medicare will pay 75% of the scheduled fee for the procedure. However, keep in mind that many surgeons and anaesthetists charge more than the scheduled fee for their services.

System

Pros

Cons

Public patient in a public hospital

  • No costs (breast reconstruction is a reconstructive procedure, not a cosmetic procedure)
    • You cannot choose the breast reconstruction surgeon who will do your breast reconstruction
    • It may be difficult to schedule a breast surgeon (to perform a mastectomy) and breast reconstruction surgeon for the same operation to do an immediate breast reconstruction
    • Waiting list can be months to years

      Private patient in a public hospital

      • No costs for hospital stay
      • You can choose your breast reconstruction surgeon
      • May need to pay excess surgeon fees
      • Waiting list can be months to years

      Private patient in a private hospital (with private health insurance)

      • You can choose your breast reconstruction surgeon
      • It is possible to schedule the breast surgeon and breast reconstruction surgeon to do an immediate breast reconstruction
      • Public hospital waiting lists do not apply
      • Private hospital fund will pay for some of your expenses
      • Private health insurers may not cover the full amount; gap payments will often be required for surgeon and anaesthetist services (may be $6000-10,000)
      • May be waiting periods and restrictions depending on when you join your private health fund
      • Payment may be required before surgery

      Private patient in a private hospital (no private health insurance)

      • You can choose your breast reconstruction surgeon
      • It is possible to schedule the breast surgeon and breast reconstruction surgeon to do an immediate breast reconstruction
      • Public hospital waiting lists do not apply

       

      • You are responsible for paying all hospital costs and gap costs for the surgeon and anaesthetist fees
      • Payment may be required before surgery
      • Last Updated
      • Relevant Links
      updated: 20 October 2020 - 3:32pm
      Australian Cancer Trials

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      • Bladder cancer
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      • Melanoma of the skin
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      Cancer Australia was established by the Australian Government in 2006 to benefit all Australians affected by cancer, and their families and carers. Cancer Australia aims to reduce the impact of cancer, address disparities and improve outcomes for people affected by cancer by leading and coordinating national, evidence-based interventions across the continuum of care.

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