Podcast 13 – Health Care in Australia

跟着罗布·麦科马克，一边学英语，一边了解澳大利亚的日常生活。

Learn English while learning about daily life in Australia with Rob McCormack.

第13期播客：澳大利亚的医疗保健。

Podcast number 13, Health Care in Australia.

你好。

Hi.

有句话说得好：‘只要身体健康，其他都是次要的。’这话真不假。

There is a saying: 'Nothing else matters as long as you've got your health.' This is very true.

我这辈子挺幸运的，很少生病。

I have been very lucky in my life because I have not been sick very often.

每次不舒服，我都能得到最好的医疗照顾。

When I have been sick, I have always received the best medical treatment.

这是因为澳大利亚有一套完善的体系，确保每个国民在需要时都能获得应有的医疗服务。

That's because Australia has a good system for making sure that all Australians can get the health care they need when they need it.

当然，我并不是说我们的体系完美无缺。

Now, I'm not saying our system is perfect.

肯定是有问题的，这没错。

It has problems, that's for sure.

但总的来说，我觉得这个体系还不错。

But overall, I think it's a good system.

在这期播客里，我来给你简单讲讲它是怎么运作的。

In this podcast, I will tell you a little about how it works.

显然，任何医疗体系都挺复杂的，所以我只做个简要介绍。

Obviously, any health care system is very complicated, so I will only give a brief summary.

如果你想了解更多，可以去 www.humanservices.gov.au 看看。

If you want to find out more, you should go to www.humanservices.gov.au.

澳大利亚的医疗体系是全民覆盖的。

Australia's health care system is a universal system.

也就是说，所有住在澳大利亚的人都能享受到保障。

In other words, everybody who lives in Australia is covered.

这一点很好。

That's a good thing.

你没法选择不参保。

You can't choose not to be covered.

你永远不知道什么时候会生病或受伤，但在澳大利亚，一旦发生这种情况，你都能得到高质量的医疗服务，不需要任何前提条件。

You never know when you might get sick or injured, and in Australia, if you do, you will get quality health care no questions asked.

澳大利亚的医疗计划叫作Medicare。

The Australian health care program is called Medicare.

在这期播客里，我只讲两种主要的医疗情况。

I will only talk about the two main types of health care situations in this podcast.

首先是当你需要看医生的时候。

First, when you need to see a doctor.

经常会有这种情况：你感觉不舒服，得去看医生。

Often, there's the situation where you feel sick and need to see a doctor.

根据世界银行网站的数据，澳大利亚每千人中有3.9名医生。

In Australia, there are 3.9 doctors for every 1,000 people, according to the World Bank website.

这个比例在国际上算是相当高的。

This is quite high by world standards.

确实，许多乡村地区的医生数量不够。

It's true that many rural areas don't have as many doctors as they need.

对于偏远乡村地区，澳大利亚设有皇家飞行医生服务。

For isolated rural areas, Australia has the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

这个项目挺有意思的，我会在另一期播客里详细介绍。

It has an interesting story, and I'll talk about that in another podcast.

对大多数澳大利亚人来说，需要看医生时很容易找到。

For most Australians, it's easy to find a doctor when you need one.

比如，我家附近200米就有一家诊所。

For example, I have a medical practice just 200 meters away in my street.

澳大利亚有很多小型诊所，通常由几位医生一起工作。

We have lots of small medical practices in Australia, usually with a few doctors working together.

也有大型诊所，拥有十五到二十位医生，属于更大的医疗网络。

We also have many large medical practices with 15 or 20 doctors, which are part of a bigger network.

在这些诊所，你还能找牙医、物理治疗师、营养师等其他专业医疗人员就诊。

At these practices, you can also get treatment from dentists, physiotherapists, dietitians and other special medical staff.

这些诊所就像一站式医疗服务中心。

These practices are like a one stop shop for medical care.

我去看病时就会去这种诊所。

I use one of these practices when I go to the doctor.

你去看医生时，他们通常会给你开药。

When you visit a doctor, they will often prescribe medicines for you.

拿药得拿着医生开的处方去药房或药店。

To get these medicines, you need to go to a pharmacy or a chemist with the prescription which the doctor has written for you.

药剂师会根据处方帮你配好正确的药物。

The pharmacist will then prepare the correct medicines based on the prescription.

药房常常就在诊所旁边，或者就在同一条街上。

Often, the pharmacy will be located near to, or even next to, the doctor's practice.

医生也可能建议你去找专科医生做进一步检查和治疗。

The doctor may also suggest that you need to see another specialist doctor for further assessment and treatment.

要看专科医生，必须先由你的医生转诊。

To see a specialist, you must be referred by your doctor.

这叫做转诊。

This is called a referral.

比如我之前因为脸上长痘去看医生，医生就给我转介到了皮肤科专家那里。

For example, when I went to the doctor about blemishes on my face, my doctor referred me to a skin specialist.

看一次医生要花多少钱？

What does it cost to see a doctor?

医生收费一般有两种方式。

Well, doctors have two ways of charging you.

第一种是医生开账单，你先全额付款。

In the first method, the doctor gives you a bill and you pay the doctor.

之后医保会给你一部分费用返还。

Medicare then pays you a rebate towards your bill.

返还的金额通常都比医生实际收费要少。

The rebate is almost always less than what the doctor charges.

比如我认识的一位本地医生，每次就诊收费大约是65美元。

For example, one local doctor I know charges about $65 for a visit.

医保的标准回退金额大约是35美元，所以你得自己掏30美元左右。

The standard Medicare rebate is about $35 so you have to pay about $30 out of your own pocket.

第二种方式是医生直接把账单发给医保。

In the second method, the doctor can send the bill straight to Medicare.

医保会直接付给医生35美元的标准费用，医生必须接受这个金额作为全额付款，你就不需要再付任何钱了。

Medicare pays the doctor the standard Medicare rebate, about $35, which the doctor must accept as full payment, so you have nothing to pay.

这叫作全额医保结算。

This is called bulk billing.

大约80%的看诊都采用这种方式。

About 80% of all doctor's visits are bulk billed.

在大城市里，找愿意全额医保结算的医生很容易。

In the big cities, it is easy to find doctors who are happy to bulk bill.

我的医生就采用全额医保结算。

My doctor bulk bills.

我喜欢这样，因为不用操心付钱的事。

I like it because it means I don't have to worry about paying.

有些人更喜欢固定看某位医生，即使这位医生不提供全额账单服务，他们也不介意自己掏一点钱。

Other people prefer to go to a particular doctor, and if that doctor doesn't bulk bill, they don't mind that they have something to pay.

如果医生给你开了药，你就拿着处方去药房取药。

If the doctor gives you a prescription for medicine, you then go to a pharmacy.

买药的时候，政府会补贴一部分费用，你最多只需支付36澳元左右，很多时候还远低于这个数。

When you buy the medicines, the government subsidises the cost so that you pay no more than around $36 and most times much less.

这个补贴覆盖了所有处方药，其中很多药原本价格非常昂贵。

This includes all prescription medicines, many of which can be very expensive.

这项非常好的政策帮助降低了所有澳大利亚人的医疗开支。

This excellent scheme helps keep the cost of health care down for all Australians.

那如果需要去医院呢？

What about when you need to go to a hospital?

大家都知道，有时候会遇到紧急情况。

As we all know, sometimes there are emergency situations.

比如你出了车祸，或者从梯子上摔下来受了重伤，又或者突然剧痛难忍，必须立刻赶往医院——像心脏病发作或中风这样的情况。

Perhaps you have had an accident, for example, a car accident, or you have had a bad fall off a ladder, or perhaps you have terrible pain and you know you need to get to a hospital fast, for example, if you are having a heart attack or a stroke.

澳大利亚的医院分为公立医院和私立医院。

Hospitals in Australia are either public hospitals or private hospitals.

公立医院由政府拥有并全额出资运营。

Public hospitals are owned and fully paid for by the government.

它们主要处理急诊情况，比如意外事故或紧急病症。

They handle most of the emergency cases, such as accidents or urgent cases.

如果你去公立医院，医生是由医院安排的，你没有选择权。

If you go to a public hospital, you don't get any choice in who the doctor will be.

如果病情不紧急，你可能得等上好几个小时才能得到治疗，具体要看你的情况有多紧急。

Also, if your case is not very urgent, you may need to wait many hours for treatment, depending on how urgent your sickness or injury is.

最紧急的病例会优先得到处理。

The most urgent cases are always treated first.

如果你需要做手术但情况不紧急，有时可能要等上好几个月。

If you need an operation and it is not urgent, you can sometimes wait for many months to have the operation.

不过你不用付钱，因为医保会承担全部费用。

However, you don't have to pay anything, as Medicare pays the bill.

相比之下，私立医院是私人拥有的，通常由专门经营和管理医院的公司所有。

By contrast, private hospitals are owned privately, usually by a company which specialises in owning and managing hospitals.

私立医院会对你的病房和其他服务收取费用。

Private hospitals charge fees for your room and for other services you may receive.

不过，你可以自己选择医生。

However, you can have the doctor of your choice.

医生也会向你收取费用。

The doctor will also charge you fees.

一般来说，私立医院主要处理非紧急的医疗情况。

Generally, private hospitals specialise in cases where the patient's treatment is not an emergency.

需要做手术又不想等的人，会选择私立医院，并购买医疗保险。

People who need an operation and don't want to wait will choose a private hospital and take out health insurance.

在医院看病要花多少钱？

What does it cost in a hospital?

如前所述，在公立医院看病是免费的。

As stated before, it costs nothing in a public hospital.

相比之下，在私立医院花的钱可能非常多。

By contrast, in a private hospital, it can cost a very large amount.

所以，如果人们想用私立医院，几乎都会买医疗保险。

That's why patients almost always take out health insurance if they want to use private hospitals.

我有医疗保险，觉得这主意很棒，但那是另一个话题了，得专门做一期节目来讲。

I have health insurance, and I think it's a great idea, but that is another topic and needs a separate podcast.

医疗保险，政府是怎么出钱的？

Medicare, how does the government pay for it?

澳大利亚人会在缴税时交一笔叫‘医疗保险附加费’的钱。

Well, Australians pay an amount in their taxes called the Medicare levy.

对大多数澳大利亚人来说，这笔费用是应税收入的1.5%。

For most Australians, it is 1.5% of their taxable income.

这笔附加费是强制缴纳的。

This levy is compulsory.

不过，如果你收入较低，可能不用交满1.5%，甚至收入低于某个门槛时就完全不用交。

However, if you have a low income, you may pay less than 1.5 or indeed nothing at all if your income is below a certain amount.

希望这个播客没有让你觉得太难懂。

I hope this podcast has not been too complicated for you.

我平时很少想我们的医疗体系，但一生病，就特别庆幸它能派上用场。

I don't think about our health system very often, but when I get sick, I'm just glad that it works.

如果你有什么问题或想法，欢迎在网站 www.slowenglish.info 的评论区留言。

If you have a question or a comment to make, please leave it in the comments box on my website at www.slowenglish.info.

你可以用英语或任何语言留言，我会帮你翻译；也可以直接发邮件到 Rob@slowenglish.info。

You can leave your comment in English or in any language, and I will translate it, or you can send me an email at Rob@slowenglish.info.

我很想听听你的建议。

I would like to hear any suggestions you may have.

特别是关于未来播客主题的建议，我特别期待。

I would especially like your suggestions for podcast topics.

再见。

Goodbye.

我们下期再会。

Until next time.

我是Rob。

Rob.