Categories: uncategorized
Date: 05 June 2007 11:04:02
Medicare Australia - clowns. For anyone in Australia, did you know that Medicare no longer notifies you when your Medicare card expires? That, however, is not why they are clowns. Well it might be, but today I wish to discuss my new Medicare card. I was in Medicare a couple of weeks ago and mentioned that my card was expiring soon and would they be sending me a new one.
"No. You have to apply for a new one"
"Oh... how do I do that?"
"You come into a Medicare office and ask for a new one"
"Oh... well could I do that now?"
"Um... ok"
So the lady confiscated my card and gave me a piece of paper with my interim number on it. Fair enough. My interim card had a sub-numerate of 3. This was a bit odd, as the numbers increase by one each time, and as this was my second card it should have been 2. However I figured this was just because it was an interim piece of paper.
A few days later (Friday last week) my new card arrived, with a sub-numerate of 2 and an expiry date of 05/2009. Now this is just stupid because a) my sub-numerate had gone backwards after I changed it at my pharmacy and b) why are they giving me less than 2 years expiry date on a card that I am entitled to for life? Everyone else with new cards at the moment has expiry dates in 2013.
Then today ANOTHER card arrived, with a sub-numerate of 3, but still with the tight-arse expiry date of 05/09.
Do they know something I don't know? Am I under surveillance by Medicare? Why is this happening!?