For surgical fees, depending on your insurer and the type of operation, we may be able to charge the insurer directly (“no-gap” scheme) and there will be no out-of-pocket fee for you. However, in some cases the private health fund does not completely cover the cost of the surgery and there may be an out-of-pocket or “gap” fee. In this case, we are obliged to inform you in writing of the estimated fees prior to your surgery and obtain your consent (“informed financial consent”). You will not be billed for the surgical fee until after the surgery. Sometimes, because of unforseen changes during the operation, this charge may be slightly different from the estimated fee. For Veteran’s Affairs patients, generally there will be no cost to you for your operation. We will write to your third party insurer to obtain pre-arranged approval for your surgery, if this is necessary. Please note that the hospital may also charge you for other services during your inpatient stay such as radiology, pathology and allied health services. Unfortunately, we are not able to estimate these fees for you prior to the surgery.