Medicare is a public healthcare program. … Conversely, private health insurance patients are still entitled to Medicare, but can also be treated in private or public hospitals without the significant out-of-pocket fees public patients would have to pay if they were to be treated in a private hospital.
Then, what is the difference between private and public patients?
So what is the difference between a public and private patient? The short answer is: A private patient is someone who chooses to use their hospital insurance to fund their treatment. A public patient is someone who goes to a public hospital and relies on Medicare to fund their treatment.
Also question is, what does private healthcare mean?
What is private healthcare? The private healthcare sector is made up of hospitals and clinics which are run independently of the National Health Service (NHS). They are normally run by a commercial company, although some may be run by charities or other non-profit organisations.
What does it mean to be a private patient in a public hospital?
When you go to hospital, you’re either considered a private patient or a public patient. What is a private patient? A private patient is someone who chooses to use hospital insurance to help cover the cost of hospital treatment. A private patient has the option of going to a private or public hospital for treatment.