Abby Beard, 30, is is a young nurse who is renting and saving to buy a home, and who has decided to forgo health insurance to help save more. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
Brisbane nurse Abby Beard knows better than most how important it is to look after your health — but right now, she simply can’t afford to.
The 30-year-old, who rents a modest one-bedroom apartment in New Farm for $525 a week, has made the tough call to go without private health insurance as the cost of living continues to climb.
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“I don’t have home and contents insurance or private health insurance — it’s just expensive,” she said.
“I will probably look into it, but the fact it’s going up (health insurance premiums) makes me not want to even look at it.”
Abby Beard has forgone private health insurance because the cost of housing is too expensive. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
Despite working on the frontline of the healthcare system, Miss Beard said the financial reality of living alone in Brisbane meant sacrifices had to be made — and health cover didn’t make the cut.
“As a single person you’ve got to fund everything,” she said. “Paying bills on your own is also expensive.”
It comes as a new survey reveals Queenslanders are being forced to choose between paying the mortgage and seeing a doctor, as the soaring cost of home owneship starts to bite beyond the household budget.
Nearly half of homeowners in the Sunshine State are delaying medical treatment, while others are dipping into their home loans to pay for everything from dental work to life-saving care.
Nearly half all homeowners have delayed medical treatment because of the cost of housing, new research has found. Picture: iStock.
The findings from Money.com.au show that among those who delayed treatment, 61 per cent skipped or postponed dental appointments, 23 per cent put off specialist visits, and 12 per cent delayed mental health care.
Miss Beard, who has been in Australia for three-and-a-half years, said she had initially worked as a travel nurse before settling in Brisbane — but finding a place to live on her own proved to be a challenge.
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“Trying to find a rental on your own is really difficult. Most places would only accept couples because they have a higher earning capacity,” she said.
“A lot of people move over from the UK and end up house sharing because it is so expensive.”
She said the lifestyle benefits of living close to the city were hard to give up — even if it meant putting long-term financial goals, like buying a home, on hold.
“That’s put me off wanting to buy because why would I want to move away from all this,” she said.
“I feel like I’d have to move further afield just to be able to afford (to own a home).”
Debbie Hays, Money.com.au mortgage expert, says many homeowners are putting their health on their mortgage. Picture: Supplied
While she has managed to save some money, Miss Beard said much of it was being set aside to obtain her visa — leaving little room in the budget for extras.
“When I hear how much my friends’ mortgages are a week, it’s unachievable,” she said.
“I’ve got a friend who pays $700 a week — I don’t know how she does it.”
For now, Miss Beard is relying on the public system, like many others in her position.
“A lot of people say the Medicare levy is still cheaper than paying for health insurance,” she said.
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