Shadowing Practice: Five ways to save at the doctors - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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For those people that are on a tight budget but still want to see a doctor,
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For those people that are on a tight budget but still want to see a doctor,
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how can they find one that bulk bills?
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So there's a couple of websites.
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So one of them is Clean Bill and they'll actually say this is the doctors that bulk bill locally.
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In certain areas, there just are no local bulk billing doctors.
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Most just actually can't afford to at all.
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Is there a perception that a bulk billing doctor isn't as good as a privately billing doctor?
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I don't think there's that perception,
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but I think the perception is often around how long they'll spend with their patients.
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Because if you choose to bulk bill,
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your timing and the costs often then mean that you've got less time to spend with that patient.
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For patients who aren't eligible for concessions and maybe,
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like you said, they're 10Ks away from a GP that does bulk bill,
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what can they do to make visiting the GP a little more affordable?
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Yeah, good question.
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So what I'd suggest is actually save up all of your questions for the one visit.
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So you need to go to your GP to get your pap smear done.
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Also get your blood pressure checked,
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get your regular routine heart check done,
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get your skin check done,
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get everything that you need to get done for that next 12 months in that visit.
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And if you don't know what those things are,
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your GP can tell you.
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So most of the time I encourage my patients,
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when they can, to only see me once a year
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because I want to see them and get all of that preventative health stuff done on that visit.
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And I don't want to see them for another 12 months.
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I noticed some stats from the Bureau of Statistics late last year
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that saw an increasing number of people delaying accessing health services.
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The one service that they are delaying the most is dental.
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What's the dangers of this?
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And are there any ways they can reduce their costs in accessing services like dental?
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Yeah, that's really scary because when people come to you and say,
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I need to decide between going to the dentist or paying for petrol.
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It's a really, really worrying time.
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Things we worry about with dentition isn't just cosmetics.
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It's not just how beautiful your smile is,
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but your dental health is really important because buildup of bacteria and gum disease can lead to lots of different problems,
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not just with your oral health,
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but with your heart health as well.
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And your teeth last your lifetime.
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So you need good dentition when you're a female in pregnancy,
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when you're young, so that you don't have problems when you're older.
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What you can do to make it cheaper,
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it's tricky because there's not a lot of funding for dental care.
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In lots of places in Sydney,
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there is some federally funded programs,
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but they've got really long wait lists.
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So Sutherland Hospital has one,
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there's one just outside of Central train station,
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but there is quite a long wait list for them.
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Telehealth.
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Absolutely.
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Access to calling your doctor or a video call with the doctor.
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Run us through the costs involved with that.
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Is it cheaper?
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Is it more expensive than seeing your doctor?
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And when is it a good thing to do and when is it not?
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How wonderful is it that we were given this option during COVID and people could continue to see their GP,
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someone they already know, someone they already trust.
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The cost, out-of-pocket costs, are probably about the same.
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So out-of-pocket, you will often be paying the same as if you did go in to see your GP.
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But what's different is your time because you can do it on your lunch break.
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You can do it before work.
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You can do it just after you've dropped the kids to school.
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You don't necessarily have to take time off work to go in for that doctor's visit.
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So that's where the real cost saving is.
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But as you say, it's not always appropriate.
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If you want me to look in your child's ear,
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I can't do it over telehealth.
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I probably can't assess your skin lesion over telehealth.
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I definitely can't listen to your lungs over telehealth.
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I can talk to you about mental health.
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I can talk to you about your pregnancy.
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I can talk to you about doing an STD check.
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There are so many things we can do with telehealth,
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but it's not appropriate for everything.
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And speaking of health, one other big cost when you're accessing services is private health insurance, right?
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At what point does someone really need to start thinking about,
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hey, A, do I need it?
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B, do I need to increase my cover?
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C, is it worth it?
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Yeah, great question.
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So often for females, that conversation happens when you're starting to think about babies.
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So as soon as you're starting to think about pregnancy and pregnancy care,
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that's a decision that you need to think about.
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And that's because your options are going to be public or private.
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And if you want to have a private obstetrician and have a private delivery,
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then you're going to need to have private health insurance or have very large costs.
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So that's when females usually think about it.
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In Australia, we're really lucky.
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Our trauma services, our cancer services,
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our public hospitals are fantastic.
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So if you don't have private health insurance,
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you will still have excellent medical care in the public system.
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If you have private health insurance, your options are increased.
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So it means you can see a private specialist without the additional fees or with a portion of those additional fees covered.
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So the decision of when to think about private health insurance is entirely based on your finances
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and when you can afford it.
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There are some tax benefits of having it.
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And so when you've met those tax thresholds,
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it's worth thinking about having it because it reduces your taxable income.
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And then what your Medicare needs are,
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what your medical needs are for the next 12 months,
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five years, 10 years ongoing.
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Thank you.

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Context & Background

In recent times, accessing healthcare services has become increasingly challenging for individuals on a tight budget. This video discusses practical strategies for saving on medical visits, particularly focusing on finding bulk billing doctors and managing healthcare expenses effectively. The speaker emphasizes the importance of being informed and proactive to maximize health benefits while minimizing costs. As a learner of English, understanding this dialogue not only enhances your language skills but also equips you with knowledge applicable to real-life situations involving healthcare.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "How can I find a doctor that bulk bills?" - A useful question for those seeking affordable healthcare.
  • "Save up all your questions for the one visit." - Highlights the importance of being prepared for medical appointments.
  • "Your dental health is really important." - A reminder of the significance of oral health in overall wellbeing.
  • "Get everything that you need to get done for that next 12 months in that visit." - Encouragement to maximize efficiency during doctor visits.
  • "Deciding between going to the dentist or paying for petrol." - Illustrates the difficult financial choices some individuals face.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively practice your English speaking skills through this video, consider using the shadowing technique. Follow these steps to enhance your language acquisition:

  1. Watch the video once: Familiarize yourself with the content and context without pausing.
  2. Listen and repeat: Play segments of the video in manageable chunks. As the speaker talks, pause after each sentence and attempt to mimic their intonation and pronunciation using shadow speech.
  3. Focus on key phrases: Pay special attention to the top phrases listed earlier. Repeat these phrases multiple times to build your confidence in using them during daily conversations.
  4. Practice aloud: After shadowing, try to recall and use the phrases in sentences related to your own experiences or similar discussions. This will help you integrate them into your active vocabulary.
  5. Record yourself: Capture your voice as you practice. Listen for similarities and differences compared to the original speaker, focusing on aspects like rhythm, stress, and clarity.

Implementing the shadowing technique will not only improve your English speaking practice but will also enhance your overall communication skills, making you more adept in real-life situations such as discussing healthcare options. With consistent effort, you'll find that your speaking abilities will grow significantly.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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