In the case of a medical emergency, Australia's public hospital system will take care of you, whatever your bank balance.

Key points: Jonathan Brown has sleep apnoea and has been waiting two years for elective surgery to remove his tonsils

Jonathan Brown has sleep apnoea and has been waiting two years for elective surgery to remove his tonsils The median waiting time for elective surgery in public hospitals was 40 days in 2017-2018

The median waiting time for elective surgery in public hospitals was 40 days in 2017-2018 Some hospitals have hidden waiting lists that are not counted in official statistics

"I've seen the development of the system here into something that is as good as you see anywhere in the world," burns specialist and 2005 Australian of the Year Fiona Wood said.

"We provide a trauma service of excellence."

But when it comes to less urgent, elective procedures, the system is not so equitable.

A patient's experience can depend on issues such as where they live, whether they have private health insurance, or what they earn.

"There is inequity in the hospital system and across our whole health system," Jennifer Doggett, health policy analyst at the Australian Health Care Reform Alliance, said.

"In general, people who are well-resourced, educated, better-off, receive more health care and a higher standard of health care than those people who are poorer and more disadvantaged, and I think that is one of the biggest problems in our health system."

The truth about waiting lists

Jonathan Brown has been waiting for elective surgery for two years. ( ABC News )

Waiting times for elective surgery do not necessarily reflect the experience of patients, according to Ms Doggett.

"What some hospitals do is have an unofficial waiting list for the waiting list, so before you go on the official waiting list you're on a pre-waiting list which isn't counted as part of the official statistics."

That is called the hidden waiting list.

Official data shows that in 2017-2018, the median waiting time for elective surgery in public hospitals was 40 days. The longest median wait was 248 days to fix a deviated nasal septum.

Jonathan Brown, 30, does not have private cover and has now been waiting two years for elective surgery.

"I really thought our country would look after people," he said.

"My expectations of what our health system offers have been completely blown apart by my experience."

Mr Brown has severe sleep apnoea, a disorder which affects 25 per cent of men and 9 per cent of women. He was choking awake in his sleep several times a night. He is permanently tired and now wears a device to help him breathe every night.

"It makes life bearable but sleeping with a machine isn't what I expected for my life at 30," he said.

He has been waiting for two years on the public list for surgery to remove his tonsils.

He waited for one year after being diagnosed in Victoria, then moved to Sydney for work and discovered he would have to start the process all over again.

"I had to go to a new GP, get a new referral, see a new specialist and go on a completely new waiting list," he said.

"I just want my life back."

Private health 'does what it advertises'

More than half the population does not have private cover for hospital treatment. ( ABC News )

To help take pressure off the public system, the Federal Government has introduced incentives to encourage Australians to take out private health insurance. But less than 50 per cent of people have private cover for hospital treatment.

"Private health insurance is as popular as a fart in a lift when it comes to being a purchase of a household budget," Terry Barnes, who advised the Howard government on health policy, told 7.30.

"But it does do what it advertises doing. It does give access to the doctor and hospital of their choice, and does give people the chance to have things done quickly."

That was the experience of Sarah Chaundy in Brisbane, who took out private health insurance in her 20s.

Sarah Chaundy, pictured with husband Ben and daughter Hannah, says she is not sure if she would still be alive if she did not have private health cover. ( Supplied: Sarah Chaundy )

She knew that a medical issue as a child meant she would most likely need surgery later. That cover may have saved her life when, newly married and a new mum, she got a standard check-up that delivered abnormal test results. Her cover meant she had a colonoscopy within weeks. Without cover, she could have waited up to a year.

Sarah Chaundy undergoing treatment for cancer. ( Supplied: Sarah Chaundy )

Her doctor found a 7cm tumour and Ms Chaundy was diagnosed with stage-three bowel cancer. She promptly underwent surgery and treatment.

"I would say I have very good care. I sometimes question whether private health insurance is of benefit, however I am proof that you never know what is going to occur," she said.

"Had I not had the cover would I still be here to tell this story? I don't know."

Patients avoiding specialists due to costs

But Ms Chaundy and many patients with private health cover are still hit with thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs.

"Certainly we have some specialists that do charge extremely large fees," Ms Doggett said.

Australia's chief medical officer Brendan Murphy plans to investigate.

"These excessive fees seem to be geographically based," he said.

"They're very common in Sydney and Canberra, almost non-existent in Adelaide, and Melbourne is a little bit in between.

"We are looking at a range of solutions. One is to try and get the message out to the public that there is no relationship whatsoever between fees charged and the quality of service."

Health policy expert at The Mitchell Institute at Victoria University, Ben Harris, said the steep fees charged by specialists meant the wealthiest Australians also ended up being the healthiest.

"People in high socio-economic areas go to more specialists than people in low socio-economic areas," Mr Harris said.

"We know that people in high socio-economic areas are able to pay co-payments. We know that co-payments for medical specialists in Australia last financial year were $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs.

"One in 13 Australians did not visit a medical specialist that they were referred to because of cost."

Watch part two of 7.30's health special tonight.