Alex Ma Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Hello, I am looking to go for a WH in AUS for only a few months this summer. I have a question about insurance. I don't plan to stay there the whole year (maybe 4-6 months) but the problem with purchasing WHV insurance is that most providers sell them by the year and not by the month. I don't want to pay for an expensive plan for the whole year because I don't need it. The other alternative is to buy a travel insurance plan in monthly instalments. Trouble with this is that this only covers me for accidents and emergencies during 'travel' so if I have any accidents or injuries at work, I won't be covered. The alternative is to purchase insurance tailored to WHV tourists whilst in AUS (I've seen that BUPA does insurance aimed at people on 417 WHV). Is this a reliable or better option? It's still more expensive but I would imagine they would be easier to deal with in case of a claim. Any ideas? Thanks, Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 If you are from the uk you don't need medical insurance once you are here as Medicare covers you. Also, if you get hurt at work then work cover covers you. Definetly get it for your flight over. This is the point where your luggage could go missing, and if you get sick you will most likely not be covered by whichever country you stop in's medical system. Not to mention if you need to be flown home etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordy87 Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 There are sites that cover you monthly, I found plenty when I was looking, can't remember them though tbh as it was months ago. But I would take it out as medicare doesn't cover all your costs. Doctor appointments are about $70 dollars and the Medicare only refunds you about $36. What if you do an activity and seriously hurt yourself, you'll have a nice bill to pay at the hospital and then you can claim that back through your travel insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 There are sites that cover you monthly, I found plenty when I was looking, can't remember them though tbh as it was months ago. But I would take it out as medicare doesn't cover all your costs. Doctor appointments are about $70 dollars and the Medicare only refunds you about $36. What if you do an activity and seriously hurt yourself, you'll have a nice bill to pay at the hospital and then you can claim that back through your travel insurance. If you are from the uk then all hospital care is free on Medicare. And if you look for bulk billing drs (not always easy to find) then you don't pay anything to see the dr. I spent five years on just the reciprocal Medicare and never had to pay a penny for any health treatment other than prescriptions. Blood test, smear tests, urine tests, even one eye test every two years is all covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Ma Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 I'm not too concerned about my belongings etc. to be perfectly honest - I just don't want to end up with a massive medical bill (my friend did, and he's from the UK also). As I understand it, Medicare only covers emergencies and even then it doesn't cover you completely? As a result, I don't mind paying for health insurance. Can you elaborate on the work cover? Who is this provided by? Are all employers supposed to cover you? The 'work' element of insurance is the only thing that's stopping me from just taking out normal travel insurance because I won't be covered if I have a work-based injury. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I'm not too concerned about my belongings etc. to be perfectly honest - I just don't want to end up with a massive medical bill (my friend did, and he's from the UK also). As I understand it, Medicare only covers emergencies and even then it doesn't cover you completely? As a result, I don't mind paying for health insurance. Can you elaborate on the work cover? Who is this provided by? Are all employers supposed to cover you? The 'work' element of insurance is the only thing that's stopping me from just taking out normal travel insurance because I won't be covered if I have a work-based injury. Alex As long as you are from the uk (not Ireland, they are only covered for emergency hospital treatment) then if you register for Medicare when you get here most of what you would need would be covered (but the key thing is to try to get a bulk billing dr. Even Aussies pay at non bulk billing ones). I was covered for appointments to get the pill! Not exactly an emergency, but all free. The only thing in five years we paid for was an X-ray for my husband after he had a bad chest infection because he was still crackly a couple of months later and wanted to know why. That was him being curious rather than a 'needed' procedure so wasn't covered. As I said, even an eye test every two years is covered, so it certainly is not only emergency treatment. Work cover is something every employer has to provide by law. This is of course assuming the work is all legit and not cash in hand. If you injure yourself at work and can't work then you can claim against work cover, see their drs etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britpop Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Mine for the year was about £130, they had a cheaper option for under £100, they also offered cheaper for shorter stays. It was long stay insurance from holiday safe. It also covers worldwide in case I decide to go to NZ or Bali, that was cheaper than seperat we policies too, all covered and don't have to worry. It also covers work in restaurants/bars etc and other places and most sports inc swimming in the sea. I'd say just bite the bullet, you may end up wanting to stay and the insurance has to start out in your home country so you could mess up if you decide to stay longer and in the scheme of things it's not so much. I spent blooming ages finding the right thing, time better spent elsewhere in hindsight when in fact I pay more for my dogs's nsurance at home than I do for myself lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Ma Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 Well yes the problem is that the reciprocal health agreement lacks cover on other things that may screw you over, such as ambulance costs or repatriation costs (unlikely, but that's the point of insurance). There seems to be such a massive divide between opinions - some are certain that you cannot rely on Medicare alone, where some are quick to uphold it as fine and dandy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Well yes the problem is that the reciprocal health agreement lacks cover on other things that may screw you over, such as ambulance costs or repatriation costs (unlikely, but that's the point of insurance). There seems to be such a massive divide between opinions - some are certain that you cannot rely on Medicare alone, where some are quick to uphold it as fine and dandy. Medicare covers ambulances is some states but not others (I know, ridiculous). Here in sa we need seperate ambulance cover. That's not about it being reciprocal though. I have full medicare now and it still isn't covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Mine for the year was about £130, they had a cheaper option for under £100, they also offered cheaper for shorter stays. It was long stay insurance from holiday safe. It also covers worldwide in case I decide to go to NZ or Bali, that was cheaper than seperat we policies too, all covered and don't have to worry. It also covers work in restaurants/bars etc and other places and most sports inc swimming in the sea. I'd say just bite the bullet, you may end up wanting to stay and the insurance has to start out in your home country so you could mess up if you decide to stay longer and in the scheme of things it's not so much. I spent blooming ages finding the right thing, time better spent elsewhere in hindsight when in fact I pay more for my dogs's nsurance at home than I do for myself lol I'd agree with this. Just get the cover, be done, know it covers ambulance, repatriation in event of accident etc and enjoy your trip. And then if you do decide to extend you are sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Ma Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 As long as you are from the uk (not Ireland, they are only covered for emergency hospital treatment) then if you register for Medicare when you get here most of what you would need would be covered (but the key thing is to try to get a bulk billing dr. Even Aussies pay at non bulk billing ones). I was covered for appointments to get the pill! Not exactly an emergency, but all free. The only thing in five years we paid for was an X-ray for my husband after he had a bad chest infection because he was still crackly a couple of months later and wanted to know why. That was him being curious rather than a 'needed' procedure so wasn't covered. As I said, even an eye test every two years is covered, so it certainly is not only emergency treatment. Work cover is something every employer has to provide by law. This is of course assuming the work is all legit and not cash in hand. If you injure yourself at work and can't work then you can claim against work cover, see their drs etc. Yes, but the problem with that is that I am in Hong Kong at the moment and for travel insurance to be valid you need to travel from and back to the same country. My issue is not buying insurance - I am happy to buy travel insurance, but that doesn't cover me working, and yet I don't want to buy working holiday insurance because they are sold on an annual basis and are thus a ridiculously expensive option for my 3 months in AUS. Again, as Blossom mentions employers are supposed to provide you with work insurance, but I don't know what I will be doing yet (i.e. what happens if I just get a casual part-time job with no contract) so I would like to cover all my bases. I am considering taking out normal travel insurance and then buying private health insurance when in AUS, e.g. with Bupa or Medibank - anyone have any experiences with them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordy87 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Some travel insurance companies cover you for working, I know mine does. It's a piece of mind at the end of the day, a small price to pay. Plus you said you are not bothered about personal belongings being covered, but wouldn't it be nice to know if the unfortunate event happens, they are all covered. Even down to luggage, flight delays that will result in you having to wait days and paying to stay somewhere. Each to their own, but I know I'd rather be covered as anything can happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Yes, but the problem with that is that I am in Hong Kong at the moment and for travel insurance to be valid you need to travel from and back to the same country. My issue is not buying insurance - I am happy to buy travel insurance, but that doesn't cover me working, and yet I don't want to buy working holiday insurance because they are sold on an annual basis and are thus a ridiculously expensive option for my 3 months in AUS. Again, as Blossom mentions employers are supposed to provide you with work insurance, but I don't know what I will be doing yet (i.e. what happens if I just get a casual part-time job with no contract) so I would like to cover all my bases. I am considering taking out normal travel insurance and then buying private health insurance when in AUS, e.g. with Bupa or Medibank - anyone have any experiences with them? As long as the work you are doing is legal, and your boss is taking tax out of your pay, then you are covered by work cover even if it is a casual job for just an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britpop Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 As said previously, many cover for work and many are not for one year. The problem you will have is not being I'm your home country. Try holiday safe as suggested and maybe call them re not being in the UK for the start point. There are many options out there, don't search WHV or annual etc, try 'long stay' or 'backpacker'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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