Health Care

[copeland family]

Hi

I was just wondering what the health care is like in Oz? I know there is no NHS, and wondered is it hard to get appoinments and so forth. If anybody could compare and contrast with the UK I would be interesting.

The reason why I ask is that my daughter sees Physios and stuff as she has mild Cerebral Palsy which affects her walking. If we could emigrate in the future this is something I need to research but don't really know where to begin!

Thanks in advance

Nat

[Quoll]

Medical appointments are covered by Medicare which is a universal contribution scheme (1.5% of your taxable income plus a further 1% if you dont have private medical insurance). GPs operate out of practices and most of them are pay as you go - you go to the doctor, pay for your consultation (c$50-60) then take your receipt to the Medicare office who will give you about $30 back as a refund. A few medical centres will "bulk bill" which is where they claim the fee directly from medicare - it was implemented to accommodate the low income earners who could not afford to pay for a GP visit.

Hospital treatment is free but the downside is that there are long (very long!) waitlists for elective treatments. If you are an emergency then you will be treated immediately and for free. People with private medical insurance can be seen in private hospitals with the doctors of their choice and much of it is covered by insurance although there will always be gaps between doctor fees and insurance rebates.

Ancillary therapeutic services are available from government providers (long waitlists) but can also be covered at least in part by private medical insurance. In some states, the therapeutic services for kids with disabilities are provided in the school context and in other states there is a family service model where the parents are given programs to implement and they are responsible for getting kids to appointments etc. Kids with significant disabilities will be prioritized ahead of those whose difficulties are more minor.

Schools have provisions for kids with disabilities - usually they allocate resources for support in schools according to the needs of the kid. Physical impairments are usually a category for support but the level of impairment needs to be such that the child is not able to manage the school environment independently.

On the down side, if immigration believes that a child has a disability which will, in the long run, be a significant cost to the Australian community then they may refuse a visa on those grounds.

Hope that helps.

[Kookaburra]

Hiya Nat,

Our son has cerebral palsy, we're heading back to the UK next year - send me a PM if you need more info.

K