We are hopefully immigrating on a 457 intially and therefore need health insurance. None of us has any long term medical conditions that we know of. There are 2 adults and 2 children (see timline) what cover am i likely to need have checked out iselect and medibank and have choices such as basic and intermediate and others. Do we get any cover under reciprical agreement, if so is this time limited. Also can you organise this cover before leaving or is it best to wait till you arrive
thanks
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Chrissy
Chrissy ( nurse) ,Simon (Health care assitant), Josh 6 years and Sam (20 months)
457 lodged on line 9th November 07
Meds 22nd November 07
Case officer assigned 27th November 2007
Meds sent 10th December 07
Meds recieved at LCU 13th December 2007
OH and Sam meds finalised 17th December 2007
Mine and Josh's meds finalised 22nd December
Visa Approved 02/01/2008 :biglaugh:
On a 457 visa u get emergency treatment only for free with medicare. I had to take my son to hospital for torn ligaments never cost us a penny. We haven't got health insurance yet but from reading other posts depends what package you get it can be a few hundred dollars a month. Its on my list to do but hopefully will get PR before I fork out for it then it will be cheaper.
ours is $303 per month for 2 of us and that it is with HBA - I had to go with a certain one when I came over (due to the nursing agency and VISA type). We stuck with them. I always think no matter what.........if you can keep the private health cover then keep it!
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Joanne
Brisbane since Feb 2005.
"POZZIE" - HAPPY AND LOVIN` IT
could be wrong but i thought if you're being sponsored then the company sponsoring paid your health insurance???? Don't know how much cover they will give so would it be worth getting our own aswell?
The Reciprocal Health Care Agreement btween the UK and Oz covers "all necessary medical treatment." The doctor decides what is necesssary and what isn't whenit comes to visitng a GP.
The difficulty is finding GPs who bulk bill nowadays, so that the GP visit is freeat the point of delivery, as withthe NHS in the UK.
Whether to take out private health cover on top is a matter of personal choice. However, I would STRONGLY recommend taking out Ambulance Cover regardless of anything else. Emergency ambulances are not free in Australia and I've heard that $500 is the going rate for a call-out in Perth....
My nephew fell out of a tree whilst waiting for his Mum to collect him after school one day and busted his arm. The teachers panicked in case the child was concussed as well, so they called an ambulance. My sister drove in through the gates to collect young Mark after school only to pass the ambulance going the other way and found a teacher screeching, "Mrs Sxxxx! Follow the ambulance!!"
They had at least had the sense to send one of the teachers with him in the ambulance so that somebody Mark knew would be there throughout. However, Elaine said that if she had bee there when it happened, she would simply have taken Mark to hozzie by car. He was only about 6 and children are pretty rubbery at that age!
I was wondering about private health cover in Australia and was going to contact BUPA after the New Year to cancel our policy. But then I was looking on the web and see that BUPA operate in Oz as H.B.A. I wonder can I switch our policy over with them? Probably the red tape will not allow that but I'm going to call them next week and find out. Does anyone have any idea of this or know if a simple transfer of the policy is possible? maybe someone has already done that? BUPA Australia
Cheers
EMMY
__________________ "It's Easy to be pleasant when life flows bye like a song, but the friend worthwhile is the one that can smile when evrything goes wrong"
