Is Health Insurance Mandatory?

[mildygirl]

Hi, wondering if anyone has the definitive answer to this - we have seen different opinions.

I'm a Citizen, my husband is a PR. We have just lodged a subclass 804 visa (onshore aged parent.. non-contributory) for my 87 year old mother in law. We've just heard that the bridging visa has been granted. Fingers crossed that she passes the medical in 16 or so month's time, but she is pretty fit and well and very active.

It's the health insurance question that is confusing us. I'm having trouble re-finding what I read on here a few weeks ago, sorry. She is from the UK, so there are reciprocal health agreements in place; are we correct in our understanding that private medical insurance is not absolutely mandatory, and that she would be covered by the reciprocal agreement? (Even if we/she had to pay out in the first instance and then claim it back from the UK?). She has to take her passport and bridging visa grant letter into Medicare and obtain a Medicare card? We asked our migration agent but she wasn't able to help.

I'd be grateful for any advice on this, many thanks in advance!

[Merlot]

Does this help?
http://www.immi.gov.au/migrants/family/aged/804/

Aged Parent (Residence) Visa (Subclass 804)

What does this visa let me do?

This visa allows you and your dependent family members to live as Australian permanent residents in Australia.
You can also:

• work and study in Australia
• receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
• access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods)
• be eligible to apply for Australian citizenship (subject to the residency eligibility criteria)
• sponsor people for permanent residence (subject to waiting periods).

I can't find anything about a requirement to take out health cover, looking at the above its seems like she'll be covered by Medicare.

If she's on the bridging visa at the moment it's probably a good idea to get the reciprocal cover sorted out with Medicare, until the 804 goes through and then she can apply for full cover.

Wait a mo, having said that..... speaking from my own experience of applying for PR through the ENS - I got full Medicare cover and came off the reciprocal scheme when I applied for PR, it may be that she can apply for full cover as soon as the 804 application is made.

I found the staff at my local Medicare very helpful, why not have a chat with them and see what they say?

[mildygirl]

Hi Merlot

Thank you for that. I think I'll have to try the local office. My experience with the main Medicare helpline in the past has been variable, with three different telephone clerks offering three different 'definitive' replies.

Cheers and many thanks!

[Merlot]

With medicare what you get told over the phone is always different to what happens in the actual office.

Helpline told me just to bring in the form and the email from DIAC, didn't say I had to bring passports too and that they couldn't process it on a Saturday! haha!! we got there in the end