Private Medical Cover & Dental Cover

Hi,

We currently have private medical cover via our work and dental cover that we pay for directly here in the UK. I would like to ensure we still have this level of cover in Australia and wonder who the main providers are that provide private medical and dental cover so that I can work out the costs? Also, what should I be looking out for when looking for cover.

All help most welcome.

Thanks, Rich

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Hope this helps!

Have a look at IMAN I think there is a banner on here, also I Select gives you a comparison between certain providers. We are with Bupa. To be honest dental is covered in your extras and there aren't many that give you a good dental package. My youngest needs braces and with the too package we can still only claim $1000 and its going to cost us between $6000 - $8000

Hi Rich,

http://www.iselect.com.au

Use this website as a starting point. It was recommended to me by another PIO member.

Some heath insurers will offer quite high dental cover ie up to $8,000 per year as part of a package. Highlight dental as being important when you put in the quote details on iselect.

In Australia you are applied an extra 18% -20% loading if you have not had health insurance before in Australia prior to age 31.

Not all Australian health insurers will recognise transfer of your policy history from the UK. you also need to register for health insurance within 12 months of arrival not to be hit with extra % loading as an overseas person commencing insurance in Oz.

BUPA recognises your UK policy history so will waive wait limits for any like for like services. Medibank Private does not. (as an examples)

I noticed that www.ahm.com.au as an insure has only 2 month wait periods on some policies so this might making the 'transfer' a mute point.

BUPA is more expensive however will offer a discount if you are going to be working for a 'corporate'or will have a superannuation fund with a main provider such as AMP. So ask if you qualify for a corporate discount.

Basically I think you can get away with choosing a basic hospital package with a high level extras package which would usually also mean that you receive private medical in a public hospital.

You will get cheaper insurance if you are arriving on a permanent visa.

If you are on a 457 business visa, you will need to take out the 457 insurance ie with BUPA, IMAN etc, apparently. you can still get some sort of transfer of insurance discount.

I suggest you telephone BUPA and other insurers prior to leaving to discuss your requirements and to see what deal you can get.

Dental cover isn't really worth having. It is usually euphemistically known as an extra, and if you work out the total premium paid per annum, it is about the same as the total benefit.

You should be able to get Medicare as a reciprocal from the UK, and can then top up from IMAN if you are a temporary resident, and if you subsequently become permanent here, you can transfer to their parent company NIB with no assessment of risk.

Unlike the UK health is not free here, but taxes are lower, there is no National Insurance, the downside is that you pay towards health. So, if you go to a GP, some of them "bulk bill," that means if you have a Medicare card, you pay zilch.........however, some GPs make you pay, but, you swipe your Medicare card at the surgery, and a set fee is refunded. I can't remember the exact figures, I think our GP charges about $75, but the immediate refund to you via Medicare is about $55. These are approximated, but you get the drift. You can do your own homework on why some GPs bulk bill, and some don't.

it is reassuring to compare outcomes of serious health problems here, compared with the UK. MRSA is virtually unknown here.

We pay for the extra's only

Every year we're always in front of what we pay and what we have had to pay

All check ups included in the plan and about 40% of the cost of any treatment

We get 2 new pairs of glasses/sun glasses each every year all at no cost all covered in plan

I've had physio again covered by the plan

In the UK we always paid more than we could claim

Not here we always better off

Useful thread folks - great information!

Can anyone recommend a good provider?

My company is providing $300 per month towards healthcare.

We pay for the extra's only

 

Every year we're always in front of what we pay and what we have had to pay

 

All check ups included in the plan and about 40% of the cost of any treatment

 

We get 2 new pairs of glasses/sun glasses each every year all at no cost all covered in plan

 

I've had physio again covered by the plan

 

In the UK we always paid more than we could claim

 

Not here we always better off

HI Ponte Pom, does that mean you have to pay the Medicare levy each year as well as your 'extras only' health plan? I thanks for the useful info. Tuosist

Also i see alot of cover that include pregnancy/Birth and ivf? now i really wont be having anymore children 100% garenteed, so can i opt out of these on cover?? don't see why i have to pay for what i don't need.

We have been in Australia for 8 months now and really need to sort out private health insurance. My Husband wage takes us over the treashold for the levy, still don,t quite understand this. In this case does it cost more to take out full private medical insurance? or just stay pay the levy?? can i just get extras and dental etc and not pay the levy?? I think we can get 15% off with bupa through hubby's work. Cofused.com :wacko: please help :notworthy:

HI Ponte Pom, does that mean you have to pay the Medicare levy each year as well as your 'extras only' health plan? I thanks for the useful info. Tuosist

Were under the figure for the levy atm

So don't have to pay it

But my business is doing well so will be close probably next year

Do you mean your husbands wage will take you over the Medicare Levy Surcharge threshold?

We have been in Australia for 8 months now and really need to sort out private health insurance. My Husband wage takes us over the treashold for the levy, still don,t quite understand this. In this case does it cost more to take out full private medical insurance? or just stay pay the levy?? can i just get extras and dental etc and not pay the levy?? I think we can get 15% off with bupa through hubby's work. Cofused.com :wacko: please help :notworthy:

Do you mean your husbands wage will take you over the Medicare Levy Surcharge threshold?

Yes i did mean that...sorry, told you i was confused!

Hi, I am an ex pat who now works for a health insurance company. Before I joined the industry I was totally baffled and was on a product that was not suitable. I just thought I would share some things that may help you.

If you are on a Visa that stipulates that you have to have Private Health Insurance you are breaking your visa requirements if you do not take out Private Health Insurance.

With regard to the Life Time Health Cover Loading - this is only applicable 12 months after you become entitled to Medicare and you HAVENT taken out hospital coverage and are over the age of 30 years old. So for example if you are 32 and have had Medicare for 12 months and no hospital cover then you would have a 4% loading on your policy. My advice is to lock in your age before you get hit with the levy !

The other thing to consider is tax. If you are a high earner and your taxable income is over $168000 for couples or $84000 for singles you will be taxed an additional % for not having hospital cover. Taking just the basic level of hospital coverage will alleviate this additional tax.

With regards to dental coverage you can take a policy that would cover up to 90% of the cost of general dental treatment. Defiantly worth it in my opinion J

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask me anything else.

Sound like you may have to join the Australian Health Insurance rort :wink:.

Yes i did mean that...sorry, told you i was confused!

Thanks Living the Dream, i have PM'd you :notworthy:

Hi, I am an ex pat who now works for a health insurance company. Before I joined the industry I was totally baffled and was on a product that was not suitable. I just thought I would share some things that may help you.

 

If you are on a Visa that stipulates that you have to have Private Health Insurance you are breaking your visa requirements if you do not take out Private Health Insurance.

 

With regard to the Life Time Health Cover Loading - this is only applicable 12 months after you become entitled to Medicare and you HAVENT taken out hospital coverage and are over the age of 30 years old. So for example if you are 32 and have had Medicare for 12 months and no hospital cover then you would have a 4% loading on your policy. My advice is to lock in your age before you get hit with the levy !

 

The other thing to consider is tax. If you are a high earner and your taxable income is over $168000 for couples or $84000 for singles you will be taxed an additional % for not having hospital cover. Taking just the basic level of hospital coverage will alleviate this additional tax.

 

With regards to dental coverage you can take a policy that would cover up to 90% of the cost of general dental treatment. Defiantly worth it in my opinion J

 

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask me anything else.

Hi Living the Dream,

I'm on a 457 here from the UK. We have a reciprocal Medicare card, which I understand satisfies our visa requirements, so many of the visitors insurances on offer seem pointless as they just match the benefits we already get with Medicare. In addition, these insurances don't seem to be eligible for the 30% rebate or to provide any protection from the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

The answer I can't seem to get from anyone is whether we can take out a basic residents policy just to avoid the MSL? - I know that we would not be able to claim on it. Do you know the answer to this?

Any help appreciated!

If you are on a Visa that stipulates that you have to have Private Health Insurance you are breaking your visa requirements if you do not take

that's very interesting because we were on a 457 there is NO policy, no matter what you pay, that will ever meet the Medicare levy criteria, by default as a 457 you can NEVER meet the insurance requirements, but as a 457, you WILL pay the Medicare Levy if your salary is at that level, I know, trust me, I paid a fortune.....!!!

I do feel I need to point out as a caveat, lots of info suggests that as a UK citizen you get free treatment, yes, it's true IF its an emergency, I cannot stress enough that this is not like the NHS, I believe on a 457 from UK that YES, you do need insurance, you never know, and you simply can't just drop into a GP for free, you really need to understand and know the health system here and quite frankly you need to understand that it's contribution based, as a 457 you are entitled and will be treated under an emergency situation, you can request treatments publicly and wait your turn. The fact is, under the reciprocal arrangements you are NOT entitled to everything a UK citizen expects in UK, you entitled to what an OZ citizen gets in OZ in an emergency, very different (and you are NOT entitled to any private treatment under Medicare) !! Ànd an OZ in UK gets everything a UK citizen can expect in UK, that is the basis of the reciprocal arrangement, we will give our respective citizens the same emergency treatment, it's a marvelous agreement but it does bugger up UK citizens going on a working holiday or a 457 for insurance purposes, expensive!!

I don't think I articulated myself very well but my insurance compsny basically said, because there are reciprocal arrangements in place and you can claim via Medicare, it is lllegal for us to compensate you above and beyond what an OZ citizen would receive so got nothing towards consultant fees etc as an outpatient. When I went into hospital snd became an inpatient I was entitled to zero as a was a 457 therefore, my insurance paid 100%. This sounds complicated but I think it's important. my operation, public, had a 10 year waiting list, I had to make a choice, that's the alternative to the NHS, I made my choice but I still had to wait 4 months to see my specialist privately, in Perth, that says it all!!

We're from the UK on a 457 in Melbourne with reciprocal Medicare cards and I am researching this at the moment. I've spoken at length to 3 of the major private insurers, Medicare and the tax office. This is what I've been able to find out:

- I have to pay the Medicare levy surcharge as I am resident for tax purposes (and income is high enough to qualify)

- I can't take out the regular private health care cover options available to Oz/permanent residents (I'd need a 'full', not a 'reciprocal', Medicare card)

- I can take out special 'working visa' private cover which gives similar benefits to regular cover, with similar cover options from low to high, silver to platinum, etc but costs more. However these policies do NOT exempt me from paying the surcharge.

- Two of the three private insurers can also sell me 'reciprocal' private cover on top which provides NO additional benefits at all - simply replaces the reciprocal cover I'm already eligible for for free with my Medicare card - but exempts me from paying the surcharge.

Which basically amounts to 457 visa holders from a reciprocal country like the UK being a bit screwed.

Plus it is very hard to get clear answers on all of this. Eg a private insurer was unable to tell me whether their working visa cover exempted me from the surcharge; I found it in the small print of the Ts & Cs of their policy.

So for the top level of family cover with extras, plus the additional bogus cover to save paying the surcharge, it will cost approx $6-700 a month.

This all depends if your a permanent resident or not in Australia. If your on a temporary working visa you require specialist cover.