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Showing results for tags 'medicare'.
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Hi everyone. My husband and I are relocating on a short skill temp visa (482) with his work, hoping to move to Sydney at the end of January. When we move I’ll be 14 weeks pregnant (first time). We’ve read that private health insurance will not cover the costs of antenatal care if you haven’t had a policy in place for 12 months. We’re happy to use public hospitals and services and I’m trying to understand if we’ll be part covered by Medicare, or if we need to cover the costs ourselves? Can anyone help? Has anyone arrived pregnant in Australia on a 482? I’d be so grateful to hear any advice, recommendations and guidance of who to speak to for more information. With me not having a job to go to and unlikely to get maternity pay it’s a bit of a concern to us. (As well as the scary thought of having our first child so far away from our family and friends!) Other info; we need health insurance as part of the visa approval and they have requested I have a medical in the U.K. Thank you for reading.
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Hi all! Sorry if this has been asked before. We are moving to Australia in 6 months (I am on Visa 461 and my partner is a NZer on visa 444). We are not pregnant yet but are trying. My question is whether I can enter Australia pregnant and register for medicare. (As I understand it I am eligible for medicare under the RHCA). I am also having trouble finding out what kind of maternity cover I get under RHCA. I may take out private cover but I want to know exactly what I am currently covered for. (Plus I know there is often a 12 month waiting period before you are able to claim). If anyone else has given birth using RHCA cover please share your experience. Thank you,
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Hi all We are here on TSS 482 visas. British citizens with a reciprocal 'visitor' medicare card (yellow colour). Were referred for IVF. Clinic very happy to treat us but said we needed to wait until we had full medicare. The visitor (yellow) medicare card excludes ART (assisted reproductive technology). We have today applied for PR and I gather we are now eligible to get a blue (interim) medicare card. The medicare helpline today told me that the blue card is equivalent to the green card that citizens and PR get, and the bloke seemed to think it would therefore be worth us applying for that to get the ball rolling with the IVF. He didn't seem quite sure though.. I can't find any clear answers online because I am not 100% sure if Brits who already have the yellow medicare card are even eligible for the blue card! Or if that is for people from countries where there is no reciprocal agreement. Can anyone shed any light? Thank you
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Hi, We recently arrived in Australia on TSS 482 (my partner is main applicant for TSS 482 visa, I am in Australia as a dependent) and took the private insurance as required by the condition in the TSS 482 visa. However, my understanding is that if we get medicare then the cost of private insurance will decrease. So, we are exploring to apply for medicare. We are both from the United Kingdom which has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. We got British passports and were living in the UK before moving to Australia. The TSS 482 visa has "Visa conditions 8501 - Maintain health insurance". I submitted the PR 190 application in March 2020 (I am the main applicant, partner as dependent). As we are now in Australia, we are eligible for Medicare under "Have applied for permanent residency" category. My queries are below: 1. Can someone confirm that we are eligible for medicare because we got British passport and were living there before coming to Australia? I think we are, the reason I am doubting is because of the condition on our TSS 482 visa "Visa conditions 8501 - Maintain health insurance". Could it be that the medicare card on Reciprocal Health Care ground is not valid if someone is on TSS 482 visa? 2. Assuming we are eligible for medicare from two routes (reciprocal arrangement and via Applied for PR), which route should we choose to apply for medicare. My PR application is in the pipeline and I do not want to have any negative effect on our PR application because of medicare. If there is even 0.0001 % chance, then we are quite happy not to take medicare and continue the private healthcare insurance. 3. I rang the medicare helpline number and the agent did not really seem to understand my concern of any negative effect on my PR application. She simply said to tick both the boxes in the PR application and submit. I can definitely tick the box "Have applied for permanent residency" on page 2 of medicare pdf form but not sure about ticking the box for "Visitor from a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia". We are not on visitor visa or tourist visa but on TSS 482 visa. Thx for reading my post. -
Hi My mother is in Australia now. We applied for 804 - Aged Parent Visa and she got a bridging visa for that. With this bridging visa we applied for Medicare. But they rejected. We applied twice and both time they rejected. Following is directly copied from the Medicare website (https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/subjects/how-enrol-and-get-started-medicare/enrolling-medicare/if-youre-australian-permanent-resident). My questions are: If we now apply for 884 (temporary) visa and get it, will be able to get Medicare? Or do we need to also apply for 864 (0ermanent contributory) also? How it is currently taking to process 884(temporary) visa? With the bridging visa are we allowed to apply for 884 visa? Our main target is to arrange Medicare for our mother as soon as possible. Your responses and guidence will be very much helpful for us. -
Hey, I have a query that I was hoping someone on here might be able to help me with! I've had a good look online, but really can't make sense of it all or find a single source of information that seems to cover my specific circumstances. Seems odd as I'm sure this must be a situation that effects many people working in Australia! I am working in Australia on a Temporary Skills Shortage Visa. This Visa requires me to take out insurance cover and I have bought a policy that is tailored to that requirement. Due to my tax bracket and being British (reciprocal health agreement), I also have to pay the medicare levy surcharge unless I take out appropriate insurance. However, as far as I'm aware, the policy I have for Visa purposes is not sufficient to avoid the medicare levy. I spoke to an insurance company and they said that there isn't one policy that will cover me for both of these things. I just wanted to see if anyone had found a workaround for this? Cheers, James
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We're familiar with the operation of Medicare and that it covers a percentage of costs etc. Just want to ask if there are any aged-parent Visa holders here who have been using the UK reciprocal medicare and does this give you exactly the same cover as Australian Nationals or is it a sub set? Also, if you have additional health cover what sort of cover is the best to go for with reciprocal Medicare? It's a bit of a concern leaving the all-inclusive NHS without understanding fully what we can or cannot get in Australia. Many Thanks for your time and consideration. Keep well! qqMolly
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It seems that fewer medical centres are offering 100% bulk billing for all patients these days. Most seem to offer what they describe as 'mixed billing', meaning bulk billing for the under-16s, pensioners and concession card holders only. Everyone else needs to pay, with fees and Medicare rebate amounts varying widely. Do you think this is the beginning of the end of free healthcare in Australia?
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Hi all, I was invited for a 189 visa and have just recently submitted my application. I enrolled in Medicare as well and have received my number. My interim card will be arriving in a few weeks. Is it all right for me to cancel my private health insurance with Bupa?
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I hope someone can help me... I am on a 457 visa, British, have not applied for PR. Do I need to pay the Medicare levy (not surcharge, I am under the threshold anyway)? I was under the assumption I do not and have completed my tax return each year to say so. But then I get a letter from ATO saying my tax return is incorrect. I am very confused and worried all my tax return refunds will be taken back. This website indicates I may be able to apply for an exemption under the temporary visa / reciprocal health agreement - https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/medicare-entitlement-statement Can any one help me with this?
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Hi all A newcomer here, with a unique question that I'm struggled to find a definitive answer. A situation: We are thinking of moving to Australia in a near future, likely later this year. I will be most likely on TSS 482 visa. We are a family of three: me, my wife and a currently 1-month old baby. My wife and I are NZ resident, but not a citizen. We only hold a Thailand passport. The baby on the other hand has a dual citizenship - being both New Zealand and Thai nationals. Questions: Being on a temp visa, we (my wife and I) will definitely need an appropriate health insurance. The question is, for the baby... As she is a New Zealander, will she be eligible for Medicare and all others health care for children like vaccination and such? As far as I know, a kiwi living permanently in Australia (though not technically a PR) will have access to publicly funded healthcare just like a resident. If she's eligible, how's that gonna work? All the info I found online was about adding your newborn/baby to your Medicard. Nowhere I could find out about how to get it done (or even is it possible) if the baby is the only eligible person in the family. Hopefully there's someone in a similar situation or happen to have some clues :-) Thanks Emktx
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Yesterday my oh had day surgery and it made me think about that old chestnut - the "Australian healthcare vs British healthcare" debate. A lot of people (myself included) would say Australian healthcare is better, but that's not a fair statement. The difference has more to do with the culture in both countries, and the difference in the way private health insurance works in each country. My oh had a dark spot on his nose, and it turned out it was a melanoma. He doesn't have health insurance, so the GP offered to refer him to a hospital specialist instead of a private one. He could see the private surgeon next day, but would have to wait for the hospital one. He chose the private surgeon, and a week later, he's been operated on (and it looks as if it's all clear, thankfully). He's now got $6,000 on his credit card, but he thinks it's worth it for peace of mind - and he will get some of it back on Medicare. And that's one of the differences right there. If you choose to bypass NHS waiting lists in the UK by going private, you pay the full price. The NHS doesn't step up and pay you what it would have cost to do it on the NHS. So even for people without health insurance, private health care isn't necessarily out of reach in Australia - and importantly, we all know it isn't. In fact we access it often, without much thought, every time we get referred for a CT scan or a specialist consultation. So you see, when you ask a typical Aussie what healthcare in Australia is like, you're likely to get a rosy picture - because our willingness to use private healthcare means that we're not comparing like with like. -
Hi, please could someone tell me whether it's possible to apply for a Medicare card before you leave the UK, and whether is it recommended that I do so, or is it better to apply for one on arrival to Aus? I am on a British passport. Many thanks
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Im now in oz on a Prospective Marriage Visa and after Medicare but apparently there is a loop hole that on a PMV you cant apply for Medicare until you have submitted the Partner visa which would be after we are married! Would I still be covered some what on the reciprocal agreement that Britain and Australia have with medical cover for citizens.
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Hi, I'm from the UK, and have been doing my Australian tax lodgement for the year. I am due to pay the ATO the 2% of my salary for the medicare (just levy, not the surcharge). But my issue is that I have also been paying for the 457 health insurance for the past year, the minimum one that meets condition 8501. However, I remember reading somewhere, some time ago, that once on medicare, this obligatory insurance necessary to get the visa in the first place can be cancelled as medicare meets condition 8501, and that one has to contact DIAC to get a letter or something? When I called up the insurance recently to enquire about this, they said I have to maintain the insurance and she got quite funny about it. Does anyone know if, and how, one can get exempt from this health insurance, and also, could I get a refund for the $1000+ I have paid over the past year for something I didn't need due to having medicare? (if the case). Also, I was questioning the need of applying for medicare in the first place, as it has worked out a lot more expensive than had I just had the health insurance.. I just did it automatically as everything I had read encouraged to 'get medicare'. I don't understand the ins and outs of the system obviously, so hopefully these queries are simple to answer . Thanks -
Some info about prescriptions that I've never seen anywhere else on the forum. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme has a Safety Net but unless you always go to the same pharmacy, you MUST keep track of your expenditure towards it yourself. At the beginning of each year, ask any pharmacy for a Safety Net card for the current calendar year and EVERY time you or anyone else on your Medicare card has a prescription filled, stick the sticker you should get with the prescription (you may sometimes need to ask for it) into the card. When your family expenditure for PBS prescriptions gets to the Safety Net threshold, the cost per prescription drops dramatically for the remainder of the calendar year. If you always go to the same pharmacy, they will almost certainly keep track for you (ask to make sure) but get a card anyway in case you get stickers from any other pharmacy - you can then show the stickers to your usual one and they can add that to their records. My family usually hits the SN by about July each year and the savings are huge after that. Once you hit the SN, you get a Safety Net Concession card that can be used anywhere in Australia for prescriptions at the lower cost. The SN non-concession threshold for 2015 is $1453.90 (covers the whole family regardless of the number of members) and the cost per prescription drops from $37.70 down to only $6.10. I'm not sure if those amounts will change after the new legislation goes through both houses of parliament but the following link seems to indicate that it has already been taken into account. Health Care card holders have a lower threshold and when they reach the SN, the cost for a prescription drops to zero. http://www.pbs.gov.au/info/news/2014...et-information Medicare also has a Safety Net and they keep track of your out of pocket expenses automatically for individuals (they write to you when you approach it) but you have to register for it for a family; only once though - no registration needed for subsequent years. -
My wife and I will soon be heading to Perth on a 457 visa. I've understood and the jiggling with only being able to get Medicare through the reciprocal agreement once we arrive. But my question is "is medicare sufficient enough?" We are both generally healthy people, both turning 30 this year, no kids. I don't expect to require a doctor often and only in an emergency / sudden illness. So is medicare enough when compared to this kind of service through the NHS? I should point out we will be taking out additional ambulance only cover though! Don't want to get caught out with that one! Private medical insurance seems to be very expensive when on a 457 visa and if the reciprocal agreement covers pretty much all the we would need I don't see the need to shell out hundreds of dollars each month for it. Any advice would be most welcomed Thanks!! :-)
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My parents will be visiting from UK and my dad needs regular blood tests. Would an Australian GP be able to see him and refer to tests although without medicare? TIA
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I have been granted permanent residency and have to enter before Aug 1 which is around 6 weeks from today. But, I have no employment. Initially, I planned to come to Sydney for a week by taking leave from my current job, apply for a driver's license, medicare card and Tax file number. Also, in the week, I wanted to explore the job market. I don't want to leave my current job in my home country without getting something equivalent in Australia, though I understand it is difficult to secure a position from overseas as employers prefer a local candidate. I was told Sydney may have more positions for IT engineers so planned to come there. I don't know anyone in Australia. I glanced at the useful threads http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/new-south-wales/230105-registering-medicare-sydney.html and http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/new-south-wales/233424-how-much-spend-rent-sydney-single.html and realize getting a Medicare card takes 6 weeks and rents are more than I expected. 1. Where on Sydney can one stay for a week at the budget of 300AUD/week without sharing? I heard it cannot be a place where backpackers stay or a low budget hotel as I need a proper address to which my medicare, tax card will be sent. I am OK staying away from the main city to reduce costs as long as I can take the train and get to the city. 2. Can shared rental places or the ones on Airbnb be used as address for medicare, tax card? 3. What is the approximate time to get a driver's license, medicare card and Tax file number in Sydney? 4. Can I do anything to expedite the process of getting a driver's license, medicare card and Tax file number? I realize it depends on the workload of the agencies, how many people applied ahead of me and few other factors which an applicant like me cannot control. 5. Would coming to any other city like Melbourne or Perth mean quicker processing of these documents? Any other suggestions would be appreciated. As always, thanks to all the posters who generously advise people like me on different aspects of the migration. -
Hi there, I'm a British Citizen from the UK moving to Oz to work as a doctor in August. I'm applying via the 457 visa and have all my sponsorship and nomination approved just need to complete the personal visa. It is a requirement of the 457 visa to have adequate health insurance upon application. Australia has a reciprocal health agreement with the UK in which I would be eligible to apply for a medicare number. This can only be done once in Oz. The Australian immigration website states: "If you are overseas, you must arrange adequate insurance for your initial period in Australia and provide evidence of this insurance as part of your application. You may be eligible to then enrol with Medicare once you are in Australia. Being enrolled with Medicare is sufficient to comply with visa condition 8501." My question is: Would health insurance for 1 month qualify as adequate insurance for my initial period in Oz prior to enrolling with Medicare? If not then what is a reasonable period of time? Is there any level of cover that must be met? Any recommendations or advice would be really appreciated! Thanks JK -
Hi Everyone God i never thought the day would arrive when I would be posting this, but today we received the best news after nearly three years that we have our PR. My next question is what do I need to do next? Do I need to pop into centrelink etc? My daughter goes to Kindy so I would like to start receiving the rebate as soon as I am able to - having paid full wack for three years (at a very high cost) the reduction in this will be very welcome. We also have BUPA etc so I am assuming I will need to let them know as well as getting a new Medicare card? If anyone knows if I am able to do the forms online and which ones they are that would be great. Thanks Poochibabes :smile: -
Afternoon, I am an Australian Citizen with 2 children under 2 and a husband who is currently a fireman. I work as a makeup artist. We obviously have no visa worries but I have LOTS of questions! We are planning on moving to Sydney & initially renting. Is there a website/source anyone knows about that gives you a checklist/moving info? So far Things on my list are- How to organise medicare card How to get Tax file number I have a bank account in Aus but how do I get my husband one? What do we need to have to rent (bank accounts/proof of employment/one million dollars?!) Is there a benefits system I can apply to? (I am due to give birth to my 2nd in November and we are planning on moving in February 2016 so I will probably be unable to work for a few months initially while the baby is so young) As we understand it the NSW Fire Department do not recognise my husband LFB qualifications. Does anyone know of any industries that a fireman could be employed in?? We have savings to buffer us for a few months but if anyone has recently moved I would love to know your approx costs all up!! Any advice or links to appropriate advice would be massively appreciated! Thanks -
Does any body know of any Medicare/ bulk billing surgeries in West Perth , Subiaco , or the Perth CBD? Would be great help tried google but not had much luck, new to the area so a bit stuck! Many thanks Ben and Sharn -
Hi everyone Great to read all the advice on here; it is so useful!! My wife, 2 children and I are considering coming to Victoria on her 457 visa as she is a Registered Nurse. Both my wife and I are both kidney transplant recipients and we would welcome any advice regarding costs of meds, checkups with specialists and costs of healthcare beyond medicare. We have done some research on the cost of our meds and a sample healthcare plan, which is a requirement of her visa. We are otherwise fit and healthy. Does anyone have any knowledge of transplant patients and stumbling blocks? Would my wife get an employee benefits package to cover healthcare, so that we would not need to fork out for it ourselves? Any tips would be most welcome or are we just wasting our time and a move to Oz is just not possible? Thanks :biggrin:
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Hi all I hope you can help again.....these forums have been great. I move to Melbourne in early June on a a 457 VISA. As part of my 457 Visa application, I have to have a private medical insurance policy for all my family. I've been looking into this with BUPA, IMAN NIB etc and for a fairly comprehensive cover it is looking like a pretty eye watering $500-$600 per month or so. If I need to take this out, as I want to be well covered, then I'm happy to bite the bullet. However the piece I am struggling to understand is the Medicare Levy and the Medicare Levy Surcharge. Our family income will be above the income threshold resulting in a 1.5% levy. It is my understanding that under reciprocal arrangements, that we would qualify for Medicare. What I don't want to do is face a double whammy of paying a Medicare Levy and MLS AND pay the private health insurance on top. I have a couple of specific questions: 1. Am I right in saying that if I have the private health insurance (which is a requirement of my VISA anyway) that I am fully exempt from the Medicare Levy and or MLS? 2. If not, then presumably i just want to take out basic cover (as I am Medicare covered) with some extras such as Ambulance and Dental Covers as extras? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
