jo robinson Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Hi Wondered if anyone can help me understand the process either through Medicare or private if I was to be either pregnant when we arrive or within the first year as all the research I am turning up says we would not be covered or entitled to any treatment in the first year, which surely cannot be correct :mad: We are so confused and concerned we will end up with a huge bill we have suspended trying for a second baby:arghh: hoping you guys can tell me it's not a problem and we can get back to making babies :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 If you have a PR visa your fine, dont know about 457's etc. Have sent you a PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 It depends on what visa you are on, and if your country has a full recipricol health care system (Ireland doesn't for example). Insurance won't cover you for a year, but insurance doesn't cover a lot of things with pregnancy anyway. It used to, now most people end up paying out $thousands. If you have pr or are from the UK then most things are covered. Each state has different systems though so it's all a bit different. I'm 37 weeks and not paid a penny through Medicare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo robinson Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 we will be on a a spouse 457 visa, from the UK, which I am aware does have a reciprocal health care agreement. So does that mean I would be able to use the public system straight away, at no or little cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Yes you would. People will tell you it only covers emergency care, but it covers way more than that. It's basically anything which isn't elective. You may have to pay for some scans, but that is a regional thing rather than a visa thing. Depending on the state though, you should make sure you have ambulance insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo robinson Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 oh thats encouraging, better get jiggy then :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 It depends on where you live in Australia whether you will need to pay for scans and blood work etc. You normally get a percentage of the money back. Remember you will also need to add the baby to your visa once he/she is born. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo robinson Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 we will be in Melbourne, if anything goes wrong, is that normally covered, this is a real concern for us, as opposed to blood tests and scans. Our daughter was delivered by emergency c section, and then we discovered she had a neuro tube defect. Long story short, she needed to be in SCBU for 2 weeks with neuro surgery at 4 days old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helz980 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I was 5 weeks pregnant when I first arrived in 2012..unplanned! Anyway I was expecting triplets & got the most amazing care through the public system. Didn't pay a thing. Unfortunately there were complications but due to the care I had by an amazing British consultant I had one healthy baby (albeit in the UK!...another story) but my first 22 weeks of care were in oz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Yes you are covered if something goes wrong. You won't get any government payments to help you out though. If you are eligible for pr I'd try to go for that first. Also, if your baby does have health issues it could affect getting pr later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo robinson Posted October 7, 2014 Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 Thanks so much for the advice, it is so confusing. so if I understand this correctly we would be covered by medicare for any treatment. When you say government payments, is that like benefits? In Which case that is perfect as we are only worried about high medical bills, so by the looks of it we have 2 options. 1 - wait until we arrive in OZ which isn't until April, and aim to be pregnant after 4 months thus waiting the 12 qualifying months before the baby is due in case there are issues for the private insurance to activate. 2 - start trying now, hoping that everything will be Ok and use Medicare without much associated cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Yep, benefits, maternity leave etc. Check if the 12 month thing is for giving birth or getting pregnant. Also, if you know what insurance company you were planning on going to you could have a google and see what the out of pocket expenses are. But yes, those are your options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo robinson Posted October 7, 2014 Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 great thank so much blossom79, we spoke with an insurance company who said that their cover is 12 months for giving birth so I think we just go for it, as you never know how long it takes, and at 36 I'm not getting any younger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 I know that feeling. I'm 35 and just about to have my first. Eeekk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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