Crowiegirl Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 We are going home in July after fifteen years in Oz. I've been paying for top Medibank cover for all that time. Has anyone managed to transfer cover with Medibank to a UK health insurer with no waiting periods etc? Thanms in advance for any advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I don't have experience of this but my thoughts are that it isn't possible, it would be like transferring car insurance. Even if the same insurer existed in both countries I would be surprised if it was transferable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 We are going home in July after fifteen years in Oz. I've been paying for top Medibank cover for all that time. Has anyone managed to transfer cover with Medibank to a UK health insurer with no waiting periods etc?Thanms in advance for any advice! I'm with HCF and was told they had an agreement with a UK insurer to waive the waiting period. However when I looked into it, that insurer was quite a bit dearer than other funds. So I was really better to go with a cheaper fund and put up with the waiting period. As it happens, we've decided we're not staying so it's not an issue. What I suggest is that you tell Medibank you're leaving temporarily: you'll be able to suspend your membership for up to two years, then if you come back you can resume it with full benefits. I'm sure you're not even contemplating returning to Australia at this point, but never say never - the UK has changed a lot in fifteen years and so have you! It costs nothing to leave your Medibank account in suspension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Marisa, in fairness one of the reasons we left Australia was because it had changed so much and not for the better but we digress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 We found this wasn't possible, we even looked at changing to Bupa in Australia for that reason. The tricky part for us was during our time in Australia both my son and I were diagnosed with serious chronic conditions which no UK insurer would cover even with a waiting period. That said we came back and have had first class NHS treatment - we are in Scotland though & that makes a difference. We both saw specialists very quickly after our return & have had all the care we need - I did wait about 3 months for an MRI but since I wasn't in pain and my quality of life wasn't impacted it wasn't urgent, I don't know if it would have been quicker if it was. Very few people in the UK do have private insurance so, like us, you may decide you don't need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) Marisa, in fairness one of the reasons we left Australia was because it had changed so much and not for the better but we digress And your point is...? I am not saying one country is better than the other, just that they shouldn't simply assume they will settle back in the UK. Many do, but some don't - so it's silly to burn bridges you don't have to, just in case. Edited March 24, 2016 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Very few people in the UK do have private insurance so, like us, you may decide you don't need it. Actually I was going to say that too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I've never had private health insurance in either country. I only ever contemplated getting in Australia because of the ridiculous cost of dental treatment but never bothered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowiegirl Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 We found this wasn't possible, we even looked at changing to Bupa in Australia for that reason. The tricky part for us was during our time in Australia both my son and I were diagnosed with serious chronic conditions which no UK insurer would cover even with a waiting period. That said we came back and have had first class NHS treatment - we are in Scotland though & that makes a difference. We both saw specialists very quickly after our return & have had all the care we need - I did wait about 3 months for an MRI but since I wasn't in pain and my quality of life wasn't impacted it wasn't urgent, I don't know if it would have been quicker if it was. Very few people in the UK do have private insurance so, like us, you may decide you don't need it. Thank you Lady Rainicorn that's really helpful. I was thinking about calling BUPA anyway to see about transferring. We have exoenses coming up in November which Medibank would have covered. We have needed the insurance so little over the past decade it aggrieves me that when I finally need it we won't have it! We can't delay the move and I know the NHS is and can be fabulous. I just want to explore all options. I will also talk to Medibank about putting our cover on hold. We've done it before when we were O/S with hubby's job and it was pretty straightforward. Thanks all. I'll report back if I find out any other info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booma Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 putting it on hold is a good idea. i wasnt in uk long before i knew i wanted to move back to oz but i didnt know you could put the insurance on hold when i left & had to do another waiting period when i came back to oz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I can't see why you would want health insurance in the UK - the NHS is excellent. It was mentioned upthread that you can't transfer car insurance between the UK and Australia. When I got my first car insurance in Australia, they honoured my bio claims status from the UK on receipt of proof from the UK insurer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I can't see why you would want health insurance in the UK - the NHS is excellent. It was mentioned upthread that you can't transfer car insurance between the UK and Australia. When I got my first car insurance in Australia, they honoured my bio claims status from the UK on receipt of proof from the UK insurer. Yes I agree, I really see no need in this country. I think you misunderstand what I said about car insurance, we also had our no claims recognised but I meant actually being able to transfer the car insurance itself, for instance having 6 months in Australia then taking the second 6 months in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Hubby has been treated in a BUPA hospital with the NHS seemingly they do this quite often for minor procedures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Hubby has been treated in a BUPA hospital with the NHS seemingly they do this quite often for minor procedures Yes private and NHS often share the same doctors and facilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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