Health insurance for newly arrived families in Brisbane.

[Nandini Millar]

Hello and wish you all a very happy new year 2019. With the start of the new year we will be starting our new life in Australia soon and we are very excited. Me and my husband have been researching and anxious about what healthcare insurance will keep us covered when he have landed in the country. We are a family of 4. We two and our 2 kids 4 and 6. We have been used to NHS free healthcare so we really have no idea of how to go about. Any tips any help any advice would be great. Thank you.

[Sandgroper]

As a family of 4 you will be paying around $5-600 a month if you go for full cover, tbh save your money use the public system and save the money into a savings account.

[Marisawright]

If you have been living in the UK up till now, you'll be covered by Medicare (the equivalent of the NHS) from the moment you arrive.  There is a reciprocal agreement. 

Medicare is slightly different from the NHS because for most doctors and specialists, the Medicare benefit does not cover the full cost.  You'll have to pay the difference.  Private health insurance doesn't cover the difference so it's just something you have to budget for.   

If you can find a doctor or service that "bulk bills",  then you don't have to pay the difference.

Note that ambulance, dental and optical are not covered by Medicare.  You can take out "Extras" private insurance to help cover those costs.  

Unlike the UK, it is far more common for Australians to have private health insurance so they can access the private hospital system.  The government encourages that with tax breaks and tax penalties, which you should look into.  However I am pretty sure you have six months (twelve months?) to decide what to do about that before any tax implications apply.

[Nemesis]

On 7 January 2019 at 01:56, Nandini Millar said:

 

Hello and wish you all a very happy new year 2019. With the start of the new year we will be starting our new life in Australia soon and we are very excited. Me and my husband have been researching and anxious about what healthcare insurance will keep us covered when he have landed in the country. We are a family of 4. We two and our 2 kids 4 and 6. We have been used to NHS free healthcare so we really have no idea of how to go about. Any tips any help any advice would be great. Thank you.

Are you on permanent resident visas? If so you get full !edicare cover as soon as ypu arrive. 

[Nandini Millar]

Are you on permanent resident visas? If so you get full !edicare cover as soon as ypu arrive. 

Yes on permanent resident visas. Oh ok so we could get full Medicare cover by default because of our Visa status? Is that right. If so it's very good news.

[Nandini Millar]

As a family of 4 you will be paying around $5-600 a month if you go for full cover, tbh save your money use the public system and save the money into a savings account.

Oh ok will check public system now. Thank you.

[Nandini Millar]

If you have been living in the UK up till now, you'll be covered by Medicare (the equivalent of the NHS) from the moment you arrive.  There is a reciprocal agreement. 
Medicare is slightly different from the NHS because for most doctors and specialists, the Medicare benefit does not cover the full cost.  You'll have to pay the difference.  Private health insurance doesn't cover the difference so it's just something you have to budget for.   
If you can find a doctor or service that "bulk bills",  then you don't have to pay the difference.
Note that ambulance, dental and optical are not covered by Medicare.  You can take out "Extras" private insurance to help cover those costs.  
Unlike the UK, it is far more common for Australians to have private health insurance so they can access the private hospital system.  The government encourages that with tax breaks and tax penalties, which you should look into.  However I am pretty sure you have six months (twelve months?) to decide what to do about that before any tax implications apply.

Thank you so much for your reply and I will get myself familiarize with the way how healthcare works over there. I thought it's mostly private and without insurance coverage we would be completely lost. Thanks again [emoji4]

[Nemesis]

3 hours ago, Nandini Millar said:

5 hours ago, Nemesis said:

Are you on permanent resident visas? If so you get full !edicare cover as soon as ypu arrive. 

Yes on permanent resident visas. Oh ok so we could get full Medicare cover by default because of our Visa status? Is that right. If so it's very good news.

All permanent residents are entitled to full Medicare cover, regardless of which country you come from, and regardless of whether there is a reciprocal agreement n place. .

About half of all oz residents have private health care, the rest just use Medicare. Not everyone can afford to go private and not everyone wants to. 

[Nandini Millar]

All permanent residents are entitled to full Medicare cover, regardless of which country you come from, and regardless of whether there is a reciprocal agreement n place. .
About half of all oz residents have private health care, the rest just use Medicare. Not everyone can afford to go private and not everyone wants to. 

Thank you so much. That's a lot of relief.