reciprocal medicare

[Marlene]

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

[Marisawright]

57 minutes ago, Marlene said:

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? 

What kind of visa do you mean?  The full aged parent visa is a permanent visa which includes full access to Medicare just like any other Australian.  So I'm assuming you're thinking of a temporary visa or maybe a bridging visa.

Officially, the reciprocal Medicare covers only essential treatment that can't wait until you go back to the UK.  In practice, it seems to cover everything the same as for Australian nationals - but as you're aware, Medicare isn't like the NHS and it doesn't cover everything.  There are "gap" payments for some treatments.  Also, you're probably getting free prescriptions in the UK but you won't get pensioner prices on the reciprocal Medicare, and prescriptions can be expensive.   If you get a permanent visa eventually, then you can qualify for pensioner prices.  For instance, I used to pay nearly $40 a time for my asthma inhaler, but now I'm over 65, it only costs me $5.

If you want to take out private health insurance, there is only one type available to you - Overseas Visitors Health Insurance.  There are other types of health insurance available in Australia, but they are only available to permanent residents and citizens.

https://www.bupa.com.au/health-insurance/overseas-visitors/visiting

The good thing is that Australia isn't like the US where treatment can cost a fortune.  Australians are so used to private health insurance that many of us go to private specialists rather than be stuck in the waiting lists at public hospitals - but really the waiting lists at Australian public hospitals are no worse than the NHS.  If you wouldn't consider going private in the UK, then you probably won't feel the need in Australia either.  Prescriptions are the only thing you might want to check up on if you've got a lot of regular medications.

Edited February 26, 2021 by Marisawright

[Marlene]

Hi Marisa - Thank you for your answer and for explaining thinsg to us AND for the Link as well - thnak you so much. Yes. initially it will be for teh Bridging Visa then when we get our  aged-parent visa ( soemtime this century then of course we'll be treated to prescript discounts, bus passes LOL ? My husband is the one who has prescripts so it's good to know what he's facing finacially regarding that!  Thank you again for answering so promptly and fully. Very much appreciated. We're Boomerang Poms but were much younger when we first emigrated Keep well. Regards Marlene

[Quoll]

I wouldn't be banking on the reciprocal arrangement covering everything - it rather depends on the Medicare item number. I'd say private health insurance would be a sensible option. 

[Marlene]

Thank .you for taking the time to answer Quoll. We're looking into HI options as well.

[DrDougster]

Second what Quoll said. If you do need to access services then you may well regret not having health insurance if you're on a temporary visa.

The other gap to be wary of is being a temporary visa holder and buying an all singing, all dancing policy if you intend to live here as a resident pending PR. You can be admitted to a lovely hospital, get amazing care and the $30K bill paid and you then get bills for blood tests that would have been covered by medicare/insurance for a resident but you get nothing from either. You need to make sure you have the temp resident cover too.

[Marisawright]

9 hours ago, Marlene said:

Hi Marisa - Thank you for your answer and for explaining thinsg to us AND for the Link as well - thnak you so much. Yes. initially it will be for teh Bridging Visa then when we get our  aged-parent visa ( soemtime this century then of course we'll be treated to prescript discounts, bus passes LOL ?.....We're Boomerang Poms but were much younger when we first emigrated  

If you hold expired PR visas, have you looked into whether you can get a RRV (Resident Return Visa)?   It's always worth investigating, even if you don't meet the residency requirements.  The Immigration Department can offer a RRV without the residency requirements, if you can demonstrate strong ties to Australia.  I'd have thought having Australian citizen children would count as "strong ties".    It would be worth booking a consultation with a good migration agent to double-check all your options.  Try Suncoast Migration or Go Matilda.

[Marisawright]

46 minutes ago, DrDougster said:

Second what Quoll said. If you do need to access services then you may well regret not having health insurance if you're on a temporary visa.

The other gap to be wary of is being a temporary visa holder and buying an all singing, all dancing policy if you intend to live here as a resident pending PR. You can be admitted to a lovely hospital, get amazing care and the $30K bill paid and you then get bills for blood tests that would have been covered by medicare/insurance for a resident but you get nothing from either. You need to make sure you have the temp resident cover too.

We need @ramot to drop in and share her experience of living in Australia on a visa that didn't have Medicare and how the insurance works.  She also knows people in her community who do rely on reciprocal Medicare and has previously shared how that is working for them.

As far as I know, there is only one type of health insurance available to the OP (other than travel insurance), which is one designed for temporary visa holders - so other than comparing prices from one provider to another, there isn't a choice of what cover they can get.  

I find the deal with blood tests etc. very strange. I've always gone to a bulk-billing GP, until I moved to Melbourne and decided to go to a GP near my home, who doesn't bulk bill.   She referred me for some blood tests and I was astonished to receive a bill from the pathology lab.  I was told the rule is that if the doctor bulk bills, then all the tests are bulk-billed too; whereas if the doctor doesn't bulk bill, the tests are done on the private system and I have to pay.   So as well as the $80 extra I pay the doctor, there's a domino effect.  

[ramot]

7 hours ago, Marisawright said:

We need @ramot to drop in and share her experience of living in Australia on a visa that didn't have Medicare and how the insurance works.  She also knows people in her community who do rely on reciprocal Medicare and has previously shared how that is working for them.

As far as I know, there is only one type of health insurance available to the OP (other than travel insurance), which is one designed for temporary visa holders - so other than comparing prices from one provider to another, there isn't a choice of what cover they can get.  

I find the deal with blood tests etc. very strange. I've always gone to a bulk-billing GP, until I moved to Melbourne and decided to go to a GP near my home, who doesn't bulk bill.   She referred me for some blood tests and I was astonished to receive a bill from the pathology lab.  I was told the rule is that if the doctor bulk bills, then all the tests are bulk-billed too; whereas if the doctor doesn't bulk bill, the tests are done on the private system and I have to pay.   So as well as the $80 extra I pay the doctor, there's a domino effect.  

I’m not sure I can be much help, as our temporary visa was a long term retirement visa, renewable every 10 years. We had to have overseas visitors health insurance, and not eligible for Medicare. We had the top cover, and were never charged for anything as everything was covered. It was very expensive, but I think others on the visa opted for a cheaper package so had to pay for things? There was an agreement in place that we paid the PBS rate for prescriptions. When my husband had surgery every bill was covered by the insurance, even the following bills for everything. We were with Medibank.

I knew several people on the 804 visa, who had no problem being covered for everything on Medicare some were waiting about 10 years?  for the visa to be issued. 2 couples definitely didn’t get health insurance, their choice,. Everyone I know has their visas now, so no idea sorry if conditions are still the same.

Marisa I had blood tests recently and there was no charge, not a bulk bill Dr, due more next week, will let you know. Also don’t pay $80 extra to see the Dr after Medicare rebate.

Edited February 27, 2021 by ramot

[Marlene]

Thank you very much Marissa, Quoll, DrDougster and @ramot for taking precious time to help us with your knowledge, experiences and suggestions. We will look into these avenues and see what applies and where to go from here Keep well everyone! Regards Marlene

[Marisawright]

9 hours ago, Marlene said:

Thank you very much Marissa, Quoll, DrDougster and @ramot for taking precious time to help us with your knowledge, experiences and suggestions. We will look into these avenues and see what applies and where to go from here Keep well everyone! Regards Marlene

@Marlene,  just be sure you are aware of the other downsides of living on a bridging visa.  You'll be in a kind of limbo, not a full Australian resident, but not a full British resident any more either (being a British citizen means you can always enter the UK, but as a non-resident, you've lost most of your rights there, including access to the NHS).  

If you want to buy a home in Australia, you will have to apply for permission to the FIRB (for a fee, of course!).  Once approved, you will have to pay a surcharge on the purchase. On a $400,000 property, the surcharge would be about $30,000.   That's on top of stamp duty.

Every time you want to leave Australia (e.g. to go on holiday or visit friends in the UK), you'll have to apply for a BVB (for a fee, each time!), and wait for approval before you go. If you leave Australia without a valid BVB, you won't be allowed to re-enter, even if your home is here.  

If you're waiting for a Contributory visa, there will come a point where you'll need to undergo a medical, probably in about 10 years' time. If you fail that, your visa will be refused and you may have to return to the UK and start again from scratch. For that reason, you may want to consider keeping your British home and renting it out, so at least you have something to return to.  

If you are waiting for the non-contributory visa, the good news is that you'll be gone before you reach the medical.  However there's still a risk:  the government wants to get rid of the 804 visa.  It has tried once already but couldn't get it through parliament.  If it tries again and succeeds, then your bridging visa would become invaid as there's no visa to bridge to.