jakc Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Ok, as part of my contract I need to arrange Health insurance. Im heading over from the UK on a 457 visa and will be living in Melbourne. My missus will also be coming. So ive been doing research and my employer has also sent me some links. Who does everyone go for and whats the major differences between packages? Australian Health Plans any good? Is NOT getting my partner health insurance a bad idea, I thought medicare (which covers UK visitors) was a good service, def on par with NHS? I need to sort this out fairly soonish - we are both young (27 and 28) and fit & healthy. Kinda after a good value basic package as didnt realise we would have to fork out for this extra cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaBay07ish Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Hi , we are going on a 475 visa and it was a condition of the visa that we had private health insurance . If / when we apply for permanent residency we have to prove that we have held insurance for 2 years . We have used IMAN insurance which is part of Austhealth for our policy . You can pay quarterly which isnt as much of a strain on the purse strings . It was all sorted over the internet in days . We just went for the cheapest policy , because as you know that OZ has some sort of reciprocal health agreement with the uk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 When we were on the 457 we did not bother upgraded to pr last month, private health insurance is very expensive on a 457 some of the companies ont even insure you. A lot of folk get health insurance on pr to escape the tax levy. A mate of mine hed pte heath ins with hbf about $360 a month on 457 thay canceled it after a couple of months .When they got pr the same policy was about $120 , bit of a difference . We are looking at health ins now with the lowest public hospital cover just to avoid Mr tax man the aus health thing looks reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakc Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 I have to admit im still a little confused about the tax thing and Private Health Insurance. My employer mentioned that if I went with Australian Health Plans id start getting benefits straight away - not entirely sure what is meant by this. Am I roughly on the right track saying, that if I did not get PHI, then id be taxed a lot more? And if I do get PHI, then I wont - and from what my employer says, AHP means that I wont pay tax from day 1? Come to think of it, do people on a 457 visa get taxed more or less than a Australian citizen. The agency that found me the job implied that I get good tax breaks - can someone explain more about this please? So which PHS company is the one to go for then? Cheap's the keyword. Ive got several quotes, but would be interesting to get some more feedback on other peoples thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 You only get taxed whe you are a permanent resident citizenship is a few years down the line, if you d not have phs when you have pr you pay a medicare levy , this goes up with the amount of your income. We have just had pr so not got stung yet. Your empoyer is probably stating that there is no waitng period for claiming on the phs mally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prinze Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I have to admit im still a little confused about the tax thing and Private Health Insurance. My employer mentioned that if I went with Australian Health Plans id start getting benefits straight away - not entirely sure what is meant by this. Am I roughly on the right track saying, that if I did not get PHI, then id be taxed a lot more? And if I do get PHI, then I wont - and from what my employer says, AHP means that I wont pay tax from day 1? Come to think of it, do people on a 457 visa get taxed more or less than a Australian citizen. The agency that found me the job implied that I get good tax breaks - can someone explain more about this please? So which PHS company is the one to go for then? Cheap's the keyword. Ive got several quotes, but would be interesting to get some more feedback on other peoples thoughts. Hi Jakc, Under Australian Taxation Law, anyone who holds a Medicare Card or who is entitled to hold a Medicare Card, has to pay the 1.5% Medicare Levy. if they do not have "appropriate" Private Health Insurance, they also have to pay the 1% Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS), which is a surcharge levied by the Tax Department. This surcharge is applied to incomes over *$73,000 per annum (for a single person) and over *$146,000 per annum (for a couple), where appropriate Private Health Insurance is not held for the duration of the financial year, and is payable after assessment of an individual's tax return at the end of each financial year.:chatterbox: Overseas Visitors Health Plans or Insurance Policies are not classified as "appropriate" Private Health Insurance for MLS exemption purposes. Even if you take out OVHC, it WILL NOT exempt you from the Medicare Levy Surcharge. You can join a basic level of hospital cover with nib (nib health funds limited) which will do this. (Please note that benefits payable on the basic level of hospital cover offered by nib are restricted and therefore do not meet the health insurance requirements of sponsorship.) :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prinze Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Ok, as part of my contract I need to arrange Health insurance.Im heading over from the UK on a 457 visa and will be living in Melbourne. My missus will also be coming. So ive been doing research and my employer has also sent me some links. Who does everyone go for and whats the major differences between packages? Australian Health Plans any good? Is NOT getting my partner health insurance a bad idea, I thought medicare (which covers UK visitors) was a good service, def on par with NHS? I need to sort this out fairly soonish - we are both young (27 and 28) and fit & healthy. Kinda after a good value basic package as didnt realise we would have to fork out for this extra cost. Hi Jakc, IMAN Australian Health plans, offer private health care for 457 visa holders in Australia and offers a complying product which mets the 457 visa condition 8501 to support your visa application. The Health Plans is suitalbe to UK citizens starting price a $66 per month per single. Jakc please note: 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.:wink: You, as the subclass 457 visa holder, will be responsible for health costs incurred in Australia by you and your accompanying family members, Medicare Australia does not cover the cost of 100% for all medically expenses. Private Health Care is highly recommended.:idea: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rich2476 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Hi, I Used to use IMAN for my insurance as part of the Medical / Insurance requirements is to include repatriation cost's which your standard health insurance companies here won't cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prinze Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Hi, I Used to use IMAN for my insurance as part of the Medical / Insurance requirements is to include repatriation cost's which your standard health insurance companies here won't cover. Your no longer with IMAN? Is because you've received PR? Before the changes around the 457 visa requirements came into effect on 14th Sep,2009. IMAN seems to be the only health fund provider offering benefits on the Basic Plan including 100% Medical Repatriation, but IMAN still remains to offer the same benefits upto today.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rich2476 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 aaahhh yes forgot to say now PR so not with them anymore :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sylcaddies Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Hi - me and my husband are on 457 visa and with Australia Health Plans. I would highly recommend them. Having just had to claim for a brief medical condition, I found that making the claim was very straight forward - just send copies of the receipts (you have to pay for everything up front) and then just a few weeks later got cheque in the post for the full amount! We sometimes wish we didn't have to pay for full health insurance, but my contract states that so.... Hope you find this useful. Take care and good luck in your new adventure.:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prinze Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 IMAN Australian Health Plans, no longer offers an Interim Cert $50. If your applying for your 457 visa and need to take out Health Insurance to support your 457 application. The Basic (190 Plan) at the cost of $66 per month per single is suitable for people coming from a Reciprocal Country. Mininium of one Month payment is required for IMAN to provide DIAC letter. This can be paid via Credit Card. Your start and payment date will be ajusted upon the date you arrive in Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Been with HBA from Day 1 and they have served us well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Pom Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Hi thanks for your advice, I looked at the IMAN website and form- it seemed to want a visa registration date- but dont you need to get health insurance before you fill in the 457 form? How did you do this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cwphua Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Hi I am applying for 457 visa online. I am unsure if I need to undergo medical check up as I could not see the Form 26 EH when I lodged my evisa application which is required for the purpose. I have only the Form 160EH. Can anyone enlighten me please. Cheers, Chiu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJW Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 OK I've read all these posts and I am really confused. I need to show proof of health care insurance for our application as well. No idea where to start, and when do you start to pay for this insurance (when you arrive in Oz)? We are going on a 457 visa, me, my hubby and 3 kids. Please help me get this done. I'm lost... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cwphua Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Hi AJW, You can purchase health insurance for visa category 457. Just google for health insurance visa 457 and you should be able to find them. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.