Healthcare confusion! 457 with medicare card

[Guest Queerasfolks1]

Hi all,

 

Hoping someone can help. I came over a year ago with work on assigment. I am on a 457 visa. I have recently changed jobs and no longer have the benefit of my old employers great private healthcare.

 

Now I have a medicare card but want to understand what "top up" private healthcare I can get. I have been onto iselect and they say I can only get 457 specific policy (which seems to give little over and above hosptial care) and seems very expensive.

 

Can anyone give any advice - the sorts of cover I am looking for are dental, heart and possibly preganancy cover.

 

Cheers.

[marta]

Unfortunately private health insurance for 457 holders is very expensive. We pay 450 $ every month for a partner insurance and we had this waiting period for certain things which means even though you pay 450 $ every month you cannot just go to a doctor for whatever illness or problem you might have. But this will be explained in the leaflets from the insurer. - Generally speaking you have to look for a special 457 visa holders insurance. There are some insurers who specifically offer this kind of insurance.

 

I should also mention that when you are a British citizen you cannot get the 1.5% Medicare contribution back. That means you not only pay 1.5% of your monthly income to Medicare (or even 2.5% if you are over 80k) but in addition to that you pay the monthly fee for your private health cover.

 

The Medicare thing I find quite unfair actually. Also, even though the longish waiting periods of the pricate health insurers make absolute sense to prevent health tourism they are a kind of a burden.