Nhs or not

[Guest chilli]

Hi everyone,sorry if i come accross a touch ignorant with my question,but here goes,

My wife and i are moving out to queensland(north of cairns)in september,my wife has had medical problems in the past and we are really confused with how the medical system works in oz,if by any stroke of bad luck were to happen,what and how do we go about going to the doctors,again apologies for my ignorance,i look forward to anybodys response:confused:

[Guest guest37336]

Hi everyone,sorry if i come accross a touch ignorant with my question,but here goes,

My wife and i are moving out to queensland(north of cairns)in september,my wife has had medical problems in the past and we are really confused with how the medical system works in oz,if by any stroke of bad luck were to happen,what and how do we go about going to the doctors,again apologies for my ignorance,i look forward to anybodys response:confused:

 

No worries Chilli.

 

A sensible question to ask bearing in mind your concerns.:idea:

 

It's been a while since I used medicare (I think I only ever used it twice anyway) out there so hopefully someone will be along soon to explain 'bulk billing' and the like.

 

Wait a while my friend and someone far more expert than me will be along.

 

Cheers Tony.

[Quoll]

Assuming you are permanent residents then you register for medicare and get a medicare card. Then you find a GP that you think you will get along with - in this instance, continuity of care is probably going to trump the need for economy and a doctor's visit is only going to leave you around $30 out of pocket.

 

Australia has a co-pay system which essentially expects patients to pay some of their treatment out of their pockets, the other part comes out of Medicare to which you contribute from your tax/deductions each pay period. Bulk billing was designed to support people who couldnt afford to pay and it means that the doctor only charges the Medicare half and doesnt charge the patient at all. The spin off is usually that medical centres that offer bulk billing have a first come first served policy so you dont always get 'your' doctor and so you dont have a GP who knows you.

 

If your wife's condition is one which may require surgeries at some point then it might be worth getting private health insurance (usually around $250 a month) and there will be an exclusion period for her pre-existing condition but after 12 months any procedure required in hospital could be covered. Private health insurance isnt essential and you could try self insuring (putting that amount away each month in a separate account) or trusting to the local public system (no idea what it is like up in FNQ but in ACT the elective surgery waiting times are worst in the country) and taking whichever doctor they give you. The benefit of private health is that if you get a specialist you like then you will get the specialist doing any procedures.

 

To get back to the GP - once you have been to the GP, paid the bill you can then claim back the medicare portion of the visit either by visiting the medicare office and filling in a form or setting up an arrangement whereby medicare put the money into your bank account.

 

If you need a prescription then you will pay a maximum of $34.20 (IIRC) for each medication for each fill (usually a month or a specific course eg antibiotics). If you require more esoteric medications which are not on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme then you will pay the retail cost of the medication and part of that cost may be covered if you have private health insurance.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Personally if you are heading up our way I would look at taking out private health insurance, unfortunately there are long waiting lists and limited specialists which means a long wait or a trip to Brisbane or Melbourne. I never needed private health insurance whilst I was in Melbourne but just before I went away I was told I'm going to need it up here.