Visiting the doctors..

[ecmiller72]

Hi
we (me, wife and 1yrd old) are coming to adelaide in a few months for 3 months (Oct-Jan). We are planning to buy a family annual insurance policy (best quote is about £120). Anyway I dont imagine (and hope) that we will need to use the policy as we are all fit and healthy-ish. However I would imagine there will come the time when our little boy needs to see the doctor as so far we have had to take him at least once or twice every few months for the odd cough, rash etc. My question is - will this be straightforward in adelaide in terms of availability ? and also will we have to pay for a visit ? and for any medication ? or is it like the UK where this would be free for babies ?

as we are going for a short time we wanted to avoid signing up for schemes etc

any help appreciated

cheers
ed

[Rachiegarlo]

there is a reciprocal agreement between uk and here that will cover you for emergency care, you can get a medicare number i think. Most doctors bulk bill for children so you don't have to pay any extra, but you will have to pay for medications if needed. The run of the mill ones are government subsidised and there is a set amount you apy ranging from $15 TO $25. Your health care should cover any hospital stays so you could go to a private one, but the public ones, although not as pretty are just as good.

[ozzieclare2be]

If you are coming on a tempory visa you will not be covered by medicare. What visa is it? If it is like a holiday and you have insurance then im sure this will cover you but ask the insurancde company.Good luck x

[donna T]

If you are coming on a tempory visa you will not be covered by medicare. What visa is it? If it is like a holiday and you have insurance then im sure this will cover you but ask the insurancde company.Good luck x

We are on a temp visa and have Medicare - mostly the reciprical agreement covers emergency treatment but the doctors have bulk billed for all of us, The only treatment we had to pay for was my hisbands elective arthoroscopy (SP?)

I also remember getting a medicare card back in the 80's when I travelled in Australia so a holiday visa should be covered too but again for emergencies only
Donna x

[ozzieclare2be]

We are on a temp visa and have Medicare - mostly the reciprical agreement covers emergency treatment but the doctors have bulk billed for all of us, The only treatment we had to pay for was my hisbands elective arthoroscopy (SP?)

I also remember getting a medicare card back in the 80's when I travelled in Australia so a holiday visa should be covered too but again for emergencies only
Donna x

oh didnt realise this i was told by the agency i got my job through that if you dont have perm residency you have to have private health cover as your not entitled to medicare! Not that this effects me but their information is obviously wrong , i will tell a girl i work with this is the case then as she was told she wasnt entitled to medicare being on a 457!

[HALT]

Depends on your visa, my family and i are not covered by medicare and are not elligible. We pay $60 (£30) per visit to the GP plus any medications - only pre exsiting conditions covered too if stated on the medical insurance. Some things not covered by all policies i.e. dental
The excess on our medical insurance is $250 so we basically have to pay for everything unless admitted to hospital.
Check really carefully and think! Make sure you are covered for ambulance too as this is extra here. Emergency care will not cost you so if worse comes to worse take your child to A&E.
Ironic really as i work for the hospital here but can't get treated!!:)

[Nick11]

Never had any probs with medicare being on a 495 visa. My son was even referred to a speech therapist at Flinders. No charge!
Always have a bit of a fight to reclaim x- ray charges - but just as long as your gp/dentist refer you - you get your money back.

[ecmiller72]

many thanks for all the replies
its a little clearer now
but what is medicare ?
can someone point us in the right direction
iam on a business visa and my wife and son on holiday visas (both 3 months)

[Gollywobbler]

Hi All

There seems to be a fair amount of confusion on this thread.

Almost all British "visitors" to Australia are automatically covered by the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement between Australia and the UK, but the RHCA is confined to *necessary* medical care only:

http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/...tors/index.jsp

With a short stay tourist visa, it is quite unlikely that anythng more would really be of any great benefit, I reckon. If a doctor says something is necessary then it is necessary. Medicare would not try to argue with a doctor.

However ambulance cover is essential because emergency ambulances are not free in Australia and they are not cheap either. If the situation is life-threatening, the ambulance fee is likely to exceed $500 AUD. For residents, household insurance policies generally provide ambulance cover. Various organisations provide it separately including the Red Cross, I believe, including for tourists.

The other thing to bear in mind with a short visit is that the plane is going to stop somewhere en route either in the Middle East or the Far East, and none of the countries involved have RHCAs with the UK. Admittedly I've never bothered to insure that risk either myself, but I am not prepared to say that one need not do so. I think it is a matter of personal choice.

British 457 visa holders have the same access to Medicare as a tourist, and the business of agencies telling Brits that they are not entitled to Medicare and therefore must have private cover is either ignorance and incompetence or it is a deliberate rip-off. Please see Page 8 of Booklet 11, which is here:

http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/books11.htm

It is quite clear from Page 8 that the employer is responnsible for any medical costs that the RHCA does not cover. Misleading a 457 visa holder about this is something that one should consider reporting to DIAC in my view.

HALT, if you are British why are you not covered by the RHCA, please? There are hardly any exclusions from it.

Best wishes

Gill

Best wishes

Gill

[Rachiegarlo]

medicare is our sort of equivilent of the NHS, but it doesn't cover dental.