Insurance advice please

[Carkyde]

Hi we are moving in Feb and fingers crossed I will be nearly 4 months pregnant. Can anyone advise on what type, level and company we should look for health insurance as once I get there I will need to sort out a 20 week scan.

We are fit and healthy, no medical conditions, only require maternity services and not bothered if private or state hospital, unless anyone has any strong advice! Oh and probably ambulance cover!

Tried looking online but most want an Aussie address in order to quote.

Also wondered if anyone could advise on one way travel insurance, did anyone book it online, and any companies people could suggest I would really appreciate.

Many thanks in advance, C

[andy and lindsey]

Hi there

The private medical insurance companies will not cover you for your pregnancy - there is a wait of 12 months for obstetric cover (but I wouldn't worry too much about that). Go and see a GP once you arrive and they will arrange an anomoly scan for you (20 week scan) for you.

Lindsey

[Carkyde]

Thanks Lindsey, do I just roll up (literally at that stage probably!!) to any GP or do I need to get registered at a practice?
Very green to this, even though I lived in Oz for 8 months I never used medical services.

Thanks again, C

[andy and lindsey]

Basicallly yes, you need to get your medicare card sorted asap and then just go and book yourself an appointment with a GP. The state hospitals here offer a very good obstetric service. Your stay in hospital will be longer than it would in the UK as your care basically ends once you leave the hospital (midwifery care). There are only a limited number of community midwifes.

Get yourself some ambulance cover sorted when you arrive too. See thread on here for companies. We have private health insurance now so have ambulance cover within our private cover but for the first year we were here had cover through SA Ambulance. If I was planning on having anymore children (I'm not) but I would certainly use the public system. we booked one way travel insurance too but I cannot remember what the company concerned were called, I just googled one way travel insurance. Hope this helps.

Lindsey

[ozzieclare2be]

we used go walkabout for one way travel insurance covers you for 3 weeks after arrival x

[PomPomGo]

Hi there, there are lots of really good sites online with useful info on health insurance such as this one on private health insurance and this site on general insurance advice with some very interesting articles. Hope these are helpful!