Meidcare Reciprocal and MediacreLlevy Rebate

[James]

Hi when I came on a 475 visa I was told I had to have comprehensive private insurance as I was not entitled to Medicare, at the end of my first year on that visa I was told as a English passport holder I could have Medicare Reciprocal so I got the card. I have now been told I must repay my Medicare Levy exemption for that year ending June 10 and owe $1000.

Anyone else experienced this, even though Medicare reciprocal is not comprehensive and I still had to have the costly insurance.

This final unexpected cost has driven us over the edge and I am now on the verge of returning to England

Let me know if anyone else won this battle or had the same

[caoimhe]

Sounds like they never should have given you the exemption to begin with as the following website states you are not entilted to an exemption if you come from a country that has a Reciprocal agreement with Aus, which as you now know the UK has.

http://www.humanservices.gov.au/cust...levy-exemption

Good luck

[James]

Thanks, that is really helpful well I guess I better get ready to hand out $1000

[caoimhe]

I don;t know your current visa status but if you are still on a temp visa you should know that the Medicare Reciprocal agreement is very comprehensive..Our 1st 18 months in Aus were on a Temp visa and having 4 sons I was no stranger to the Doctors, medical centres or Hospitals, in fact 1 of my boys had 5 days in Hospital and we didn't pay for any of it. We have never had comprehensive private insurance and never missed it. We have Extras which covers Dental, Glasses, physio etc and as a family of 6 that only costs $36.12 a fortnight. Why don't you have a look at that instead of the comprehensive and save a bit of money.

[James]

I have PR now so get full medicare, If I knew what you said earlier I might not have had the insurance then, however I thought the literature with thr visa said you had to?

Only risk of not having insurance is you can wait a long time for some operations but I know sometimes you just cannot afford it!