Do you need health insurance?
You’ve read that for your visa you have access to Medicare – but what exactly does that mean for you? The ombudsman explains:
Medicare is the basis of Australia’s health care system and covers many health care costs. You can choose whether to have Medicare cover only, or a combination of Medicare and private health insurance. Citizens and most permanent Australian residents are eligible for Medicare. The Medicare system has three parts: hospital, medical and pharmaceutical.
Hospital Under Medicare you can be treated as a public patient in a public hospital, at no charge, by a doctor appointed by the hospital. You can choose to be treated as a public patient, even if you are privately insured. As a public patient, you cannot choose your own doctor and you may not have a choice about when you are admitted to hospital.
Medicare does not cover:
private patient hospital costs (for example, theatre fees or accommodation),
medical and hospital costs incurred overseas,
medical and hospital services which are not clinically necessary, or surgery solely for cosmetic reasons,
ambulance services.
Many choose to also opt in for private health insurance, because you can see Medicare will not cover everything. There is further information about what Medicare does not cover lower in this page. I found private health insurance is frequently taken out by partner visa holders as many are at a time in their lives when their is the intent to start a family. Families and health insurance seem to go hand-in-hand.
Which private health insurance provider?
Each and every time I cannot go past BUPA medical. They are Immigration’s only chosen medical visa services provider. I am registered with BUPA so that my clients receive clear cut information about immigration needs specifically. In order to reach this particular service click on the link.
https://www.bupa.com.au/corporate?txtUsername=AattainMigration&txtCorpID=OVChealth
Further detail about Medicare reimbursements and cover
When you visit a doctor outside a hospital, Medicare will reimburse 100% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee for a general practitioner and 85% of the MBS fee for a specialist. If your doctor bills Medicare directly (bulk billing), you will not have to pay anything.
Medicare provides benefits for:
consultation fees for doctors, including specialists,
tests and examinations by doctors needed to treat illnesses, such as x-rays and pathology tests,
eye tests performed by optometrists,
most surgical and other therapeutic procedures performed by doctors,
some surgical procedures performed by approved dentists,
specific items under the Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme,
specific items under the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) program,
specified items for allied health services as part of the Chronic Disease Management Plan.
Medicare does not cover:
examinations for life insurance, superannuation or memberships for which someone else is responsible (for example, a compensation insurer, employer or government authority),
ambulance services;
most dental examinations and treatment,
most physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, eye therapy, chiropractic services, podiatry or psychology services,
acupuncture (unless part of a doctor’s consultation),
glasses and contact lenses,
hearing aids and other appliances.
home nursing.
Pharmaceutical
Under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) you pay only part of the cost of most prescription medicines purchased at pharmacies. The rest of the cost is covered by the PBS. You must present your Medicare card to obtain this benefit.
The amount you pay varies with the medicine, up to a standard maximum. People with concession cards have a lower maximum payment.
