Medicare for temporary residents

[kiwiruss]

Hi, I've not posted for ages, I used to live in NZ (hence the nickname!) but have recently arrived in Melbourne

I realise that an earlier post has partly covered this topic, but..
I have a 457 temporary work visa and have just received my Medicare card which appears to limit me to "immediately necessary" treatment under the reciprocal agreement. Does anyone know exactly what this entitles me to?

Also, to digress slightly, I just paid $60 for annual ambulance cover in Victoria, a colleague at work told me it cost up to $1000 for a trip to hospital. The system here seems more like America than Britain

Another colleague told me that as I earn more than $50k I can save on tax by taking out private health insurance. Does anyone have experience of this?

[SSue]

Hi Russ,

my Medicare card which appears to limit me to "immediately necessary" treatment

You are covered for treatment of any sudden illness/accident, but not for any diagnosed pre existing condition/illness. This visa limits your entitlements, and should have been explained fully. You can look up exactly what you are allowed on the DIC website: http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/skilled-workers/sbs/

The government has dangled the carrot, with tax relief, so more people with higher incomes, will take out private health cover, leaving public hospitals for lower income families.

The ambulance service has always charged for its services here. It costs a fortune to train these paramedics, and in time of need, I'd be happy to pay for their service, which saves countless lives.

SSue 8)

[kiwiruss]

Hi SSue
Thanks for the information, I agree with you about the ambulance service and have no objection to paying the fee. I think private health insurance covers it? Someone at work tried to explain the tax benefits of joining a private health scheme but i find taxation an extremely dull subject so didn't really take it in

I think I'll stick with the Medicare coverage for 11 months, then if I get PR next year I'll review the situation and work out the savings in tax vs costs of insurance

[tamar]

Hi SSue,

I would like to have some info about temporary medical insurance for my grandpa. He is about 66 years old and planning to move to Australia. What kind of MIs will be covered and which plan will be beneficial for a small time period? I have searched on other forums too but did not get any satisfactory answer. Thanks in advance.


________________
Tamar

[Jany]

Thank you for the information here. It sounds like their program is similar to what temporary residents are given in Britain. It is nice to know you get some coverage there.