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Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

Old Sep 26th 2011, 10:22 am
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Default Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

Ok, just arrived and worse case has happened and need to see a doctor before managing to register with Medicare. This has happened because the "patient" is unabe to get to a medicare office to register.

It also looks like x-rays might be needed on a fractured foot.

What are our options? Can we retrospectively claim? Or do we have to take the hit?

Any help would be appreciated.
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Old Sep 26th 2011, 11:31 am
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

Originally Posted by LayaboutSi
Ok, just arrived and worse case has happened and need to see a doctor before managing to register with Medicare. This has happened because the "patient" is unabe to get to a medicare office to register.

It also looks like x-rays might be needed on a fractured foot.

What are our options? Can we retrospectively claim? Or do we have to take the hit?

Any help would be appreciated.
You're from UK, so will be covered by reciprocal agreement. Go to A&E and show them your NHS card.

Hope the foot's ok!
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Old Sep 26th 2011, 11:39 am
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

I don't know for certain but I would imagine that you would be able to be backpaid for medicare benefits .... you certainly can if you were a visitor from the UK under the reciprocal health agreement and you needed treatment before you had registered with medicare. I suspect it would be the same. All I can suggest for certainty is to phone Medicare and ask them what will happen, it would appear to be a 24/7 phone service .... " 132 011*(local call rate) 24 hours, seven days a week"
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Old Sep 27th 2011, 3:01 am
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

Originally Posted by Dorothy
You're from UK, so will be covered by reciprocal agreement. Go to A&E and show them your NHS card.

Hope the foot's ok!
There's such a thing as an NHS card?! How do I get one? Do I need one to register for Medicare (which I hope to do in the coming few days)?
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Old Sep 27th 2011, 3:49 am
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

Originally Posted by ScotsSal
There's such a thing as an NHS card?! How do I get one? Do I need one to register for Medicare (which I hope to do in the coming few days)?
I don't know if NHS has a card. I would assume they do, but having never lived in UK I wouldn't know for sure.

Why would you need proof of NHS to register for Medicare? Do you have a valid PR visa?
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Old Sep 27th 2011, 4:02 am
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

Originally Posted by ScotsSal
There's such a thing as an NHS card?! How do I get one? Do I need one to register for Medicare (which I hope to do in the coming few days)?
The UK health card is crappy little cardboard thing that you take to your UK doctor when you register with the GP practice. I'm not sure where you get them from but my mum had ours for years! But I don't think anyone would want to see one of them here.

When my mum fell ill over here she just showed her UK passport and they didn't charge her for her hospital stay. They did however charge her over $500 for an ambulance so that's something to be cautious of if anyone needs to use an ambulance in QLD whilst on holiday.
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Old Sep 27th 2011, 11:39 am
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

Originally Posted by LouiseR
The UK health card is crappy little cardboard thing that you take to your UK doctor when you register with the GP practice. I'm not sure where you get them from but my mum had ours for years! But I don't think anyone would want to see one of them here.

When my mum fell ill over here she just showed her UK passport and they didn't charge her for her hospital stay. They did however charge her over $500 for an ambulance so that's something to be cautious of if anyone needs to use an ambulance in QLD whilst on holiday.
I've still got my NHS card, found it the other day in the wallet where I keep my Oyster card, UK cash etc. Never actually needed it though, no-one in Aus ever asked to see it when I registered with Medicare
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Old Sep 28th 2011, 12:40 am
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

I had to go to a dr while waiting for my Medicare card to be issued. When it arrived I just took my Drs receipts into the Medicare office and got most of it back.
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Old Sep 28th 2011, 1:57 am
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

A passport does the trick at A&E - I've done it. A visiting friend we took to hospital was also trusted on the basis of his terribly British accent.
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Old Sep 28th 2011, 8:08 am
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

I think officially the recpirocal health agreement demands residency in the UK, not citizenship of the UK. So someone with a British passport but resident in the USA would not be eligible from what I understand. Despite this, in practice it seems only sometimes is this rule enforced and proof of residency in the UK insisted upon. ie NHS card or similar.
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Old Sep 29th 2011, 10:12 pm
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Default Re: Seeing Doctor Before Registering With Medicare

Originally Posted by pumpkin blossom
I had to go to a dr while waiting for my Medicare card to be issued. When it arrived I just took my Drs receipts into the Medicare office and got most of it back.
Hubby had a crash a couple of weeks back. We found ourselves at doc for an emergency appointment with his visitors medicare card....which ran out last October.

We were charged for some stuff by our local doc, they had to put it through as if he was a private patient but he went to medicare the next day, got his new card and when he gave them the receipts they refunded most of the charges.
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