Pollyana

Looking for anyone who has come over on a 457 from the UK and had to take out Health Insurance to cover themselves. There are a few threads but not much actual recent info.....
I know the system changed fairly recently in that the applicant has to prove they have Health Cover when they apply for the 457, but if anyone can help fill in the gaps in plain English that would be really good as its a subject I know little about.

Am I right that once you are here and covered by Medicare under the reciprocal healthcare scheme, you can cancel the Health Insurance?

Does it work that the cover gets set up from the UK but with an Aussie company, then kicks in when you arrive?

Can anyone recommend a company that will give enough cover to satisfy DIAC without it costing a bomb, especially if its going to be cancelled soon afterwards? Just single person cover, no kids etc.

Does anyone know of a company that specifically provides Health Insurance for nurses?

All info gratefully received!!

Bernieboy

Oh i would love to know this info as well

Deutschmaster

I used IMAN - $2,400 per year. My organization made me pay it by payroll deduction. I had to have it according to contract because apparently Medicare doesn't cover the cost of everything. I did have lengthy discussions with them about it. Annoyingly because it was deducted from pay I couldn't just cancel it.

Still, they were good about cancelling once my 175 came through.

Deutschmaster

http://www.austhealth.com/

there is a $66 per month plan

I think that you can avoid one of the medicare taxes - so it can be worthwhile having health insurance just for that

JAJ

Does this help:
http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/457-h...isa-holder.htm

Bear in mind that reciprocal Medicare coverage = you have to pay the Medicare levy. And as far as I know, if income is over a certain level, the surcharge.

Pollyana

Thanks I have read through the DIAC official stuff, the minefield point comes when trying to research companies, not knowing who is any good, or what sort of cost is reasonable. Hopefuly the Medicare surcharge is still at such a level that won't come into play

Worth having a read of - many thanks for the link

Bernieboy

Good link there mate,hopefully this is what Polly is looking for

Bernieboy

Good luck with yer visa Polly,let us all know how you get on

Pollyana

You're too kind

Bernieboy

No worries,anything i can do to help

al_and_lucy

from the immi site:

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/457-h...isa-holder.htm

Pollyana

I'm told that the catch is because you aren't enrolled with Medicare until you arrive in Aus with your visa, you need cover to enable the grant of the visa. I know if youre already here and go for a new 457 you don't need the Health Insurance at all - it seems to be almost like getting travel insurance. Once here you can enrol with Medicare, but you have to be onshore first.

Being enrolled with Medicare under reciprocal health care arrangements is sufficient to meet the health insurance requirement at visa grant and to comply with visa condition 8501.

You can only enrol with Medicare if you are in Australia. If you have enrolled with Medicare you should provide evidence that you have been issued with a Medicare card as part of your application.

If you are overseas, you must arrange adequate insurance for your initial period in Australia and provide evidence of this insurance as part of your application. You may be eligible to then enrol with Medicare once you are in Australia. Being enrolled with Medicare is sufficient to comply with visa condition 8501.

JAJ

Could travel insurance provide the necessary initial cover?

Reciprocal Medicare seems to be ok to meet DIAC requirements (once enrolled), although note that nationality alone is not enough for reciprocal Medicare.

Pollyana

I wonder if travel insurance would do it, its an interesting thought and might be worth looking into further as it might well be cheaper. I'll have to have a read later into exactly what DIAC require as part of the cover.......
Cheers for that thought

paddyo

This is the crux of it to me and shows just how ridiculous DIAC is. If you are from a country that enables you to have Reciprocal Health Care and would get it upon arrival, then why do they insist on initial cover?? When we arrived in Australia on a 457, we had cover from our company. Our first day, literally!!!, we went to the beach and our boy fell down some huge steps at Maroubra Beach, we rushed him to the kids Hospital at Randwick and they were fine aboiut it all. All they needed was for me to show them a passport and it was fine, no medical insurance, no medicare, they were purely concerned with fixing the child, then sorting out the admin after.
The travel insurance sounds like a plan and I would investigate that option.