Originally Posted by Sandra

The arrangements on a 457 are laid down by DIMA

http://www.immi.gov.au/migration/tem...s-employer.htm

In summary your employer is obligated to pay all medical or hospital expenses for an employee (and accompanying family member) for treatment in a public hospital (other than expenses that are met by health insurance or reciprocal health care arrangements) this undertaking continues until all expenses are paid

So if anything other than emergency/bog standard treatment is required the employer is liable, eg known medical conditions for a family member that requires ongoing treatment.

Usually to offset this potential cost employers make it part of your conditions to work that you pay for private medical insurance or if very lucky they provide it.

Some people on 457 collect a medical card and happily never need anything other than a couple of standard doctors appointment. So if the employer does not insist on private medical you can make the decision not to take extra cover.

In our case a daughter with hearing impairment needed to be covered with private medical the company provided. Lucky for us before we swopped over onto our 136 PR we had no real medical emergencies. Since then I have had some semi serious woman issues :eek: and my husband has had skin cancer treatment and we have used some other health services none of which would have been covered on reciprocal.

Different folks on this site on 457 have also be fortunate enough to get certain treatments covered by reciprocal and I haven't heard of big demands on their companies to pay costs back. Not sure how the government follow up on use of the medicare card obviously use of this is tracked and whether they only step in if the expense goes over a certain amount?

So not sure if this is good or bad news....we have pretty decent private health care for a family of 4 for around $350 per month. And if you earn over a certain amount this will save you the higher medicare levy which for me would be around $100 a month so in effect a saving towards getting private medical.


FYI
What is the Medicare levy surcharge (MLS)?
Individuals and families on higher incomes, who do not have private patient hospital cover (including their dependants and their spouse if they have one), may be liable to pay the MLS for any period during 2004-05 that they did not have this cover.

The surcharge is 1% of their taxable income. It is additional to the 1.5% Medicare levy.

Long and Boring Post Sorry :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by Vanessa

We are here on a 457 visa and pay about $450 a month to Medibank Private. We also have a and don't seemed to have had problems using it.

Originally Posted by Luma

Hi

Does anyone know more about the reciprocal healthcare scheme with the UK and Australia. Where can I find some information on it?

We've been told to get overseas residence insurance which we were quoted will cost approx 5,500 for full family cover (premium cover).
Is this expensive?

Employment agency said that temporary residents (457 visa) are not covered
by medicare.

I saw in JAJ Thread: 457 Visa Restrictions
9. No eligibility for Medicare, other than limited reciprocal healthcare schemes for some nationalities. Health insurance will be more expensive.
Once you apply for a PR visa you are normally eligible for Medicare.

How come some people are able to get medicare cards - see below highlighted in bold?


Thanks everyone :)

Originally Posted by Luma

How did you go about getting reciprocal agreement medicare card?

Thanks

Originally Posted by Vanessa

We are here on a 457 visa and pay about $450 a month to Medibank Private. We also have a reciprocal agreement medicare card and don't seemed to have had problems using it.

Husband did his knee in before christmas and medicare covered doctors appointments, xray at hospital, blood tests etc - We then used Medibank Private to see the surgeon and also for the surgery as very quick and we could pretty much chose when he went in.

I have also used the doctor and got back his fees. I had full bloods done and didn't have to pay for that either - all under medicare.

Originally Posted by Vanessa

The reason that the fees are high for private insurance is that you are classed as a visitor for medibank private insurance purposes and therefore pay extra on the premium - or that is what we have been told!

Originally Posted by Luma

Does anyone know more about the reciprocal healthcare scheme with the UK and Australia. Where can I find some information on it?

Originally Posted by Bix

$450 is probably a premium cover.

Around $300 is more realistic.

But the sponsor should pay.

Originally Posted by Luma

Do the sponsor have to pay?

Or is that a grey area? They should but they don't have to?

Originally Posted by Luma

Do the sponsor have to pay?

Or is that a grey area? They should but they don't have to?

Originally Posted by Luma

Do the sponsor have to pay?

Or is that a grey area? They should but they don't have to?

Originally Posted by Sandra

Hi Luma, please read the government website listed in my post and the same one others have posted.

In summary your employer is obligated to pay all medical or hospital expenses for an employee (and accompanying family member) for treatment in a public hospital (other than expenses that are met by health insurance or reciprocal health care arrangements) this undertaking continues until all expenses are paid

so the employer is not obligated to pay for costs covered by the reciprocal aggrement.

The whole area of payment is grey. It does not have a difinitive list of what the employer is obligated to cover and what he is not. Some employers make you pay as an individual private medical cover as a condition of employment, others may cover the cost themselves...other do not bother at all.

I personally think if you (or family) had a serious medical condition that required a high cost to cover it while here on a 457 without private medical your employer would soon be asked to stump up the cost.

I could not get a 457 visa because my child is partially deaf without my company signing a health wavier to agree to repay all costs to the government including school support costs.

So again only my belief ..... you end up in hospital requiring long term care and you do not have private medical....the government here is not going to pick up the cost but come back at your employer....not you.

Hope this makes sense