Scuba Steve

How does this work over there with no free health service? Do you have to pay for each visit to your GP?

GaryKristensen

You register with medicare, if you are eligible.

You then have to register with a Doctors surgery, same as in the UK.

You don't pay for the visit to the doctor with medicare, only any drugs or treatment prescribed.

It is not free for children either, unless anyone knows any different? Our son just had some anti biotics and inhalers and it cost us over $100.00.

Not looked into private cover as yet, so can't comment on that side of things.

Scuba Steve

Don't think I;m eligible for medicare on a 457 visa.

Wol

You don't *have* to register with a doctor but it does help because then he has your files.

Mostly you *do* have to pay to see a doctor - only the so-called bulkbilling ones don't charge upfront. For example our doc chrges $56, of which Medicare gives you around $32 IIRC as a refund.

Vanessa

that's a whole new question. Do a search and you will come up with lots of answers on this one. Basically if you are British and have a NI number then you should get a medicare card (not full) under the Reciprocal Arrangements scheme.

In Victoria you do not have to register with one particular doctor - you can go anywhere. If the doctor in question bulk bills medicare then you don't have to pay anything. However, some doctors charge more than the medicare levy and you pay the gap (excess). Also some doctors don't bulk bill and you have to take the bill to the medicare office and claim it back yourself. Again, you may find that you don't get the full amount back but this is not usually a huge amount.

If you don't have a medicare card then you pay the GP and then claim it back from your health fund provider.

ianandhelena

here you don't need to register with a doctor.

we pay around $45 per consultation and we get about $32 back from medicare.

Antonia_and_Sean

So does this mean if we register with a doctor then they apply to our surgery in the UK for medical records or do we go over with a copy?
All so much more confusing!

quoll

If you find a doctor you like and want to stick with, then yes, I would register with them. If you have copies of your medical records then take them along with you but unless you have a very ordinary medical history I would just start from scratch and let them build up a history from here. Obviously if you have a pre-existing condition or significant intervention in the past then give them as much info as possible so you dont have to reinvent the wheel.

Suggest that for your first appointment, you ask for a long appointment - it doesnt cost you that much more financially (get a better medicare return for a long appointment!) and you have more time to give them the background for important features in your past.

We have other sorts of practices where the doctors are less stable (ie you wont necessarily get the same doctors every time you visit) and they tend to bulk bill - around here they are called "suburb" medical centre. The others are more stable practices IMHO.

My parents were always able to get a medicare card for their long stays in Aus so I assume you will still be entitled to basic medicare. Private health insurance is essentially irrelevant for community based medicine - it is generally to cover hospital admissions. One thing that private medicine will do is give you some rebate on very very expensive medicines which are prescribed as essential over a certain amount otherwise you still have to pay the basic cost.

Ozzidoc

grrrrrrrrr

Ozzidoc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_%28Australia%29

kaz101

I'm in South Australia and went to the GP this week and I had to pay too. I had already registered with them and the charge for the visit was $57 but if I paid then I only paid $53 ($4 discount) and the next day I took the invoice into Medicare and then paid me back $32, so it cost me $21 for that visit.

I'm not sure if it's any cheaper if you have private health care since I haven't sorted that out yet.

Regards,
Karen

Wol

D'you know, when I wrote that I just *knew* someone would take exception <g>.

OK: he, she or it (taking the possibility of an alien having a medical degree...)

(Only joking - as were you)

Dorothy

Private health cover does not cover doctor visits. There are doctors who bulk bill, which means you do not pay anything at the time of the visit, they submit the claim to Medicare direct. If you don't want to pay for your visits then find a bulk billing doctor. I know of a really nice surgery in Adelaide just off Northeast Rd at Muller Rd who bulk bill if you're interested.

kaz101

There is more to South Australia than Adelaide
I'm in Mount Gambier about 400kms away from Adelaide. Our GP doesn't do bulk billing and if they send it to Medicare I lose the $4 discount - I know it's not a lot but every little helps (sorry isn't that Tescos slogan?).

Thanks for the offer though.

Karen

Dorothy

Guess I should have looked at your location. Sorry.