Yiddo

My wife and I are looking at moving to the Perth area (wife is a nurse and has family there). How does the health system work there?

EvannTel

Try a search for Medicare

TillyG

Medicare and Private Health Insurance. Depending on what type of visa you're coming here on, depends on whether you get full Medicare or just "immediately necessary care". It also dictates what type of private health insurance to get (plus it costs more on certain visas)

Yiddo

What about existing complaints? Are they covered?

TillyG

There's normally a waiting period (or even exclusion) for pre-existing complaints if you want to claim through private health insurance. I think it's something like 6 months for pre-existing stuff and 12months for pregnancy stuff.

But, if you're going through the medicare route (and you're getting a PR visa, not a temporary one) then you may well be covered by medicare (although there will probably be some out of pocket expenses).

Yiddo

I think if we do come over it will be on a PR Visa (hopefully).

Thanks for the info.

Yiddo

One more thing. Do you have to be employed to be entitled to Medicare?

fraser

No mate being a yiddo is terminal.

TillyG

I don't think so. I'm not employed (but my husband is) and we have the reciprocal medicare card (as we're currently temporary residents).

You won't be able to claim any unemployment benefits until you've been here 2 yrs though.

Edited to add - just seen you're coming PR - then you'll be entitled to full medicare card as soon as you move over here. You will still have to pay the "gap" though. For example, when I go to my GP, it costs $68. Medicare gives me $34-ish back.

Pollyana

No, you don't.