MartyK

Hello

I'm wondering if anyone can help me with a dental problem.
My wisdom teeth need to be pulled out and i will need a general anasthetic. The dentist who i was referred to said it would cost me in the region of $2500. I have also been told that i need author dontic treatment for health reasons.
I am having great difficulty getting a health care card from centre link as they say i have too much money in my bank account and i earn too much per week.
I have Asperger's Syndrome and my Dad speaks on my behalf at Centre Link for me. Every time he goes to Centre Link to provide them with further information they have requested, they tell him that i am still earning too much or have too much money in savings. I have decided therefore to cut my working week to 4 days, taking a crresponding cut in wages to enable me claim my health care card. I have severe toothache which can only be soothed by Ibuprofen. My Dad has told Centre Link this but they are still insisting that i now need to show them my visa (which they have already seen several times before), and it could be another week before i get my healthcare card.

In addition my younger sister (Aged 13), also diganosed with Asperger's Syndrome needs a filling beneath a fissure sealant. My Mum finds this hard to believe and feels that we are being ripped off by the dentist. The public health system won't see my sister unless she has a toothache. In order to get the 2nd opnion we will have to pay further consultation fee.

Does anybody have similar experiences or advice they can give me?
At the moment we are very tempted to fly back to England to get this treatment on the NHS.

That would be cheaper than paying privately for it here.

Also as a complete change of subject, what does anyone think of the education system in Queensland? Finally (And as yet another change of subject) My Dad is on a waiting list for an operation on his knee, He has been told that he is only on Level 3 priority, and that if he wants to be seen sooner, he should go back to his GP and Emphasise how difficult he is finding walking and driving. Does anybody have experience of this type of problem?

Many thanks indeed.

Martin

ABCDiamond

Have you checked what the income threshold is ?

How long the waiting list is for such work under Medicare ?

From a quick look I see:

The Low Income Health Care Card is based on your gross income over an 8 week period and is re-assessed every 8 weeks.
The current threshold for single, no children is $450 per week (initial application)

MartyK

Thanks for that advice.
I have checked the thresholds now. I think I will be successful this time.
Regarding a waiting list for dental work on medicare, I did not anticipate a wait. I hope that they will see me immediately, as I have toothache!

Thanks for posting.

Mart

ABCDiamond

Please check the waiting lists...

In 2007 NSW had about 200,000 people waiting for Public Dental treatment, more than 45,000 were children with very severe tooth decay and oral disease.
Only 4,027 in NSW were able to access the scheme in 2004-2006.

In reality, Private Insurance is needed to cover dental treatment, unless you have your own funds to cover the costs.

asher

dental care in India is cheap and good and the flight costs less than the UK!!

ABCDiamond

Good point, check out places like this.... http://www.dentalexpress.com.au/

MartyK

Wow! Thanks for that! That is amazing!

Mart

kjj

Whilst I appreciate that the cost of dental care in Australia may be high. What makes you think that you will be able to fly into the UK and get treatment on the NHS???

You or your family are not resident in the UK anymore and don't pay taxes in the UK. You are not entitled to anything other than emergency treatment unless you are resident in the UK and can prove it. Health Services in the UK are limited for UK residents, particularly for dental care, which even on the NHS is chargeable subject to maximum limits for a course of treatment. About £14.00 for a check up and £44.00 for a filling.

See the link from the Department of Health below.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/E...able/DH_074373

quoll

It's one of those things about living in another country - they have different rules and expectations and you cannot expect to have your old country's rights and benefits in your new place. It comes with the territory and Australia has a system where people often take out private insurance for things like dental work rather than relying on the public provision.