HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

My brother in law is over from Scotland staying with us. He has been touring the west coast of WA for the past fortnight, and is in the process of flying from Broome to Perth as I type. The thing is the TIT thinks he has broken his collar bone!

What is the state of play with hospital treatment? Do we jsut go to the hospital and he will be seen? Will we be expected to pay a fair whack (he's only 20 and skint, so hubby and I would need to pay)?

Any help or advice would be great, thanks!

K xx

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

He should be ok according to Medicare... "Reciprocal health care agreements cover treatment that is medically necessary. Medically necessary treatment means any ill-health or injury which occurs while you are in Australia and requires treatment before you return home."

Here's the link if you need more info

http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/...isitors/uk.jsp


Just make sure he takes his passport with him to the hospital. Hope he's ok ! :)

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

Yep turn up at A&e and he will get seen with no charge.

Jo

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

I think he would be fully covered under the reciprocal agreement between the UK and Australia. Phone medicare and ask?

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

Lend him your husbands medicare card and go direct to the hospital ;)

Doubt if they will check and if they do you'll only be back in the first position. The receptionist will see the card, the doctor or treating staff wont.


Thats the Sarf London Solution !

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

Lol, well they do have the same first initial and surname!!

Thanks people! So i just need the passport, wasn't sure what I needed to take with us!

Idiot fractured it on day one of his trip, sandboarding! Then picking his bag up to head to the airport, he heard an almightly snap and is in agony!
What a shame that he will have to get the bus to the centre of Perth, then the train to Mandurah before he can get to a hospital :sneaky:

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

Rock up to A&E and he'll get looked after. He'll need proof of UK citizenship and possibly his NHS card but if it is an emergency he's covered.

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

Did he take out travel insurance ?

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

As far as I'm aware you don't get an NHS card, well you didn't when I left 7 months ago!

Yeah, he has travel insurance.

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

How is he anyway?

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

Well that should cover all the costs anyway:confused:

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

In Scotland you get a yellow NHS card but you never get asked for it so if you lost it years ago and forgot, it doesn't matter. In England I don't know.
Hope flight was ok and he has arrived in one piece to get mended! :)

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

My mum fell over on her first day here, took her to hospital had xrays etc and nothing to pay. Cant even remember if we had to produce her passport, but that would surfice for proving you are from uk surely.

Jo

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

Well he is entitled to Medicare treatment anyway. His insurance will cover any out-of-pocket expenses that medicare won't cover the full cost of.

The reason I ask about Travel Insurance is, god forbid, he really hurt himself badly and needed medical evacuation back to the UK. Medicare won't pay for that and the cost of that is mutiple $10,000. There is an aussie stuck in India who broke his back, didn't have insurance and is now stuck in hospital there since the Federal Government won't pay for a medical repatriation flight.

Re: HELP!! Medicare while here on holiday???
 

You are so right! Anyone who travels without Travel Insurance which covers medivac is an idiot in my book, but so many do.

I wonder how many people are stuck in hospitals in god for saken places around the world without family or friends available to help them because they could'nt be bothered to take out insurance which included medivac home.

In my book if you can't afford the insurance you can't afford the holiday.