Help understand medicare
 

Can someone help buy telling me how much it will cost for prescriptions as we are both diabetic and are going out on a parents visa but are unsure about the financial costs of prescriptions and doctor appointments due to health issues and do not think that I will be working

Re: Help understand medicare
 

There isn't a set amount for prescriptions. It depends on the medication and whether you buy a specific brand! Some medications can be extremely expensive so it is definitely worth finding out what yours would cost before coming here.
For GP appointments if you can find a good GP that bulk bills then it shouldn't cost anything for the appointment. otherwise you may pay around $70-$80 for an appointment and claim around half back from Medicare.

Re: Help understand medicare
 

You might find that an Australian GP will change your medication - if yours is expensive or not on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme especially. If it is on the PBS then you will be up for a max of around $38 per item per fill (usually a month) -so it could be cheaper - up to an annual threshold of just under $1500 when a safety net provision kicks in and you only pay around $6 per item per fill.

The usual situation is that you pay around half of whatever a GP charges you - Medicare pays the other half so each GP visit will see you out of pocket around $35-40. Finding a bulk billing doctor in some places can be difficult and there are benefits to going to a doctor who doesn't bulk bill - you can usually be assured of continuity of care which, often, is not the case in the BB practices. If you have a chronic condition then that continued care is often a bonus!

Re: Help understand medicare
 

If you qualify for a low income Health Care Card, you get cheaper prescriptions, usually around $6 each.

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Thanks for all your helpful information I will take on board what you have all advised

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Not sure if I will qualify for health care card with a parents visa as we are both 63 and are coming out to be with our grandchildren so will be doing a power of babysitting

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Hi Rosie - I'm not up on parents visas so I don't know if that would preclude you from applying for a HCC - I'm sure someone will be along to answer that.

I bet the kids are looking forward to you coming and babysitting! Just remember that you're entitled to have a life too though :starsmile:

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Does this mean it $1500 per person and do you know if their is any help with medicine which is compulsory like thyroxine and diabetes meds

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Still very unsure what we would qualify for

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Rosie, I'm not up on what visa entitles you to what either, do you qualify for full medicare?

If you do, many GPs (even if they're not generally a bulk billing practice) will put patients with chronic conditions onto a care management plan, so their visits will be bulk billed. Blood tests are (generally) (currently) bulk billed too.

Prescriptions though will vary. Here's the PBS site which will show you the maximum you'll be charged for various meds (I did a search there for thyroxine, you can check your other meds)

PBS site

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Per family https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/medicare/pharmaceutical-benefits-scheme-pbs-safety-net#a3
No, there is no help, you're up for anything up to the threshold then it's at reduced rate.

Assume you won't be entitled to anything then anything you do get is a bonus. There is a 2 year residence required for a Seniors Health Care card and the low income health care card and then they are means tested so there is no guarantee you will get one.

Re: Help understand medicare
 

My husband is on diabetic meds and has a list of about 6items and I have 3 or 4 and if they ar approx $40 that soon adds up I think it's just a whole new change for us and I think at our age I think it can all be a bit frightening

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Is that $1500 approx every year and does it be tax deductible

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Yes, 1500 a year comes out of your pocket. Medical expenses certainly used to be tax deductible but a quick look at the ATO site says they are no longer a deduction

The net medical expenses tax offset is being phased out.

From 2015–16 until 2018–19, claims for this offset are restricted to net eligible expenses for disability aids, attendant care or aged care.

Remember that costs in Australia are higher, it's not like UK and if you are planning on living on a frozen UK pension, it will get harder as time goes on because you won't be entitled to any Aus benefits for a good many years.

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Not necessarily true

Everyone's COL is different and mine, overall, is roughly the same

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Thanks for feedback

Car shipment
 

Is it worth shipping a car to Australia and is their a lot of paper work involved is it worth the hassle

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Re the car, it would want to be an unusual or quite expensive model before I reckon it would be worth considering.... 25K GBP plus..... As SE Asian and some European cars are cheaper here from new.

One factor re the Doctors I dont think has been touched on, is you can shop around easily here for a doctor. IE: You dont have one assigned to you and you can pick and choose who you want to see.... Even go to different suburbs miles away.... which may suit as there could be GP's that specialise in your conditions.

The thing to get onto is one of those Health Care Plans and you'll find bulk billing doctors are very keen to get you onto these..... then everything relating to you condition will be bulk billed.

Re: Help understand medicare
 

. Not sure I have heard anyone talk about a health care plan how do I find out about this

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Your GP puts you on it if you have a chronic condition.

Here's as many answers as you can have questions for about it :lol:

Chronic Disease Management

Doctors love them because (as I discovered when I checked my health files on mygov) they can charge Medicare an arm and a leg.

Re: Help understand medicare
 

If you can, learn what the cheaper alternative generic medicines are for your condition. I take a daily PPI to manage my excess stomach acid. If I obtain the non generic version, Nexium, it costs about $36 for a 30 tablet supply. If I obtain the generic, Panthron, then it is only $6.

Some doctors will always tick the 'No substitute allowed' box which means the chemist is unable to make the generic substitute.

I fell out with a doctor I used to have as he was insistent on always ticking that box, and always prescribing Nexium (Esomeprazole) - which in my experience is not as good pantoprazole/lansoprazole. But as others have said, if this happens - just find a doctor that will and move on.


S

Re: Help understand medicare
 

It's been said many times here but it's not something you will necessarily find out. If you are going to get private health insurance the "normal" Australian paradigm is that for every year over 30 at start you will pay an extra 2% of the premium (up to some years' limit, not sure what that is.) It will be a big loading for anyone over 30 - 40.

HOWEVER there is a concession for a new immigrant - if you take it up within the first year after arrival you are deemed to be 30 so there's no loading. It's called lifetime health cover.

This applies to all the insurers.

Whether it's worthwhile to take out private cover is another question: it does come with some tax benefits, and if you don't you are slugged with an extra Medicare tax on top of the standard one.

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Medicare is an interesting subject in itself. We dont really talk about it a lot on these forums. I think I would find it hard going back to the NH after being in Medicare mostly to do with freedom of choice and having learnt my way round the system, only paying when I really have to. Still it must be a bit daunting for new migrants when they come here and all of a sudden are hit with costs they've never encountered before.

I've seen 10 year migrants in WA thinking they had to pay for things like MRI's and other medical imagery so there are a lot of people out there that dont know their way around the system.

Best thing to do is ask around, especially people like receptionists in doctors surgeries, who most likely will have far more time to talk about these things than UK people are used to.

Not sure how others feel about this topic....

As for Insurance, I personally have family hospital cover and thats all.... The reason I do that is purely to queue jump, if anything nasty happens to any of us in our family. Mind you it's an expensive option at over 300 dollars a month.... but it is full cover with HCF and I basically just consider it an extra tax... especially as medicare is 1.75 pct and the UK's NI is around 12 pct from memory ? So works out evens in my book ??? Although I'm not sure whether it is.... and there's that choice thing working our way again.

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Yes but NI payments in the UK are not just to cover NHS ( do they actually do anyway?) , they pay for pensions and other benefits.

I honestly find that people here end up paying twice, once for the healthcare cover then still have a gap payment as they are referred to more expensive places!

We decided to self insure so we have a fund built up IF we need to pay, so far we have paid for dental, and physio for us both. Still cost way less on Medicare than if we has been paying premiums. See a bulk billed doc when needed too.

If you need emergency treatment on Medicare you will get it, if not critical you will wait just like the NHS. You can pay to skip the queue if you want, just like in the UK. Private healthcare is not necessarily better healthcare.

When my son was very poorly in the UK we had private care through OH work. My GP said take him to the NHS hospital. You may not have a nice room and will be sleeping on a cot next to him BUT he will get better critical care. I did and the hospital was amazing. We had a private room ( by chance) but I did sleep on a cot! Found out later that a private patient had been moved to the ward as the private hospital couldn't cope and her son was on the main ward.

Medicare is much like the NHS and for us it is fine.

Re: Help understand medicare
 

I'd forgotten about those other factors..... after 36 years away I'm hopefully excused. Do you think the mandatory 9.5 pct that employers have to pay towards your superannuation here makes up for the UK pension..... ?

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Thanks for your information it's all very interesting I will definitely speak to the pharmacy when I arrive in aust

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Example prices for thyroxine

Eutroxsig 50mcg 200 Tablets Bp (Drug Name: thyroxine)
$19.50 Prescription Price
$ 5.20 Concession card holder price
Buy Eutroxsig 50mcg 200 Tablets Bp Online at Chemist Warehouse®

Eutroxsig 75mcg Tablets 200 BP
$19.99 Prescription Price
$ 5.20 Concession card holder price
Buy Eutroxsig 75mcg Tablets 200 BP Online at Chemist Warehouse®

Chemist Warehouse is a good one to check for latest prices

Re: Help understand medicare
 

I have the same, but Nexium costs me $5.20, same price as the generic, but that's on the Concession card.

Normal prices 'should' be...

Esomeprazole Sandoz 20mg Tablets 30
Drug Name: esomeprazole
$12.99 Prescription Price
$ 5.20 Concession card holder price

Nexium 20mg Tablets 30
Drug Name: esomeprazole
$21.99 Prescription Price
$ 5.20 Concession card holder price

Esomeprazole Sandoz 40mg Tablets 30
Drug Name: esomeprazole
$21.99 Prescription Price
$ 5.20 Concession card holder price

However, before the concession card, my local chemist supplied the generic one at the same price as Nexium brand, and they also charge $6.20 for concession.

I went back to chemist warehouse after that..

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Thanks for getting back to me with some prices for thyroxine that's not as expensive as I thought .do you join a diabetic clinic for advice to keep you blood sugars level

Re: Help understand medicare
 

You can check out Diabetes Australia online and find out your State office x

Re: Help understand medicare
 

Ok thanks will do

Re: Help understand medicare
 

check here - Australias lowest priced .
metformin

use the main ingredient if a Brand name is not found.