liverpool girl

We are here on a 457 visa and my husband has MBF overseas cover private health insurance - which I might add costs a wad load more than the normal cover that perm residents have to have. Now I have just been told by the woman at MBF that the overseas cover does not exempt us from paying the 1% surcharge. So it would seem that the government is screwing us boths ends 1/ by making us have overseas cover which costs loads more because apparently we are not fully covered under medicare and then 2/ saying that the private health cover (overseas cover) isn't enough to exempt us from the surcharge and it seems that now we have to pay the 1% extra even though we don;t even have the benefit of full medicare and there is no way of getting the round it so you don't pay the surcharge (eg with private health care). Then to top it all off they charge you an extra $4500 pa for schooling even though you pay the same taxes as everyone else. I am furious. I knew about the schooling and had accepted that but the medicare surcharge has just tipped me over the edge! I think the government are just out for what they can get from us people on a 457 visa. I feel like going home right now I am so mad.

renth

I'd hate to be around you if you ever had to claim on that medical insurance and discover "the gap" i.e. the gap between the "scheduled fee" and what Medicare covers and what your insurance pays you.

We foolishly used our private health policy when my daughter was hospitalised, cost us hundreds of dollars, should have kept my mouth shut and it would all have been free.

Alan Collett

Before you give up and pay the Surcharge, have a chat with the Medicare Levy Exemption Certification Unit on 1300 300 271 to establish whether you may be exempt from paying the Medicare Levy and the Surcharge.

I believe they are in Hobart.

I'm not hopeful, but it is worth making the call to be absolutely sure.

Best regards.

liverpool girl

Thanks for that advice and number - I will give them a call but won't hold my breath.
I bet Oz citizens temporarly resident in the UK don't get treated like this - at least I hope not.

Siren & Brian

So you say you dont get the full benefit of Medicare. So I presume you do/could get some if you were to get sick. Yeah it sucks paying taxes but if no one did..............

biggy

go home then!!!!! If ya dont like it then dont complain...all the info is there for all to see b4 they make the move

cedar cottage

I am being ripped off,,,I pay 8% and I was born here??????

northerner

Paying 8% OF what FOR what?

Graham

Amazulu

Agree. None of this is secret. Become a PR and then no worries. Many others on 457s have.

yanH

Oh yeah because we all read the smallprint on everything don't we? I'm sure most people would be surprised at the level of financial demand on 457 visa holders. We do pay the same tax as permanent residents remember, and have no benefits. Just getting PR is oh so simple isn't it? It generally takes 2 years from arrival.
I didn't realise that you weren't allowed to complain on this forum, but was there really any need to be so rude to the original poster?
Response like yours make people wary of asking for advice or saying anything that can be perceived as negative and therefore we don't get a very balanced view. I thought the point of this forum was to get support and draw on other people's experiences not just abuse one another.

Mrs Jackaroo

Yep being on a 457 can be frustrating! Are you applying for PR?

yanH

Yes we are. Husband's work are doing it for us at the moment in a bid to avoid another year of school fees for 4 kids!

Mrs Jackaroo

wow 4 kids! Thats a lotta money! Thankfully we got our PR 3 months after arriving and got most of our fees back.

yanH

Tell me about it Anybody want to buy one? They're all house trained and it'd make our house hunting a lot easier as well

Mrs Jackaroo