Nicstids

Just been trying to get my head round this!!

As I understand it, if we want to buy hospital insurance in Aus,if we leave it for more than a year after becoming "eligible for Medicare", we get clobbered with a loading on the premium for every year that we are aged over 30. As my hubby is 46 now, that could be a lot of money!

Question is, when do you become eligible for Medicare? We are going out to validate in July and were going to register with Medicare then but we are not going out for good until January 2006.Would it be better to wait to register until then to decide whether to buy the cover at the reduced rate?

moneypenny20

There was a good thread on this probably about a year ago. Will try and find it for you. Call me sad for remembering but hey

Edit: Found it :scared: Only took 20 mins Hope it's useful, don't tell me if it's not
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=232796

GinaUK

Why would you want to register with Medicare when you're going out to validate only and then return to the UK??? Makes no sense.

In any case, you probably find you *can't* register for Medicare on your validation trip. You need to get a tax file number (TFN) first and for that you need to be in Oz as a permanent resident.

Gina

Nicstids

Errr - one less thing to do when we get there finally!

I think you'll find that you're wrong - once you enter the country you simply need to wait a week to ten days, take your passport into the local office and they can register you. You don't need a TFN as far as I'm aware....

MrsDagboy

Leave it til you get here for good - its not a big hassle to go into Medicare & have it done when you finally move instead of now, certainly worth the extra money you would pay on your premiums.

GinaUK

I had another look on the medicare website and you're right: you don't need a TFN. However, it says you *do* need to give a current Australian address. As the original poster said they were just coming to Australia to validate and then would return to the UK, they haven't got an Australian address. Hence they will find they can't register.

Gina

Macquarie

Hi,
Even if you do register with Medicare on your validation trip in July, you will still have until July 2006 to join a Health Fund. You only have to take out the most basic of hospital cover with a fund to be eligible for the age related loading, and can upgrade later if you want.

I was under the impression (but not 100% sure!) that even if you don't register with medicare on your validation, that when you eventually do you will be classed as being eligible for medicare from that first validation date and then your 12 months loading would be calculated from then. Does this make sense? I would recommend you make sure about this before July 2006 comes around as I'm sure you won't want to be caught out for the sake of a few months. We too are in our 40's and it has made a big difference in the cost of our cover.

Try NIB, Medibank, MBF and there are many other funds but I'm sure if you contact them they will give you the right answer. Sorry I don't have their websites but should be easy to find.

Good Luck
Julie

alkristensen

Sorry if i seem a bit thick as im on ZYBAN, anti smoking drug, with side effects, but i digress.

Whats all this about a health fund?
Arent you allowed medicare after 2 years?

Whats the catch, do we pay for medicare after 2 years.

Is this health fund a private thing like BUPA and is volutary, or compulsory, or at least advisble for the 2 years pre free medicare?

Confused in manchester......................

MrsDagboy

Hi Confused of Manchester , if you are on a PR visa you are eligible for medicare from day one. What Nicstids is asking about is private health insurance which has a "loading" (extra premium) if you dont take out cover before you are 30. The problem was that if you are emigrating *after* you are 30 of course, its not fair that you should have to pay what I think is 30% extra on your premium when you didnt have a chance to join before you are 30. So they have decided to waive the loading for 12 months for new immigrants. So essentially you have 12 months (either from date of validation or from the date you arrive permanently, no one seems to know, hence this thread ) to take out private health insurance before you have to pay the extra premium.

Medicare is subsidised by the medicare levy which gets taken out of your pay as part of your tax. Also something to consider is that if you are a high wage earner & dont take out private health insurance then you get slugged extra for the medicare levy (I think its 1.5% vs 2.5%).

Hope that makes it clearer (clear as mud I hear you muttering )

alkristensen

clear as manchester rain, thanks again mrs d.

Told you we should just email each other.
Boy these anti depressants marketed as anti smokings are good.

cheers

alk

brisnick

as mrs dagboy says, if you earn more than $58,000 (roughly, i think) then it's better to take out private health, hospital cover only, which is cheaper than paying the 1% of your salary to the medicare surcharge (if you don't have private cover). i was advised of this by my tax consultant when she did last years tax return, and the ato asked me for $541 in unpaid tax!!! :scared: i signed up for private cover not long after!!

also, i agree with macquarie about the eligibility date. i registered for medicare about 3 months after i arrived on my PR visa, and my eligibility date was the date i arrived in oz as a PR, not the date when i registered.

JayDeee

jsut a note on what happened with my medicare as it seems pretty relevent to this thread.

I validated in Aug last year and moved over in October, registered for medicare a month or so later (I get an intereim card valid for 1 year at a time as I am on a spouse temp visa) when my medicare card arrived it is only valid until aug this year, so I was eligible for medicare from validation not the date I moved over.

This might not be the norm but worth checking out as if the OP validates in June then if the rules are the same as they seem to be for me then she will have until June 2006 to get private sorted without paying the loading
Kala

Pootle

Do you know if it is the same for temp visas or permanent? We are on a 457 visa, application in for PR. While we are tmeporary residents, the company provides health cover so doesn't seem worth paying out for another cover. Does the year start from when we entered the country or the day we get our residency?
Ruth

brisnick

the time on a 457 visa doesn't count. it is from when you are eligible for the full medicare cover, i.e. when you become a permanent resident. i was on a 457 before i became PR (and a WHV before that) and mine eligibity was from the date i validated PR visa.

Macquarie

You are eligible for Medicare from day one. A Medicare levy is deducted from your salary (about 1.5% I think as said by someone else). The other funds I mentioned are private health insurance which is advised by most people I know. Having said that, before we joined a private fund, shortly after we arrived my daughter had a problem with her knee and we saw a GP, was referrred to a hospital specialist, had x-rays and MRI scan and it didn't cost a penny (apart from GP's fee) so we had no complaints about the service.

The levy I believe was introduced to persuade the over 30's to join a fund to ease the Governments burdon on the Public Health system. Personally I don't think its a bad idea and cost wise - here we pay 1.5% Medicare and in UK we were paying 10% NI contribution so I figure the extra we pay privately kind of evens it out really.

I'll shut up now - before I prattle on much more.

Julie