RayZor

Hi there,

Can anyone give us a steer on Medicare for arriving on 139 visa...can we get it from day 1 or is there a wait?

If not then can anyone recommend any good private health insurance companies..

Also, what other benefits can be claimed...I understand that there is a 2 year wait for income support or Centrelink etc...but is there anything else that can be claimed...e.g. Child benefit or similar....or is everything held for 2 years...?

Just want to be ahead of the game...

Ray

Mandy&Cliff

Hi, not sure of the exact answers but my In-laws have just arrived from UK on a tourist visa and we went into medicare on Saturday with them and they filled out the forms and the cards will be posted to them, they are here for 3 months, so you would be covered by medicare from day 1. From what I hear child benefit is the only one that you can claim straight away, hope this helps.

fox's2oz

You can get your medicare as soon as you arrive.You can also claim child benefit which also includes a rent allowance if you are renting a property.You can apply at a centrelink , they will give you the forms to fill in and you need to supply passports , visas etc. Can be a bit tricky as they ask about your income and if you haven't got a job already how much you think you'll be earning.We were advised to over estimate our income then at the end of finance year you will get a rebate if you haven't earned as much as pedicted rather than owing them!They will also backdate your child benefit from when you entered Aus.

Little Miss Sunshine

Hi, Can someone tell me is the childbenefit for all as in U.K or is it means tested? We have 3 children and have been here almost 2 years and we havent claimed anything.

Hazel T

its not like the uk as a set payment per child, it goes off how much you earn in oz, we have been here 2 months and just got our payment through, im not working at the mo so we get more and we got it back dated from when we arrived, we aslo get some towards the rent, if i was you either ring center link or call in and ask them for the forms i think its called registering a new born/ child just tell them you have moved to aus and they will give you the correct forms.. you will get something if you both work it might be the basic payment but got to bet better than nothing..

movetoperth

It is means tested, call them to check that it is correct but it is possible if you are both working in well paid jobs that you may not be eligible.

Lynn

ozzieeagle

Child benefit for 2 kids for a 2 income family cuts out totally at 88,000 AUD, after that you are on your own.


That would be hard to take if one also has the Average mortgage of 219,000 AUD.

Im not too sure what the repayments are on the average Mortgage, But if your a dual incomefamily around say 89,000 bucks you would be trying to live on somewhere between 400 to 500 bucks per week after the mortgage was paid. That would be doing it pretty tough I'd say.

I cant work out why the Child benefits cut out at that level.

Yasmina2005

I always thought that medicare and other state benefits should be for permanent residents and Americans. Am i right?

It does not make sense to me that non permanent residents and Americans get these benefits...

ozzieeagle

If they are paying tax here, I dont see a problem, In fact they could well be earning more than average and paying higher tax thus contributing more and subsidising the system.


Wheres abcd, when you want him

How much do foreign workers contribute ABCD ?

movetoperth

Why should Americans be different from everyone else?

Lynn

Paul and Chloe

This link gives you details about the different types of payments available from the family assistance office:

http://www.familyassist.gov.au/inter...ntent/payments

Some are income tested others are not, for example the Part B payments ignore the main income earner and are just based on the income of the lowest earning partner, for example if you have 2 kids aged 2 and 4 and the lowest earning partner had no income then you would get $117 a fortnight in Part B payments.

Cheers

Paul

ianandhelena

if you are here on any temp/visitor visa, the medicare card will be endorsed "Reciprocal health care/immediately necessary care only" i.e. emergencies only, none of the other benefits.

Pollyana

Thats whats puzzling me! Where do the Americans come into it?!

Vash the Stampede

I can recommend HBF.

Where did you get the idea that there's a 2 year waiting list for income support or Centrelink?

The best way to do that is to get a job.

Vash the Stampede

Could be because the Yanks' healthcare system is also called "Medicare"... perhaps the poster is confusing Australia with America?