windy1

We have CP visas and will visit Aus soon for about 6 wks. That will validate the PR visa. Our final move is some months away depending on house sale etc.

When you are in Aus as a visitor, you get emergency medical treatment via Medicare because UK-Aus have reciprocal heath arrangements

When in Aus as permanent residents, we would take out Private health Plans. (I am aware of the 12mth limit to avoid LHC loading)

In the meantime, would we still be entitled to get emergency cover for our short visit, or would we be denied that because we would not be "visitors " anymore?

Not logical but a possible bureaucratic trap?

HelenTD

Could you not just take out travel insurance to cover your trip, from departing the UK to returning home?

yanH

You could either carry on with the reciprocal UK/AUS health cover or as a permanent resident register for Medicare. Either way you are more than covered for an emergency situation.

edmontron

An annoying thing happened to us regarding medicare. We arrived on a 457 temporary visa and were not entitled to Medicare. Then we applied for PR and could join Medicare whilst still being in Aus on the 457. Great I thought, saves on the compulsory expensive private health insurance. Then we got PR back in Dec 09 and we left and re-entered Aus in Jan 10 as PR. I thought we then had a year to think about taking out a supplementary private health insurance and started to worry about it in December 10. To my surprise, I was told the year had gone, that the clock for the one year had started ticking, not when we entered Aus as PR in Jan 10 but when we joined Medicare on the 457 as PR applicants! Very frustrating, as otherwise your arrival date is what matters for instance you still have to wait 2 years after your re-entry date to be able to claim unemployment support even though you've been in the country as tax payers for more than 2 years.

Dorothy

When you get here you simply go to the Medicare office and get yourselves registered. Then you don't need to worry about reciprocal health agreements. You, as PR visa holders, are eligible for Medicare, so I don't know why you wouldn't apply for it.

paulry

Something similar to that happened to us too. Even though the first time we had any contact with Medicare was after arrival to take up residence in late November the 12 month clock begain ticking for us when we validated our visas last April.

windy1

The start of that 12 mth clock to avoid LHC laoding is an important issue but it is not clear to me when it starts.

If you read Form 994i Para 3, in Para 3 it states that private hospital cover must be taken out "within 12 months from the day they are registered as eligible for Medicare."

But later in the same para it states..... "If you choose to wait more than 12 months after you are registered for Medicare, then you will be required to pay a LHC loading."

So there seems to be a difference between "registered as eligible" and
actually "registered"

So is that the date of your PR visa letter or the date of your first entry to validate that visa?

Lois1

Sorry to be so naive but could someone please explain what LHC is, and what is involved, benefits, implications etc.

Thanks in advance

paulry

Thats a good question and I think in the end the decision rests with the Medicare official facing you on the day that you register. In our case she initially wanted to put it down as the date we were granted PR which was Oct '09. Only when we diplomatically protested did she agree to make it April '10 - the date that we validated.

paulry

It's easier to direct you to the informastion Look here on page 4 under the section "Private Health Insurance". All the info is there.

Bermudashorts

It should be from the date you became resident. No way is it from the date of visa grant. They don't know their own rules.

paulry

A bit puzzling I know and it's something that I'm noticing time and again over here: Constant re-evaluation of the rules. But they seem to want to make the correct decision.

Rambi

I can't see any difference.

You are registered as eligible on the date you validate your visa (i.e. you are [actually] registered to be eligible for Medicare on this date).

Wol

You are well informed about the over-30 loading. As regards the 12 month period, I wrote to the federal government about when this was from and received a reply that didn't answer the question (no surprise, I suppose) but showed that they hadn't even thought about the definition. (This *was* several years ago.)

I would take your validation date as the one to be on the safe side, although when you enter permanently can be argued. I think it just depends on who you have to argue with on the day!

My understanding is that your validation entry entitles you to join Medicare and be covered. We certainly made that one of the tasks, like getting driving licences, during a brief validation trip.

hoofie2002

Get Travel Insurance - one thing you would not be covered for is repatriation etc ; say you break your leg or ankle and need more leg room on the way back to uk or god forbid something more serious happens - the government will not pay for it.

You may get EMERGENCY treatment but that won't cover you for medications etc.