Aussielover

I appreciate that Medicare has been widely covered on the forum, but I'm struggling to understand what to do in my own case; if I give a practical situation could someone please advise?

I'm emigrating to Adelaide in three weeks on a Permanent Spouse (100) Visa. I'm a male, 50, in good health but taking a Beta-blocker called Atenolol 25mg once a day for an irregular heartbeat - which I'll probably need to take for life. I'm initially retiring out to Australia so will have no 'income' or employer as such, but living on savings coming over from the UK.

The NHS has been good to me in providing 'free' medicine here in Scotland, but of course I'm prepared to find my own doctor and pay privately; I'm just struggling to understand if any help would be available given my circumstances...

I have about 4 months supply of Atenolol to take with me initially, but I'll quickly need to establish a supply as without it daily I quickly become easily tired. What would you recommend I do in the first weeks following arrival?

Thanks for any advice.

Grayling

If you are entitled to Medicare then you simply make an appointment and go and see a doctor....you can see any GP and do not really register with anyone in particular....most people usually stick with the one practice but it is not compulsory.

Some will charge you (part of fee recoverable fom Medicare)....some will 'bulk bill' which mean's they do not charge you but recover their fee direct from Medicare.

You will have to pay for your prescription regardless of which GP you see.

Atenolol will only be a few dollars a month so no big deal.

PS: private insurance usually only covers hospital admissions. Consultant/Specialist referrals usually means you pay a fee unless you are prepared to wait for a public appointment
Ditto Physio, dietician etc. etc.

Dental care is private and you have to pay although some insurance policies will cover part of the cost.

Aussielover

Thanks for the reply Grayling...

So anyone, have I got this right?

When I arrive I need to apply for Medicare - but I'll have to wait a few weeks until I have a permanent address before they'll process me? (We'll be living in an Aparthotel for the first 4-6 weeks whilst we look for a long term let). I'll then be able to do an Application online, or is it better going into the Medicare office?

Once I have a Medicare card I can then go to a GP of my choice with my UK medical records and explain my need for Atenolol; I'll then probably pay for 25% of the consultancy fee, and all of the prescription charge?

Also, what would happen if I had a medical emergency between arrival and registering for Medicare - Heaven forbid, but it's worth knowing!

spouse of scouse

Australia has a Reciprocal Health Agreement with the UK, you'll be covered for any medical emergency from the time you land.

Dorothy

You do not have to wait for your permanent address. We applied using the address of our holiday rental.

carcajou

If I remember in our case, we were just told to save the receipts during processing and they would reimburse us in full after.

You should just be able to use your ApartHotel address to register and then change it when you move into long-term/permanent accommodation.

When you are looking for a doctor be sure to ask them about payment arrangements. As Greyling said private insurance usually is just for hospital admissions. My doctor is private, I am billed 100% at time of visit but then Medicare reimburses us 50%. Medicare's reimbursement happens electronically via direct deposit, usually that night (that is new, they used to send a paper cheque). There is another doctor in town that does bulk billing and using him patients pay zero.

Also - ambulance service is not covered by Medicare and that can be hugely expensive. You will need to purchase private ambulance cover. That is usually less than $100 per year. Most private insurance companies offer it. I consider it essential - in the city an ambulance charge can run several hundred Dollars; I live in the country and don't want to get stuck with a RFDS bill . . .

spouse of scouse

Depending on which private health provider you go for, and what level of cover, you can get cover for a wide range of ancillary health services, including physio, podiatry, psychology, and things like sleep apnoea machines. My PHP paid for one pair of specs per year. Dental cover is also offered, great for scale/clean/checkups and fillings. Most PHPs will automatically cover ambulance.

Pollyana

You can sign up for medicare straightaway with any address.

Don't worry about your UK medical records, most people don't bring them and they aren't used here like they are at home. You just go to any doctor you choose, and they don't have any details of your medical history unless you choose to tell them!

Aussielover

That's great news that we don't have to use a permanent address to apply for Medicare; is it best to go into a Medicare office, or apply online? - I don't know exactly what documentation we'll have initially re. Australia proof, probably a Commonwealth Bank statement/proof of UK house sale, which was my initial concern.

Should arranging private health care within the first week or so be one of our No.1 priorities? I've read about the cost of Ambulances - it seems strange coming from the UK to think about this, but we'll try to make sure we're covered for this and as many other services as makes financial sense.

I think we have a month's worth of Travel Insurance with our Bank Account, but not pre-existing conditions; that's a tough one, as although I have a heart murmur, I don't have any 'condition' as such - I've never been sure if I'd actually be covered in the event of heart attacks etc. or if they'd use that as a get-out clause...

We've actually already obtained copies of our medical records (£50 from our GP...) - it makes for strange but fascinating reading!

Pollyana

Ambulance cover varies by State - in Queensland its incorporated into the electric bill,no need for insurance

carcajou

Yes Pollyanna is correct you have to check by state. I live in Western Australia and it is not included.

If it's not included where you live, I would say ambulance cover is a top priority, as you never know when you need that.

For private health cover, you are covered by Medicare and new migrants get a one-year grace period before the loading kicks in. So that doesn't need to be sorted right away though the sooner the better.

spouse of scouse

Please note that private health cover isn't mandatory. Plenty of people get by without it. The biggest difference is private cover means you'll get into hospital quicker in the case of elective surgery, you can choose to be treated in a private hospital, and you choose your own specialist (consultant). You can also elect to be covered for allied health services, as I mentioned above.

Aussielover

That explains something Carcajou/Polyanna; I've often visited Queensland, and whilst our friends there grumbled about Healthcare and Costs, I never heard anyone mention Ambulance charges - I suppose because it just didn't affect them 'directly' like in other States.

Anyway, based on your responses I think we can leave it a month or two before we look into Private Healthcare now that it doesn't seem quite so critical - and maybe even ask around about how well people manage without it (thanks for that, Spouse Of Scouse...).

We'll have to make doubly sure that we don't get stung, bitten or otherwise savaged by the wildlife - at least until we get ourselves well-covered though!

Pollyana

If the wildlife attacks you,Medicare will deal with it just as effectively as any pivate fund

ianandhelena

Atenolol 25mg in my local chemist costs $5.30/30 tabs.