byronj

I and my wife will be relocating to Melbourne on a 457 in Jan 09 however as we were going through the process we discovered she is pregnant with our first child

We told the immigration authorities and were awarded our visa's however the medicare health system to me seems a bit of a mind field.

Is anyone aware what maternity cover we are entitled to (and does this include pre and after birth care and check ups) as I know there is an agreement with the UK Gov re healthcare but I'm not really clear on what this covers and what it does not !

From doing some research it appears private health companies will not cover us as she is already pregnant upon arrival in oz

As clear as mud so far...... hope someone can help?

Petals

I do not know about your visa and what it entitles you to but I do know that many many people have no health insurance in Australia and it will grow soon and we get very good care. Our family gave it up 20 years ago as it was a drain on resources at the time and we have never taken insurance out again.

My daughter has a lot to do with the hospital system and she is fine and looked after very very well.

As people can tell you stories of not having health insurance I know horror stories of people who had it so you have to take as you find.

Everyone has a story to tell.

Pipers Mummy

We came over on a 457 Visa when I was 20 weeks pregnant. I didn't have a clue what to do......so I booked a long appointment with a local GP who told me everything I needed to know about being pregnant and medicare. You are correct in thinking that you will not be able to get pregnancy related cover as your wife is already pregnant. However, you can pay - the private hospitals will give you a tour and give you an approximate price. You can also go the Public health system - this too gives you various options depending on the local hospital - for example, ours in Melbourne allowed me to pay to see a GP for all of my antenatal appointments and that Doctor also delivered my Daughter. Or you can simply attend all of your antenatal appointments at the hospital and see the on duty Dr's and then a Dr on duty will deliver bub. I think they also had midwife care, however that was only for antenatal appointments - they are with you all the time during labor but here a Dr is supposed to deliver bub.... (in hospital). Even in the public system we did have to pay for all of our scan's - I think we might have got a bit back from Medicare but not much. So, long story short. Get a GP (you can choose any you like) and have a chat. Decide if you are prepared to foot the bill for private care and if you are not go with the public system. Information on birthing facilities can be found on various websites including 'bubhub' that may help you. After care I found to be a bit basic. I got one visit from a midwife and then I had to go to the local health clinic after that for help. The local health centre though does organise Mum's groups - they get a group of new mum's together and run weekly sessions which are quite good for meeting others and sharing worries/triumphs etc. Being on a 457 visa you will not be entitled to automatic Australian Citizenship for baby, nor will you receive baby bonus and child care benefits.......
Good luck.

byronj

thanks very much really useful and very helpful !

ABCDiamond

Medical: 457 & Visitors Visa's

Maternity Services for Short Stay Visitor (ie: under 9 months)

• Routine antenatal care is covered
• Confinements are not covered unless
• Emergencies or complications arise (eg: premature births)
• Special cases (eg: where a patient’s visit to Australia is primarily for her, or her partner’s work, and the patient has no choice other than to have the baby in Australia)

Maternity Services for Long Stay Visitor (ie: over 9 months)

• Confinements and antenatal care are covered, including routine ultrasound Tests such as chromosome sampling where medically indicated (eg: where the mother is in an at risk age group or there is a family history of deformities)

dpande

So in summary- no insurance needed if a bulk billing GP (free) refers you to a (free) public hospital for all care on a 457.

byronj

Thanks to everyone for your help - really useful