wannabees

anyone know what type of travel insurance we can get when we emigrate that will cover us for travel and to cover us till we obtain medicare. gettin desperate for reply thankyou

Pollyana

If you are eligible for Medicare then it kicks in on the day you arrive, even if you don't register for a few weeks, If you have to pay for any treatment you can claim it back.

All you need to get is travel insurance, for the trip itself, unless you are coming on a 457 in which case you need sufficient medical cover to show DIAC. There are companies that specialise in this service, you can take out policies with them and then cancel them once you arrive.
http://www.austhealth.com/ is an example.

Cosmo Knott

Precisely as Pollyanna says....please make sure you do get adequate travel insurance. We were taken ill on our stopover in SIN when we emigrated. 2 of us ended up in hospital and had to delay our onward trip. Even then the hospital wanted our credit card as guarantee and would not let us leave hospital before the insurance company paid the bill.

Safe trip

astera

Are they quite big in Australia to the point where they give you a card and every hospital will then settle all arrangements directly with them? Or would you still have to pay and then manually claim back your medical expenses?

I was thinking about something to cover a few more months here in Singapore and the first few months in Australia and Bupa came to mind as the obvious choice because of how widely-recognised it is.

wannabees

thanks for replies,so do we qualify for medicare on arrival as we will then be permanent residents? thanks

h2oskineil

Don't confuse Medicare with the NHS.
You will still pay to see a doctor unless they 'Bulk Bill'. I still don't understand the crazy system here, thankfully I'm rarely ill!

A doctor will charge 'x' amount to see a patient, a portion of which is covered by medicare, the other portion you will have to pay.
Some doctors make you pay the entire amount (depending on their surgery/time of day/ the way the wind is blowing) and you claim the Medicare portion back yourself, by visiting a Medicare office.

The system is getting better and the Medicare amount can mostly be received back in the surgery by direct transfer to your account, after you have paid the doctors fee.

Most doctors will recommend x-rays, blood tests or other scans depending on your illness.... all of these services will need to be paid for.

If you need an ambulance, I understand the cost of a trip in one is around $800.00. You can get a basic ambulance cover as part of Private Health Insurance to cover this.

Here's some web site to look at that might help.

http://www.humanservices.gov.au/cust...tomers-website

http://www.hbf.com.au/

http://www.iselect.com.au/

One other thing, check your travel insurance does not end when you arrive at customs. I remember this being an issue with some policies, as you are no longer a traveller once you get your passport stamped.

You need a policy that will cover you the other side of customs, until you can arrange your own personal insurance. The one we had (can't remember which one it was) covered s for 2 weeks in Australia.

Just remembered... here it is http://www.go-walkabout.co.uk/emigrating.php

Dreamy

I edited the above - I've never been charged for any blood tests/scans/x-rays requested by my doctor (who doesn't bulk bill)

Pollyana

No idea!
All I know about them is that if you are arriving on a 457 you can take out a policy with them to cover your trip and arrival, DIAC accept it as decent cover, then once you are here you can cancel if covered by Medicare.They did base the start date of the policy on the date of leaving for Aus, with a job starting 7 days later.
Beyond that I know nothing about them or any other private insurance.

Pollyana

Yes

Pollyana

Ambulance cover varies from State to State. In Queensland you don't pay for it (at present)

Peterr

Hi guys,

I am looking for good travel insurance in UK that will cover dentist services. Could you recommend any good one ?

astera

Are there any big health insurers in Oz that give you a card so that you never have to pay (and they go through the hassle of reimbursements) but instead all financial matters are handled directly between the hospital and the insurer?