Medicare in Oz is the free or subsdised healthcare system run by the big guys don in Canberra. if you’re an Australian Citizen or hold a permanent visa, you automatically fall under the medicare scheme.
Now if you are from o/s then your eligability for medicare is going to depend upon the very officil sounding Recipricol Health Care Ageement.
Australia has sgend a RHCA with the governments of the;
UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Malta, and Italy
Meaning, you as a traveller have limited subsidised acess to healthcare services for ( this is the official bit) ‘ medically necessay’ treatment when visiting Oz.
For more info on ‘Medically Necessary’ check this out
And for the Period of cover check this out
So what do you get with this subsidised cover then.
1.Free treatment as a public-in-patient o outpatient in a public hospital. So if you break your leg, or have a serosu illness and go to the Emergency room of hospital – you are covered.
2. Subsidised medicines under the pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. So you can get your drugs at the chemist for a little less then the norm. Tops.
3. medicre benefits for out-of-hospital medical treatment provided by doctors through private surgeries and community health centres. So if you find a good GP that isn’t at a hospital, you’ll be subsidised for the fees you pay to see your docotor. Ace. No waiting for 5 ours in ER if you’ve only got a cold.
Getting your medicare card.
To get your medicare card and become part of the system all you have to do is take your valid passport and visa to a medicare office in Sydney or anywhere in Oz, fill out soem forms, leave a contact address and wait for your medicare card to come to you in the post.
Your medicare card means you can claim back the subsidied% of cash on any hospital or GP visit. Sweet. Free money. It’s worth doing becasue doctors bills these days are out of contol. $60 for 15minutes!
To find out more about how to claim, what you can claim for an just genrel stuff you should know about the medicare system check out this website.www.medicareaustralia.gov.au
Download an info sheet here and take it with you.
If you are from Ireland or NZ, check out the info on medicare for you, here.
Contact info for medicare; ( once you’re in Oz)
Phone: 132 011
Mail
Medicare
GPO Box 9822
in your capital city
Email:
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Nick Brown, 31. January, 2011 | #