I’ve
been quite sick past few days with a really bad cough & cold so it’s been a
while since my last post. Only just starting to recover now and what better way
to stimulate the brain cells than by – writing a new blog post!
And
suitably, today’s topic is about medical bills and what financial coverage is
available to you – other than cold hard cash of course! Medical bills can be exorbitantly
high in Australia ranging from $50 for a GP consultation to many tens of thousands
for major cases like premature births.
So
to prevent yourself from being bankrupted by medical bills, these are the 2
core components of the Australian Health System – Medicare
and Private
Health Insurance …
- Medicare
- This is the government run, publicly funded (i.e. FREE) medical social welfare system.
- This is available to all citizens and permanent residents (PR). Sorry, but temporary student and working visas need not apply!
- When you get to Australia, you can step into any Medicare office and apply for a card.
- Once enrolled, medical bills (exclusions apply like medicines) are theoretically free!
- There is a catch of course and that is it is only totally free at public hospitals and certain (bulk billing) GPs.
- You can still go with your own GP but you will need to top-up any excess from the Medicare limit with your own money.
- Admittedly, the service and quality of free care is nowhere near what is offered with private services which are a lot of pricier. Which brings us to the next option ...
- Private Health Insurance
- Firstly, Private Health Insurance is meant to complement and not replace Medicare
- You basically pay for additional coverage on top of what Medicare provides which is very limited
- If you are on a temporary student or working visa, this is the only option available
- If you can afford the additional, I would definitely recommend taking up this option as well even if you are eligible for Medicare
- You don’t need to pay the 1% Medicare Surcharge Tax if you have a private health insurance plan
- There is a multitude of various combinations of private health insurance packages that can range from $15 to $55 per week
- But most people choose a Hospital + Extras cover that
- Allow them a higher level of care at public hospitals (e.g. private rooms)
- Cover for stays at private (i.e. posh!) hospitals
- Items not covered by Medicare like dental, glasses/contact lenses, ambulance services, acupuncture, hearing aids, etc.
- Some higher end packages even include rebates for gym memberships and exercise equipment!
