If you are moving to Australia, organising your health care is of major importance and one of the first things to organise on arrival, is to register your family with the local Doctor. Then you should register yourself and every member of your family over 14 years of age, with the Australian National Health Subsidy Scheme called Medicare.
Medicare works in a similar way to the UK’s national health service. It is subsidised through taxes and the taxation levy is means tested, so the more you earn, the more you pay. Medicare subsidises services and the cost of any prescription medicines bought from pharmacies across Australia and it also provides free treatment in public hospitals. Medicare provides free or subsidised payments to health professionals for specific services, the aim of the scheme being to provide affordable and accessible treatment to every Australian resident.
To avail yourself of this treatment, you must already be living in Australia and have an Australian bank account. You need to fill out the Medicare enrolment application form which can be downloaded from the Medicare Australia website.
Private Health Insurance in Australia
Aside from this public health scheme there are also countless private health schemes available and since the medical care provided by the state is limited, many people choose to take out the own private healthcare insurance as well.
Private health insurance is available for all Australian residents. As a private medical patient you have more control over who treats you, where you are treated and, in some cases, how quickly you are treated, though this tends to apply to elective surgeries only. Another advantage of private health insurance is that you can get cover for some of the things that Medicare wont cover, things like ambulance services, dental work, optical items and physiotherapy. As an incentive to people, to take out private health insurance, the Australian Government pays around 30% of the premium.
The Government is also offering an early start bonus to anyone taking out and sticking with a private health plan, prior to their 31st birthday. Known as the lifetime health cover plan, it rewards these forward thinkers with lower premiums.
Pregnancy and Childbirth
Like the other developed countries, the Australian population is ageing. Life expectancy is increasing and the birth-rate is falling as people leave it later in life to have children. People are also having less children than they used to.. These trends lead inexorably to an older population with fewer youngsters with fewer skills. For this reason, the Australian Government is encouraging the migration of young, skilled professionals, especially from English speaking nations.
Health Tests for Those Entering Australia
Prior to them being allowed entry into Australia, some hopeful émigrés must undergo health tests. This applies especially to those looking to go to school in Australia, as well as to those that have HIV or hepatitis B or C. It also applies If you are looking to stay in Australia for more than 3 months or, if you’ve recently come from a country where the occupants are at high risk of contracting TB. You may also be tested if you are a parent sponsored migration applicant and you intend to stay for more than 6 months, if you are 70 years of age or older and if you have an existing medical condition that is likely to require you to visit a hospital or other healthcare site.
About Moving Partnership
At Moving Partnership we provide international removals to Australia at the most competitive rates. Our extensive knowledge of the industry and our partnerships with other removals companies worldwide, allow us to offer customers greatly reduced prices on their overseas removals, whilst still maintaining the highest standards. Whether you are moving from the UK to Australia, from Australia to the UK or between most other European or international destinations, we can help cut the cost of your move.
We will compare a range of removals to Australia quotes free of charge and will find you the most suited removals deal, for your situation. The majority of the removal firms we partner with are members of the British Association of Removers (BAR) or FAIM accredited ensuring a high quality, reliable removals service.
International Removals to Australia - contact us today to discuss your move or click here for a free removals quote .
