Getting hold of medication in Australia

[Mermaid36]

It's looking likely that we'll spend quite a bit of next year in Australia due to DH's work (live in the UK currently).
We have 2 young DC's, one of whom has some ongoing health issues due to prematurity. Her condition is pretty much well controlled, but she is on quite a few medications.
Obviously I can take a few months worth of medication with us, but what happens when she needs repeat prescriptions? How does healthcare work in Australia?

[OccamsRaiser]

Australia has Medicare, which is kind of the equivalent to the NHS (i.e. centralised government department)

Depending on whether you are living here (or just 'spending some time in Australia') and what visa you are on, you may be eligible to register for medicare (the UK has a reciprocal healthcare agreement) Have a look here for some information and answer the questions to assess.

If they issue you with a medicare card, you will be able to visit a GP for free if they bulk bill (some do, some don't - you can ring up and ask them) or for a small(ish) fee if the doctor's fees exceed the scheduled fee that medicare will cover. If you are not eligible, you will have to pay the full fee (bearing in mind that it's likely to be in the under-$100 area)

You don't need to 'register' with a GP like you do in the UK (medical records are uploaded into a central databank that is accessible by doctors in different facilities), but it can be useful to do so if you are likely to have ongoing care requirements.

Once issued with a presciption, you are then able to access the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) [[https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/pharmaceutical-benefits-scheme here]

Hope this provides a bit of a steer, let me know if any of it doesn't make sense?

[SisterMortificado]

To add on to what OccamsRaiser said, if you're issued with a Medicare card, there's this thing called The Gap.
Basically, say a full price Dr's appointment costs $80. Depending on what the appointment was for, Medicare will cover, say, $50.
You use your bank card to pay the $80, then put it right back in the machine to be credited the $50. The remaining $30 is called The Gap.

You'll sometimes see ads for specsavers and such with lines like "NO GAP WITH XYZ HEALTH INSURANCE." It's the same deal- The Gap is what's not covered.

Some surgeries bulk bill children as a matter of course. Some don't.

Hopefully that's somewhat helpful

[CommanderDaisy]

Evrything the above posters said, and definitely try to find a consistent GP if you will be largely based in a particular area.
Though you don't have to register as such, some doctors have their "books closed" which means they will not take any additional patients.
Depending on the area you will be in, there can be issues finding a GP in the first place - thought the cities are better than any regional area.

Bring copies of her medical records if you can, or a letter from your current doctor describing her condition , needs etc, so you don't have to explain yourself from scratch, and I would visit the GP you find before you need prescriptions refilled, to establish a relationship.

[MaitlandGirl]

Id suggest you also check on the pbs listings to make sure her medications are available in Australia. Not all are or have issuing restrictions so that might be something her UK Drs need to know so they can change them if needs be.

[blahblahblah2000]

www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa/Visa/Medicare

I believe you need to be a permanent resident to access Medicare, see link above

[Ohthepressure]

If you have a temporary visa and are a UK national then you are entitled to Medicare under the Reciprocal Health Agreement. But that sometimes excludes elective care. If your DH is moving through work then will they be paying for private health insurance for you to cover major illnesses and potential repatriation for treatment? Make sure that covers preexisting conditions.

[Mermaid36]

Thanks!
We'll probably be out there for around 7-10 months, based in one major city.
Health insurance is covered by DH's work, though our DC will have a separate specialist policy for her condition.
I'll have a read of all the links, thanks very much