e457 Visa healthcare advice for Australia needed urgently.

[Lindsayt173]

Hi,
I am currently going through the process of the 457 visa with my husband in a planned relocation to QLD.
I am from the UK, and while not pregnant yet I hope to be soon, from what I have reserached once arriving in Aus I can be be covered with reciprical medicare at little to no cost. Is this correct?
However, the visa states we need to show proof of healthcare cover for Australia (I assume private) before the visa will be processed. I wonder if anyone has been through this process / can advise. I assume we only need this cover till we arrive in Aus / get medicare - any reccomendations / advice I've be really greatful for. Every company I find seems to be charging a small fortune.
I have also recently been diagnosed with PCOS and do not want to stop the process of trying to concieve, does anyone know if I will be covered for a gynaecologyst through the public healthcare with Medicare?
I'd really appreciate some help, Lindsay

Medicare is not free. You pay for all healthcare in Aus but get a percentage back. For instance a GP appointment may be $60 but you then claim through medicare and you will get approximately $33 back.

Private is a good way to go. I'd particularly look at dental cover to be included as going to the dentist will make your eyes water with the costs involved.

Thanks for responding. Is there a company you reccomend?

This is a really complicated issue, and unfortunately it is impossible to give a simple yes/no answer you want.

Reciprocal medicare, available to those registered with the NHS is not full medicare, it is only emergency medical coverage. The accepted definition of "emergency" is pretty wide, but I suspect that fertility treatment may not be covered. Unfortunately the definition of emergency care in the context of reciprocal health coverage has never truly been pinpointed and written down

There are several separate questions you need to get the answer to to help untangle this issue

1. Can you get fertility treatment as part of reciprocal medicare? You will need to speak to health professionals in Australia to answer this question.

2. Where can you find the full range of private health policies available? Yay, an easy question www.privatehealth.gov.au/ is the portal to all info on private health insurance. It even has a section on 457 applicants with access to reciprocal medicare.

I don't get that short term private cover costs a small fortune. Monthly premiums for a couple looking for medium cover living in Victoria paying an excess of $500 are only about $150 per month. You only need to have this insurance in place as long as it takes from applying for the visa to arriving in Australia and enrolling on medicare, 2-3 months at most, so $450, about £220. If you consider that £220 is a small fortune, then you have seriously underestimated the cost of moving overseas.

We use AHM. All done online including claims. You just need to post your receipt confirming you paid the practitioner to them.

and if it is any help, during the time we lived in Australia and we intend going back and visit all the time, I still don't understand Medicare!