Medicare: The Australian Health Service
MEDICARE is the Australian equivalent of the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK and it was introduced in 1984.
MEDICARE provides a number of services: free treatment to patients in public hospitals; free or subsidised treatment by practitioners such as doctors, specialists, optometrists or dentists. It is funded by contributions made through taxes and levies which are based on taxable earnings.
MEDICARE is available to those people who live in Australia who are either Australian citizens, hold a permanent residence visa, are New Zealand citizens or in some cases where they have applied for a permanent visa.
Private health insurance is also widely used in Australia and there are almost
50 private health funds. As in the UK, private patients have more control
in choosing their doctors and access to hospitals for elective surgery than
those who rely solely on MEDICARE for their treatment. As with any type of
insurance cover, you should always take care when choosing the type of health
cover, as you need to make sure that it suits you and your family’s
needs. If you have family and friends already living in Australia, it is certainly
a good idea to ask them about which fund they have used and why. If you do
decide to obtain private health insurance, it is always a good idea to shop
around. Whilst it is not absolutely essential to take out private health insurance
the cost of it is quite economical by international standards so it may be
more affordable than you think!
Some websites you may find useful:
www.medibankprivate.co.au
www.mbf.com.au
www.hbf.com.au
www.moneymanager.com.au
www.hic.gov.au
www.ozcover.com.au
www.hiaa.com.au
www.hica.com.au
www.health.gov.au
Essential Information |
Permanent Visa Information |
Temporary Visa Information |