If you have PR visa, do apply for your Medicare online as soon as possible. Processing takes like a month and when you have reached OZ, your young kids need to get a health check on their immunisation status to enter school. Per consultation visit is about $38. With the Medicare card, it waive off your consultation fees. Melbourne is well-known to be the country who has the most number of people who gets allergies. Hayfever, colds, asthma...so please be aware. Invest in air purifier as it helps to prevent your family members from getting the sniffles which can lead to breathing difficulties.
Back to Medicare, sure it does offset both clinic and hospital fees but ever since Covid happened, there seems to be a growing number of clinics who will charge you a mixed billing. Bulk billing is where you won't need to pay a single cent. Mixed billing is where you need to pay some cash and most of the GP clinics charge the gap fee of $20.
The private insurance here is slightly different from Singapore. We bought insurance ambulance and I am still shopping for dental and eyecare insurance. I was told the waiting queue to see a specialist in the public hospital can be a long wait (free mah!) so some of my friends here bought additional insurance to see doctors in private hospitals.
Oh yes if you have a work visa and your company does not provide coverage, PLEASE GO AND BUY HEALTH & HOSPITAL INSURANCE. Do remember to go to the clinic that your insurance company is tied to. Else you cannot claim and you ended up paying about $76 per visit.
Tip: Find a GP that is next to a pharmacy (example Chemist). Saves you alot of time for traveling. FYI, you need to get prescription from the GP doctor and then walk/drive to pharmacy to get your medication. Subsidised medication so its not free.
There are online pharmacies but I wouldn't want to wait 4 hours for them to deliver my medication.
Add comment
Comments