· have applied for a permanent visa (not a parent visa though)
Visitors to Australia
Residents of countries that have reciprocal health care agreements with the Australian government are entitled to restricted access to health cover while visiting Australia.
Visitors from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Malta and Italy
Overview
The Australian Government has signed Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCA) with the governments of the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Malta and Italy which entitles citizens of these countries in Australia to access limited subsidised health services for medically necessary treatment while visiting Australia. Medically necessary treatment means any ill-health or injury which occurs while you are in Australia and requires treatment before you return home.
Period of Cover
If you are a resident of the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Norway or the Netherlands you are covered for the duration of your approved visit to Australia.
Visitors from Malta and Italy must be residents and citizens of those countries, and will be covered by Medicare for a period of 6 months from the date of arrival in Australia.
Access to Cover
Reciprocal health care agreements cover treatment that is medically necessary.
Students
If you are visiting Australia on a student visa you are covered by Medicare. It is also a condition of your visa that you take out Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
However, students from Norway are excluded from accessing health services under the terms of the RHCA with that country.
Your Entitlements
As a resident of one of these countries you are entitled to the following for any ill-health or injury requiring treatment while in Australia:
· free treatment as a public in-patient or outpatient in a public hospital
· subsidised medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
· Medicare benefits for out-of-hospital medical treatment provided by doctors through private surgeries and community health centres.
Enrolling in Medicare
If you will be receiving treatment you can enrol at Medicare offices throughout Australia. If you receive treatment before you enrol, Medicare benefits will be back paid for eligible visitors.
To enrol in Medicare you will need:
· your passport with a valid visa
· to provide, in some cases, identification showing you are enrolled in your country’s national health scheme.
If your application to enrol in Medicare is approved, you will receive an Australian reciprocal health care card in the mail.
Treatment Outside of a Hospital
You can receive medical treatment through private doctors’ surgeries and community health centres. Doctors at these practices charge for their services in one of the following ways:
The Doctor bills Medicare Directly
You will be asked to show your reciprocal health care card and sign a completed Medicare bulk bill form after seeing the doctor. You will not need to pay anything and will not need to make a claim from Medicare. Please note that not all Australian doctors in private practice bulk bill.
Treatment outside of a Hospital
The Doctor Gives You a Bill
Doctors who do not bulk bill will require you to pay the amount at the time of consultation. In this case you can pay the full bill on the spot or lodge the unpaid bill with Medicare.
To pay the full bill on the spot you can:
· claim back your benefit in person at a Medicare office
· send a completed Medicare claim form, the original doctor’s bill and your receipt for the full amount of the bill to Medicare (GPO Box 9822 in your capital city). Medicare will post a cheque to your last registered address made payable to you to cover Medicare’s portion of the bill
· have your claim processed electronically from your doctor’s practice and have your benefit paid directly into your bank or credit union account by electronic funds transfer, where available.
To lodge your unpaid bill you need to:
· take the unpaid bill together with a completed claim form to a Medicare office, or send it to Medicare by mail to the address shown below. Medicare will send a cheque to your address made payable to the doctor.
· you will be required to take the cheque to your doctor and pay the difference between the Medicare benefit and the total fee charged by the doctor.
Hospital Treatment
If you are treated as a public patient in a public hospital for medically necessary treatment, the treatment is free. Simply show your passport or reciprocal health care card to staff when you arrive at the hospital.
If you elect to be treated as a private patient in a public hospital or as a private patient in a private hospital for medically necessary treatment, you will be charged for both medical treatment and accommodation. These fees cannot be claimed from Medicare.
Medical Services Not Covered by Medicare
Medicare will not cover:
· medicines not subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
· dental work and allied health services
· treatment arranged before your visit to Australia
· accommodation and medical treatment in a private hospital
· accommodation and medical treatment as a private patient in a public hospital
Visitors from the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand
Overview
The Australian Government has signed Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with the governments of the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand which entitles you to limited subsidised health services for medically necessary treatment while visiting Australia.
Period of Cover
As a resident of the Republic of Ireland or New Zealand you are covered for the duration of your approved visit to Australia.
Access to Cover
Reciprocal health care agreements cover treatment that is medically necessary. Medically necessary treatment means any ill-health or injury which occurs while you are in Australia and which requires treatment before you return home.
Students
If you are visiting Australia on a student visa you are covered by the agreements. It is also a condition of your visa to take out Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
Your Entitlements
As a resident of the Republic of Ireland or New Zealand you are entitled to free treatment as a public in-patient or outpatient at a public hospital and access to subsidised medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme during your visit to Australia. This covers any ill health or injury needing medical treatment while in Australia. To access these benefits you should show your passport at hospitals or pharmacies. You are not entitled to Medicare benefits for non-hospital medical care and you will not be issued with a Medicare card.
Medical Services Not Covered by Medicare
Medicare will not cover:
· medicines not subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
· dental work and allied health services
· treatment arranged before your visit to Australia
· accommodation and medical treatment in a private hospital
· accommodation and medical treatment as a private patient in a public hospital.
Travelling to Australia, Medicine for Personal use and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
If you are travelling to Australia, either to visit or to stay, you might need to make arrangements for ongoing access to necessary medicine. If you are planning to bring medicine with you, you will need to check regulations regarding bringing medicine into Australia. If you need to obtain prescription medicine while you are here, the prescription must be written by a doctor in Australia.
For More Information
Contact Details
Phone: 132 011
All TTY (Telephone Type Writer) enquiries: 1800 552 152 (free call)
or
Translating/Interpreting Service: 131 450 (local call rate)
Mail
Medicare
GPO Box 9822
in your capital city
Email: medicare@medicareaustralia.gov.au
Information sheets
For more information on travelling overseas:
Information sheet – healthcare for visitors from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Malta and Italy [PDF, 172Kb]