VisaExpertsThe Australian Health Care System

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The Australian Health Care System
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Best Australian Health System

• Australias health system is best in the world,
  providing safe and reasonable health care for all
  Australians. It is jointly run by all levels of
  Australian government federal, state and
  territory, and local.
• It provides excellence, safe and inexpensive
  health care for you and your family. Its a key
  reason why they enjoy one of the longest life
  expectancies in the world.

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Australia Health Care Providers

• There are many providers of health care in
  Australia, including
• primary care services delivered by general
  practitioners (GPs)
• medical specialists
• allied health workers
• nurses
• Medicare and the public hospital system provide
  free or low-cost access for all Australians to
  most of these health care services.

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Foundation of Health System

• Medicare the foundation of Australias health
  system
• Medicare has been Australias universal health
  care scheme since 1984. It helps Australians with
  the cost of their health care. Australians make
  more than 150 million visits to a GP every year.
• Medicare- public health insurance system- helps
  pay for these visits. Its 3 major parts are
• medical services
• public hospitals
• medicines

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Medicare for Australian Citizens

• Medicare is available to Australian Citizens,
  Permanent Residents in Australia
• It also covers some or all of the costs of other
  health services.
• They can also include physiotherapy, community
  nurses and basic dental services for children

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Free Health Care Services

• If you have a Medicare card, you can access a
  range of health care services for free or at a
  lower cost, including
• medical services by doctors, specialists and
  other health professionals
• hospital treatment
• prescription medicine
• The other important part of Medicare is the
  Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). The PBS
  makes some prescription medicines cheaper as
  Australians get medicines at a subsidized rates.

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Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

• The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
• The PBS helps make medicines cheaper.
• Without the PBS, medicines would be more
  expensive.
• You only pay some of the cost of most PBS
  medicines if you are enrolled in Medicare. The
  Australian Government pays the rest.

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How Medicare Works

• When you enroll in Medicare, they pay some or all
  of the costs of your necessary health care.
• Keep in mind, Medicare doesnt pay for all
  medical services.
• If your doctor bulk bills, Medicare pays the cost
  directly to the doctor. This means you wont have
  to pay anything. (Not all health professionals do
  bulk bill).
• They also help to make some medicines more
  affordable for you through the Pharmaceutical
  Benefits Scheme.

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Australia Medicare Duties

• Medicare Levy
• The Australian government pays for Medicare
  through the Medicare levy. Working Australians
  pay the Medicare duty as part of their income
  tax.
• Medicare is partially funded by an income tax
  surcharge - all Australian taxpayers earning over
  a certain threshold pay a Medicare levy
  (currently 2 per cent of their taxable income or
  2.5 per cent for those on high incomes who dont
  have private health insurance.
• The Medicare duty is collected from you in the
  same way as income tax. Generally, the pay as you
  go amount your employer withholds from your
  salary or wages includes an amount to cover the
  Medicare charge.

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Medicare Enrollment under PR

• Documents to enroll in Medicare if you're a
  Permanent Resident
• You can enroll in Medicare if you have a
  Australia Permanent Resident Visa. Youll need to
  give both
• A current passport or Immi card
• Proof of permanent residency from the Department
  of Home Affairs.
• They need these for each person you want to
  enroll.
• Documents must be original or certified copies. A
  certified cop is a document an authorized witness
  has signed as a correct copy.
• Youll need to complete a Medicare enrolment form
  and submit it with your documents at a service
  centre.
• Medicare cards are allotted to people registered
  in Medicare.

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Usage of Medicare Card

• When to use the Medicare Card
• You use your Medicare card when
• making a Medicare claim for a paid or unpaid
  doctor's account
• visiting a doctor who bulk bills
• receiving treatment as a public patient in a
  public hospital
• filling a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
  prescription at a pharmacy

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Medicare Reimbursement

• Medicare usually Pays
• the full schedule fee for general practitioner
  services
• 85 of the schedule fee for a specialist
• 75 of the schedule fee for in-hospital services
• For an example of how this works in practice, a
  GP might charge 50 for a standard consultation.
  The Medicare rebate for this is 36.30, leaving a
  gap of 13.70 for you to pay.

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General Practitioners Fees
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Medicare Coverage Umbrella

• Medicare Coverage and Places Where We Can Use It
• We help to cover the costs for part or all of the
  following services
• seeing a GP (General Practitioner) or specialist
• tests and scans, like x-rays
• most surgery and procedures performed by doctors
• eye tests by optometrists
• Its best to bring your valid Medicare card or
  number with you when you visit a GP or specialist.

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Out of Reach of Medical Medicare

• Medicare Doesnt Cover
• They dont pay for things like
• ambulance services
• most dental services
• glasses, contact lenses and hearing aids
• Cosmetic surgery.

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How to use Medicare

• Seeing a doctor
• When youre enrolled in Medicare, it can help pay
  some or all of the costs of seeing a doctor. If
  your doctor chooses to bulk bill, it cover the
  costs and you wont need to pay at all.
• If your doctor doesnt bulk bill, youll need to
  pay either
• the full cost
• the difference between what they charge and what
  we cover.

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Medicare Eligibility

• When You Live Overseas Again After You Enroll
• If you live overseas again for more than 12
  months, youll no longer be in Medicare. Youll
  need to enroll again when you back Move to
  Australia.

Check your Eligibility for Australian PR
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Avail Medicare Benefits

• Claim Medicare Benefits at Your Doctors Office
• The quickest and easiest way to claim is at your
  doctors office straight after you pay.
• To do this you need to both
• be enrolled in Medicare
• Show your Medicare card

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Medicare Claim Settlement

• When you pay at the doctors office, ask if they
  can make an electronic claim for you. If they
  can, theyll do it on the spot.
• They will pay your Medicare benefit into either
• the account for the EFTPOS card you used to pay
• The bank account youve registered with us.

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