Stace Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 I've been trawling the forum all day pretty much, reading so many things my brain is about to pop!One thing we applied for with 457 requirement was private medical - just chose a basic cheapie (Frank) till we could do more research.Those that are on private medical......which ones do you recommend?I'd def prefer one that covers the lot for JIC (just in case) Your guru-ness is much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chips Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 Would like to know that one too, thanx MrsSmith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 Hey,I have heard that HCF is quite good, if you are on their top package.The problem for you guys is its not RSA here. In RSA, healthcare providers generally check what you are covered for before they provide the service.Here in Aussie you are required to ask what the costs of the treatment will be. You need to get it in writing along with the doctors provider code and the treatment codes for everything item on the quote. You then take that to your health fund and they tell you, "assuming you don't claim anything else before this quote, we will pay out $xxxx on it".Then to make it worse, after the treatment you may get told. " oh you had a complication and we need you to pay an extra $2000".So, now that I have scared you, what can you do? Well, you can may be able to go as a private patient in a public hospital. If you don't have Medicare, then I am not sure if that will stop bill shock, but it might help. Ask your health fund about going to a public hospital before you need to go there.You could use doctors on your health funds provider list. Often health finds say things link, "get free optical at one of our providers". You may be in and out the door super fast, but they will know what you are covered for and only provide those services. Some places say they are "no gap" providers. That's a similar thing.Lastly, shop around for health care providers. More expensive doesn't equal better. For example, at our local shopping centre, the GPs downstairs make you queue for up to 2 hours on a weekend. The doctors upstairs let you book an appointment online. They both bulk bill, so Medicare picks up the bill at both. We even tried the "good" doctors over in the suburbs where we have to pay in extra and do the Medicare claim ourselves on the Medicare app... Those doctors are so busy, you are out the door before you know it.I am sure you can tell which doctors we go to So, find a health fund with a good number of providers in your area. Make sure you can get to them by public transport (if you don't have a car). Then shop around for your GP. Ask for the charges and if you can book an appointment before you go. Then talk to the locals when you arrive. They might have been through all of this before and can tell you which doctors to go to.Oh and another trick, if you do find a not-so-great cheap doctor where you have to sit and queue. Don't avoid him or her. If you are off sick from work and need a doctors note, you may want to go to the cheaperer doctor instead of your regular doctor . After all, any doctor can see you have a cold and you do have the whole day off.. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFreshStart Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 Hi MrsSmith,Something worth noting is that it doesn't matter WHAT VISA you are on, PR or not, you should at least have some private Medical Cover.New arrivals are often met with the nasty shock that Medicare is not a one size fits all package and doesn't covers all your medical needs, while it's an amazing program, here's a list of things not covered.private patient costs in hospitalextras services like dental and physiotherapy medical aids like glasses or hearing aidsambulance coverAgain it's a great service, if you need to see a Dr. it's covered, if you burst your appendix and need an emergency op, covered.If you need to have a hip replacement, or non-life threatening op, you go on a waiting list and it could take, a month or year to be seen to, it's not life threatening, but of course affects how you live your life and your comfort. This is where Private Medical Cover assists you.Many insurers offer a non-resident covers meet the conditions required by the Aus government, I can't give input on this as I'm a Citizen, but maybe others can.One thing I should mention that insurers don't often tell you about is premium loading. If you enter Australia after the age of your 30th birthday and only register for private medical care post your 31st birthday you're insurer will load your premium 2% per year over 30 years of age, so if you come here in your 40's it's going to be 20% MORE, easy way around this is to apply for a lifetime loading clearance certificate from Centrelink that you can then provide your insurer. This even applies to citizens like me who only came to roost in Aus after 30 years of age, though in the case of Citizens you need clearance form Borders & Immigration, not Centrelink.CheersMatt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 As you are asking about medical insurance on a 457 visa, you should be looking at visitor's medical cover, as you will not be covered by Medicare in any way whatsoever.I will list here under the major 457 health care providers... those that have received good reviews on the forum is Medibank, Iman and Bupa.MEDICARE http://www.medibank.com.au/Visitors-Cover/About-Visitors-Cover/Working-Visa-Hospital-and-Medical-Insurance.aspxIMAN http://www.austhealth.com/457-visa-health-insurance?gclid=CJ7H2pHmuMcCFUKSvQod854JZQBUPA http://www.bupa.com.au/health-insurance/campaigns/international/overseas-visitors#homesectionNIB http://www.nib.com.au/overseas-working-visitors/457-visa-health-insuranceAUSTRALIAN UNITY http://www.australianunity.com.au/health-insurance/campaigns/search/ovc/worker-health-cover-4b?gclid=CLLH3ZTmuMcCFQwAvAodhnkNsgThe following is a comparison site for the 457 private health fundsCOMPARISON SITE https://www.457visacompared.com.au/457-visa-health-insurance/Please be aware, if you see a good doctor, then it will cost you around $65 per visit. Make sure you have excellent medical cover, as medical services can be very expensive in Australia.You also need to check if you will get ambulance cover (depending on which state you are in, as it varies), you will be amazed at the cost of transportation. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stace Posted August 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Thanks all for your time!It's interesting to see how it works, in some instances it works in a similar way to medical aid in SA - for example, having to call Discovery for authorisation, which they approve or not, for procedures in hospital.Mara,Can't' thank you enough for all the links above - I've heard of/read about Bupa & Medibank quite often (all positive things), will have a look into all of them and see whats what.Our agent sent us that link for the comparison site, that's what made us just choose the cheapest option, until we could make a more informed decision. So much info here, I will have a field day 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggle Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 (edited) For those that may be interested, Discovery Vitality operates through AIA Australia - https://www.aiavitality.com.au/vmp-au/You can get similar benefits to those on the South African equivalent with reduced (outdoor) gym membership (40% off the cost of a monthly gym membership at Step into Life), up to 35% on Qantas operated flights etc.http://www.dkfinancialplanning.com.au/aia-vitality/ Edited August 21, 2015 by greggle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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