HealthcareHealthcare
Medicare (Australia)Australia
Simple enrolment and good cover for permanent residents
As permanent residents, our family enrolled in Medicare at a Services Australia centre two weeks after arriving. We brought passports, visa grant letters and proof of address, and received our card number the same day. Many GPs in our area bulk bill children, so their visits are free. Adults sometimes pay a gap fee of 40 to 50 dollars at our clinic. Public hospital care has been good. Dental and most physiotherapy are not covered, so we added a private extras policy, and waiting lists for some specialists are long.
Pros
- Quick enrolment
- Free public hospital care
- Children's GP visits often bulk billed
Cons
- Gap fees at many GPs
- Dental not covered
- Long specialist waiting lists