Is it expensive to see a doctor in Australia?

Australia has established a medical care system (Medicare) covering all residents, and achieved universal medical security. So, do Australian immigrants enjoy Medicare medical insurance? What is the correct process of seeing a doctor? How much does the personal part have to bear?

what is p>Medicare?

public medical insurance is what we call Medicare, and it is also what we call free medical insurance. As long as you get permanent residency in Australia or become an Australian citizen, you will get this insurance card. In most cases, medical treatment is free, including family doctors (GP) who support Bulk Bill, public hospitals and some specialized clinics.

However, the teachers of Guangdong CTS Study Abroad Center warned that international students are not allowed to participate in Australia's national medical insurance Medicare. All international students must purchase the Australian Overseas Student Medical Insurance (OSHC) within the validity period of the student visa. Under the coverage of the insurance policy, you can enjoy the medical benefits basically the same as those of Australian residents.

Guidelines for medical treatment for Australian immigrants

Generally speaking, the medical treatment process in Australia is similar to that in China. Minor ailments can be checked in the community clinic first. If the community clinic suggests checking in a big hospital, we usually register for check-up. Australia only has one more choice than China, that is, General Practitioner (GP), that is, general family doctor. The fee for a family doctor GP is about 37 Australian dollars once.

So what is the name of outpatient service in Australia? Australian clinics are called Australian Medical Center, and most of them are specialists such as ophthalmologists and obstetricians and gynecologists. If you have a Medicare medical card, you can go to a public hospital through the recommendation of a general family doctor (GP) and see a specialist for free. Specialists can usually decide their own fees. According to different specialties and regions, the medical expenses of specialists can range from one hundred to several hundred Australian dollars. (Medicare reimburses 85% of specialist fees according to MBS specialist fees. The expenses that exceed the reimbursement standard must be paid by the patient himself.)

As in China, medical treatment for serious illness must be "registered" in the hospital. Hospital in Australia are usually divided into two types: public and private, with 5% each. Public hospitals are free of charge, but the resources of public hospitals are limited and the waiting time for seeing a doctor is very long. If you need hospitalization for surgery or treatment, you need to contact the insurance company before hospitalization, tell the insurance company the specific treatment plan and the hospital you are staying in to confirm whether the medical expenses can be reimbursed. If you are hospitalized as a Medicare patient at public expense, you must accept the doctor appointed by the hospital, and you can't choose the time of hospitalization. It must be decided by the hospital according to the condition and the bed situation of the hospital. However, medical and accommodation expenses during hospitalization will be paid by Medicare according to MBS reimbursement standard.

But if you choose a private hospital, it doesn't mean that you can't reimburse the medical expenses. The Australian government has always encouraged people to buy private hospital insurance (excluding supplementary medical insurance), because the government's financial pressure on medical care is too great. If everyone does not buy private hospital insurance, it is really difficult for public hospitals to afford medical care for the whole country.

In order to encourage people to buy private hospital insurance and relieve the burden of public medical institutions, the government has taken some measures:

The government will provide certain subsidies according to your age, personal income or family income, as shown in the following figure. If you are under 65 years old, your annual income is less than 9, Australian dollars or your family income is less than 18, Australian dollars (two conditions meet one requirement), you can enjoy 26.791% government subsidies when buying private hospital insurance. The older you get, the higher the proportion of government subsidies you enjoy. The lower the income, the greater the proportion of subsidies enjoyed.

Of course, if you just have a cold and a fever and want to buy some medicine, the Australian government also provides the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), and Medicare provides prescription drug subsidies for patients. The government has a clear list of subsidized prescription drugs. The out-of-pocket payment for each drug does not exceed $37.7 at most, and the rest is paid by the government.