Experience of medical insurance for students studying in Australia

Experience in medical insurance when studying in Australia

When studying in Australia, you must not only pay attention to academic matters, but also to care about life, among which medical insurance is a very important item. Below I will introduce to you the situation related to Australian medical insurance. You are welcome to refer to it.

Life is always inseparable from the four words "birth, old age, illness and death", but when you come to Australia and face various medical insurances, you may be confused. Wake up! This is really important! Today I will give you a detailed understanding of the reimbursement scope and various precautions of various medical insurances in Australia.

Classification and introduction of Australian medical insurance In Australia, medical insurance is mainly divided into the following categories:

gt; gt; Public medical insurance?Medicare

Public medical care Insurance is what everyone calls Medicare, and it is also what everyone calls free medical insurance. As long as you have obtained permanent residency or become a citizen in Australia, you will get this insurance card. In most cases, medical treatment is free. Including family doctors (GP), public hospitals and some specialist clinics that support Bulk Bill.

gt; gt; Overseas student medical insurance? OSHC

You cannot participate in Australia’s national health insurance Medicare when you study abroad. All international students must purchase Australian Overseas Student Medical Insurance during the validity period of their student visa. Correspondingly, if your student visa is extended, you must also extend your insurance plan accordingly. If international students have a spouse or children under the age of 18 accompanying them to study in Australia, they must also participate in overseas student medical insurance. OSHC payment basis is based on current medical guidance fee standards. Under the coverage of OSHC insurance policy, international students can enjoy basically the same medical benefits as Australian residents.

It is precisely because public medical insurance cards are not free everywhere that private medical insurance was born. Therefore, the main function of private medical insurance is to cover those parts that Medicare does not cover.

Private medical insurance is divided into hospital insurance (Hospital Cover) and additional medical insurance (Extra Cover), both of which include ambulance services.

Hospital Cover: Private hospital insurance includes GPs (family doctors) that do not support Bulk Bill, private hospitals, other specialist clinics, dental surgeries, traditional Chinese medicine, etc. Even private medical insurance can Help you reduce the waiting time in large hospitals to see a doctor, etc.

Additional medical insurance (Extra Cover): Additional medical insurance is an additional insurance, including basic dental care (teeth cleaning), glasses and The government supports the purchase of private medical insurance and related policies for physical therapy (massage) and other physical therapies

The Australian government has always encouraged people to buy private hospital insurance (excluding additional medical insurance) because the government's medical financial pressure is real It's too big. If everyone doesn't buy private hospital insurance, public hospitals will really be unable to afford medical care for people across the country. In order to encourage people to buy private hospital insurance and ease the burden on public medical institutions, the government has taken some measures to encourage people over 31 years old to buy private hospital insurance. This is why many people heard after coming to Australia that they must buy private hospital insurance before July 1st (the start date of the new financial year) when they are 31 years old, otherwise the gain outweighs the loss.

　gt；gt；gt；Private hospital insurance subsidies? private health insurance (PHI) rebate

The government will provide certain subsidies based on your age and income or family income▼

According to the above table, based on your age and income or family income, you can find the government services that you or your family can enjoy if you purchase private hospital insurance from July 1, 2015 to June 20, 2018. subsidy. For example, if your personal annual income is less than 90,000 Australian dollars or your family income (choose one of the two) is less than 180,000 Australian dollars, and you are under 65 years old, you can enjoy a government subsidy of 26,791 when purchasing private hospital insurance.

gt; gt; gt; Penalty for additional private hospital insurance? LHC (Lifetime health cover)

When you meet the age and income conditions, if you do not buy private hospital insurance, The government will cancel all subsidies for you, and when you want to buy private hospital insurance a few years later, the government will also impose additional penalties. The insurance premium will increase by an additional 2 per year based on the number of unpaid years after you reach the age of 31. The premium will be restored to the original price after 10 consecutive additional payments, with a total upper limit of 70.

What if you are over 30 years old when you immigrate to Australia? As long as you start purchasing qualified private hospital insurance within 12 months after joining the national health insurance Medicare, you can be exempted from paying the surcharge .

gt; gt; gt; Additional personal income tax? Medicare levy surcharge

Subsidies alone are not enough to attract many people to buy private hospital insurance, so the government is trying to encourage more people to buy private hospital insurance. Buy, and it stipulates that if you reach the age and your family income reaches the standard and still don’t buy, the government will charge you an additional personal income tax.

In fact, if you do the math, the additional tax is basically the same as How much does it cost to buy private hospital insurance? Detailed interpretation? Public medical insurance

The coverage of Australia’s federal medical system mainly includes: hospital medical care (Hospital), outpatient medical care (Medical), and pharmaceutical benefits (Pharmaceutical).

　gt; Hospital accommodation, treatment and care received, and continued treatment after discharge. Medicare will pay 100 for public hospitals. But! As a public patient, you do not have the right to choose a doctor. The hospital must assign medical staff to treat you. You cannot choose when to be hospitalized or have surgery, and you have to share a large ward with other patients. (Exception in emergencies)

gt; gt; gt; Outpatient medical care

Medical here means medical treatment in medical institutions other than hospitals, such as general practitioners and specialist doctor clinics , medical center, laboratory examination center, etc. If you have Medicare, you can see a General Practitioner (GP) at the clinic for free. If you see a Specialist (MBS), you can be reimbursed 85.

As long as the clinic you go to has a Bulking Billing on the door, you don’t have to spend a penny!

gt; gt; gt; Pharmaceutical Benefits Pharmaceutical

According to the Australian government’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), Medicare provides patients with prescription drug subsidies. The government has a clear list of subsidized prescription drugs. Individuals only need to pay a co-payment for each prescription drug. Different prescription drugs have different tariff amounts. The maximum co-payment for each drug does not exceed $37.70. However, in Tu'ao, not all medicines are covered by the welfare plan, and some still have to be paid out of pocket. The government will adjust the self-payment standards every year, so please be a caring person and pay more attention. (For details, please visit http://www.pbs.gov.au/pbs/home)

Medicare-reimbursable out-of-hospital medical services include:

General practitioners and specialists Doctor's consultation fees;

? Medical laboratory examination fees performed by doctors, such as X-rays, pathological examinations, etc.;

? Eye examinations performed by ophthalmologists;

Most surgeries and treatments performed by doctors

Some dental procedures performed by government-approved dentists; and other Medicare-approved medical services.

Medicare non-reimbursable out-of-hospital medical services include:

? Required by life insurance, pension management companies, or other member institutions (such as insurance companies, employers, or government agencies) Physical examination;

? Receive non-clinically necessary medical treatment such as beauty treatment, etc.;

? Ambulance expenses (state governments in some areas provide retirement and low-income people or state residents Free ambulance services, such as Queensland and Tasmania);

Most dental examinations and treatments;

Most physiotherapy, prosthetics, chiropractic, home care, etc.;

? Acupuncture (unless recommended by a doctor);

? Myopia glasses and contact lenses;

? Hearing assistive devices;

? Family Nursing;

? Cardholder’s medical expenses abroad.

PS: If you need medical examinations such as X-rays and MRI, you must choose an imaging examination and treatment center registered with Medicare, and Medicare will reimburse the relevant medical expenses.

Detailed explanation? Overseas student insurance OSHC

OSHC and Medicare contain similar contents. In other words, international students can actually enjoy the same basic benefits as Australian residents under the coverage of OSHC insurance policy. Consistent medical benefits.

gt;gt;gt;What does OSHC insurance include?

? In-hospital medical services (eg, The reimbursement amount of a general practitioner);

? Inpatient medical services on the Medical Guide Fee Standard List (MBS) can be reimbursed for 100 (for example, surgery);

? Reimbursement to public hospitals Or the room and board fees for multi-person wards in private hospitals that have agreements with insurance companies;

? Each member will enjoy medicines with a unit price of $50 per serving up to a maximum consumption of $300 ($600 for family members). Annual drug reimbursement benefits.

Without any appropriate insurance coverage, overseas students are likely to face huge expenses for medical supplies, especially tumor (cancer) treatment;

? Ambulance service.

What does OSHC insurance not cover?

Expenses that have been paid in advance before going to Australia;

Expenses incurred during the trip to or from Australia;

? Overseas students who have been sent out of Australia or students who are dependent on Australia for any reason;? Those who have received damage compensation and compensation subsidies.

gt; gt; gt; How do international students use OSHC to see a doctor?

Although you are an international student, you can go to GP or public hospital outpatient clinics to see a doctor in Tu'ao, or be recommended to a specialist. see a doctor. As usual, all medical treatment in public hospitals is free.

OSHC insurance companies usually provide members with 24-hour emergency consultation and assistance. If you have any questions, you can always contact your insurance company. Some insurance companies provide translation services to their members.

gt; gt; gt; How to reimburse OSHC for medical treatment?

The difference between the doctor’s fee and the MBS reimbursement standard is your own expense. For example, the general practitioner’s treatment fee is generally based on the Australian MBS standard 100 reimbursement prescribed by National Health Insurance. According to the 2015 Medicare reimbursement standards, $37 can be reimbursed for each consultation within 20 minutes. If your GP charges $50, then the insurance company will reimburse 37?100=$37, and you personally have to pay 50-37=$13.

Usually there are the following ways:

You can pay all medical expenses out of pocket, and then go to the insurance company for reimbursement with the receipt (recommended). The medical institution can settle the expenses directly to your insurance company. (The best choice!) You can apply for reimbursement through the insurance company’s website (not recommended, it is very complicated and error-prone!) You can go to the school’s cooperation point to apply for reimbursement directly

If hospitalization is required, usually, The hospital will send the bill directly to the insurance company. If you are hospitalized in a private hospital, it is best to check with your insurance company to see if the hospital is covered by reimbursement. If not, then you need to think carefully because you will personally need to pay additional hospital fees.

gt; gt; gt; OSHC How to buy medicines?

OSHC has restrictions on the reimbursement of prescription drugs, so the cost of medicines for international students may be relatively high. Generally, insurance companies stipulate that the reimbursement for each drug shall not exceed $50, and the reimbursement shall not exceed $300 per person per year (no more than $600 per year for a family). When buying medicine, you must first pay the co-payment for each medicine. If the cost of the drug exceeds $50, you will have to pay the excess cost. If you exceed the annual drug reimbursement limit, you will need to pay future costs yourself. All expenses must be paid out of pocket first and then reimbursed to the insurance company. Detailed interpretation? Private medical insurance

The so-called public medical care is not enough, private medical care can make up for it! Whether you dislike the slow queues and delayed treatment for public medical care, or dental examinations, optometry, etc. that are not covered by public medical care , you can find the one you like in private medical insurance. There are many kinds, everyone can buy according to their needs.

Australian private medical insurance usually includes: Hospital Cover, General Treatment Cover or Ancillary or Extras Cover, and Ambulance Cover.

　gt；gt；gt；Hospital Cover

Hospital insurance refers to helping to pay for all or part of the expenses incurred during hospitalization, including doctor service fees, hospital room and board expenses, Operating room fees, medicine fees, and ambulance fees if necessary, etc. Generally speaking, private hospital insurance includes the basic hospital insurance provided by Medicare, and adds hospital services that Medicare does not reimburse according to different insurance types. For example, whether a private patient receives medical services in a public or private hospital, Medicare will reimburse 75 of the cost according to the MBS standard, and the private insurance you purchased will reimburse you the remaining 25 and other expenses.

　gt；gt；gt；Additional Insurance General Treatment Cover

Additional insurance is also called Extras Cover in English. As the name suggests, it includes general treatment (General Treatment) that is not within the scope of Medicare reimbursement. ) or adjuvant treatment (Ancillary Cover). Such as dentistry, physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, glasses and contact lenses, home care, hearing aids, prosthetics, etc. (General additional insurance has limits on the amount of reimbursement for these auxiliary treatments) Extras Cover can be purchased separately or together with Hospital Cover. However, please note that purchasing Extra Cover without Hospital Cover will not exempt high-income families/individuals from the Medicare Levy Surcharge on their taxable income 1. In addition, Extra Cover also includes ambulance insurance. There are also some insurance companies that accept separate ambulance insurance.

The following are the more popular additional insurances:

gt; gt; gt; dental

As we all know, dental care abroad is very expensive and only takes ten minutes. For tooth extraction surgery, the dentist charges 70 Australian dollars, and the tooth extraction depends on the location. The innermost tooth that is difficult to extract will cost more than 100 Australian dollars! After joining private medical insurance, routine dental services can be fully reimbursed, such as tooth extraction, tooth fillings, and tooth cleaning. Wait, but dental implants are another item. The insurance company only bears 400 Australian dollars. The cost of a porcelain tooth is 900-1200 Australian dollars. The remaining amount needs to be borne by the insured.

　gt; When three people are insured, not only the premium is relatively cheap, but also the amount is multiplied by 3) for three insured persons, which can be used to receive Chinese medicine treatment, acupuncture, massage and other services. This project is also the one most commonly used by Chinese people.

gt; gt; gt; Optical glasses

For optical glasses, each insured person can be reimbursed an amount of 250 yuan every year, and you can use this expense to buy glasses. Glasses or contact lenses, of which the frames account for 1/3 or 1/2 of the total amount (the amount varies according to each insurance plan). Insurance coverage and use are calculated based on one calendar year (1/1-12/31), so at the end of every year, Chinese optical shops advertise in newspapers with the title nothing more than "It's the end of the year, come and get a pair of glasses." Come on, don’t waste this year’s share”

　　　　　　　　　　Ambulance

Some private medical insurance plans include ambulance insurance. When an ambulance is needed, The insurance company pays the related costs. In Australia, most state and regional governments do not provide free emergency ambulance services, and ambulance insurance varies in different states.

The above is an overview of Australian medical insurance.

However, there are many types of medical insurance in Australia, especially private medical insurance. Almost all items that are not covered by public medical insurance can be found in private medical insurance. In general, the publicly funded medical insurance provided to citizens and international students in Australia can already cover the basic medical needs of the people, and everyone still needs to purchase private medical insurance as needed. ;