Health Care in Australia
 Although
you are considered as a temporary resident under the Partner
visa category for the first two years in Australia, you will
still receive immediate entitlement to public healthcare,
administered through a government scheme called Medicare.
This is an Australia-wide health insurance scheme, funded
through income tax.
Through Medicare, you receive:
- free treatment as a public patient in a public hospital;
- free or subsidised treatment by doctors in a general practice; and
- subsidies on some medicines and treatment by participating specialists.
Private health insurance also plays an important
role in the health care system in Australia, providing about
11% of national health care funding. There are many healthcare
funds in the marketplace and each offers a variety of schemes
and different levels of cover.
People with private health insurance receive benefits such
as choice of doctor, choice of hospital and shorter waiting
periods for non-urgent procedures. Private health insurance
can also help with the cost of services such as dental, optical,
physiotherapy and podiatry services.
All health funds operate ‘qualifying periods’,
whereby new customers have to wait a specified period before
being eligible to claim non-emergency treatments and services.
When comparing health funds, you should pay particular attention
to these waiting periods, as they can vary considerably.
Do you qualify for a Partner Visa?
Determine your eligibility under the Partner Migration Program in just a
few minutes and begin the Visa Application Process
to Australia.
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