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VISITORS to Australia residing in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Malta and Italy are entitled to immediately necessary medical and public hospital treatment for any ill health or injury they have while in Australia which requires treatment before returning home.
Visitors from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands are covered for the duration of their approved visit to Australia.
Visitors residing in Malta and Italy are covered for a period of six months only from the date of their arrival.
To be eligible, enrol in Medicare at any Medicare office in Australia. You do not need to enrol unless you will be receiving treatment. As a visitor to Australia you should provide:
¥ your passport with an appropriate visa and/or entry permit/entry stamp
¥ acceptable identification showing you are enrolled in your country's national health care scheme (e.g. national health service card or certificate).
Before travelling to Australia contact your national health scheme to make sure you have the correct documents you will need to be eligible to enrol in Medicare.
If your application is approved you will receive a Medicare card in the mail. Some people are not issued with a card because they are visiting for a short time or cannot provide a mailing address during their stay. If this applies in your case Medicare will provide you with information on what is required if you need medical treatment.
Medical treatment is available in Australia through private doctor's surgeries and Government health centres. Doctors at these practices will charge for their services in one of the following ways:-
¥ Your doctor bills Medicare direct. You will be asked to show your Medicare card and sign a completed direct-bill form after seeing the doctor. In this case, you will not have to pay anything and you will not need to make a claim from Medicare
¥ Your doctor gives you a bill. In this case you can either pay the bill and claim a refund from Medicare in person at a Medicare office or send the completed claim form and doctor's bill and receipt to Medicare or lodge the unpaid bill, together with a completed claim form, at a Medicare office or send it to Medicare by mail. Medicare will send a cheque to your address made payable to the doctor. You will need to pay any part of the doctor's fee not covered by the Medicare cheque.
Public hospital accommodation and medical treatment while in hospital is provided free of charge, provided you are not treated as a private patient. Show your Medicare card to staff at the hospital when you arrive.
¥ For more information contact the toll-free Medicare Information Service on 132 011 for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia. You can also write to: