11 Apr Can I Get Medicare on a 482 Visa?
What is Medicare, and am I eligible as a 482 Visa holder?
Medicare is an Australian Government-run health insurance scheme that enables free or subsided treatment at Government hospitals and access to medicine and some foreign employees are entitled to be covered by Medicare.
The Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa subclass 482 lets you work in Australia for up to four years, depending on your profession and skills. As a rule, 482 Visa holders are not covered by Australia’s national health scheme (Medicare), which is common for most Temporary Visas (especially given that not all 482 Visas have a pathway to PR, which is a privilege, not a right). This requirement also applies to your family members who hold the 482 Visa as dependents. An exemption to this rule is when the 482 Visa holder is a citizen of a country that has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia.
Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with 11 countries that covers the cost of medical care when Australians visit certain countries and visitors from these countries visit Australia.
Australia has agreements with Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It is worth noting, however, that the Department of Immigration, assesses the eligibility of reciprocal Medicare coverage on an individual basis.
Essentially, visitors from these 11 countries may be eligible for medical care under Medicare while they are in Australia. Reciprocal health agreements may cover the cost of some health services and subsidise medicines and treatments for the residents from these 11 countries listed on the Medicare website. The only thing is that they can only enrol with Medicare once they have arrived in Australia. Therefore, they still need another health insurance policy to cover the period between your arrival and when you enrol with Medicare.
Irish Passport Holders: If you are a passport holder from the Republic of Ireland, who has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, won’t need to obtain health insurance or submit evidence of health insurance coverage upon the 482 Visa application. You only need to provide a copy of your passport as evidence to obtain Medicare coverage in Australia.
Italy and Malta Passport Holders: You are only eligible for a reciprocal Medicare coverage for the first six (6) months of your stay in Australia. Therefore, even if you are enrolled with Medicare, they still must decide for health insurance options once you cease to be eligible for Medicare and therefore bridge the gap for your health cover for the entire duration of the 482 visa holders stay in Australia.
Otherwise, if you are applying or holding a 482 Visa and you are not from the listed 11 countries, you will be required to have an Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC), an insurance policy to cover you and your family while you are in Australia.
Your 482 Visa will be granted subject to the condition 8501 requiring health insurance which states “The holder must maintain adequate arrangements for health insurance while the holder is in Australia”. Such a visa condition is mandatory on many Temporary Visas.
The 8501 conditions are usually required in Temporary Work Skilled Subclass Visas, Temporary Graduate Subclass and most Temporary Working Visas where the primary purpose is to work in Australia.
It is important to note that any visa application that has a visa condition 8501 will not be granted without submitted evidence of suitable health insurance arrangements. The insurance policy should cover the entire duration of the 482 visa holders’ stay in Australia. If the visa holder’s Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) expires during their stay in Australia, then the visa holder technically does not meet the conditions of their 482 visa requirements and could have their visa cancelled. In other words, you cannot cancel your policy during the period of your stay in Australia or not comply with the Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) condition, as this will warrant cancellation of the visa grant. Further, Immigration has a mechanism to monitor compliance with the OVHC condition from the information provided by the health insurance companies. Having your 482-visa cancelled due to non-compliance with the condition 8501 or failure to maintain an Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) may also jeopardise the 482-visa holder’s future visa application for a permanent visa or permanent residency.
“Out of Pocket” or additional health costs.
While most Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) health insurance policies will cover the costs of your medical treatment during your stay in Australia, there may also be instances where you must pay the extra amount known as “out of pocket” or additional health costs. The remaining amount that will not be covered by your OVHC is called “the gap” in Australia and will be paid by yourself to bridge the total cost of the medical treatment and procedure that you will be having. It is worth comparing different Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) providers so the 482 visa holders will have an idea of the different gap levels for various areas in health care.
What is adequate health cover?
The Department of Home Affairs sets out an adequate level of cover in Attachment A of their standard template.
There are various private health providers that offer specialised cover for TSS 482 visa holders. For you to meet the Department’s requirements of adequate health insurance cover, your policy will need to cover the following:
- Public hospital treatment in an Australian State/Territory
- Surgically implanted prostheses
- Pharmacy – Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listed drugs
- Medical services, and
- Ambulance services, including inter-hospital transfers
Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS)
It is a levy paid by taxpayers who do not have private hospital cover who earn above a certain income. The Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) is aimed to encourage individuals to take out private hospital cover and where possible, to use the private system to reduce the demand on the public Medicare system. The surcharge is calculated at the rate of 1% to 1.5% of your income The 482 visa holders may avail of this, provided certain conditions apply:
- 482 Visa holder
- Above Average Income
- Considered Resident of Australia for Tax Purposes
- Have successfully enrolled in Medicare
For more information, you may go to the ATO website.
Need to know more or seeking clarification. Book in with Worldly Migration for a free initial consultation.
Written by Evan Bishop MARN 1679414
Owner / Employer-Sponsored Visa Specialist – Worldly Migration
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
Worldly Migration has meeting spaces across Melbourne CBD, Ringwood, Dandenong and Lilydale, and travels to employer client locations across all of metropolitan and regional Victoria. Services are available to all migrants worldwide. Contact Us to discuss your options in a free initial 15-minute consultation.
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