Do immigrants get free healthcare in Australia depends on visa type and residency. Permanent residents and Australian citizens get free healthcare via Medicare, including free public hospital treatment, subsidised GP and prescriptions under PBS, paying 2% Medicare levy. Immigrants who become permanent residents via skilled, family or humanitarian visas get Medicare from date of permanent residency grant, with immediate access. Temporary visa holders like tourist, working holiday, student and temporary skilled 482 do not get free Medicare, except for 11 countries with Reciprocal Health Care Agreement RHCA including UK, NZ, Ireland, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Malta, Slovenia and Italy, who can enrol in Medicare for medically necessary public hospital and GP as public patient, but not fully free, ambulance and private not covered. All other temporary immigrants must have Overseas Visitor Health Cover OVHC or Overseas Student Health Cover OSHC, costing $40 to $150 per month, which covers hospital and GP but not fully free, with gaps. Humanitarian and refugee immigrants on permanent protection visas get Medicare immediately plus extra support. So permanent immigrants get free healthcare via Medicare, temporary immigrants do not get free healthcare unless from RHCA country and then only limited free public hospital, otherwise need OVHC or OSHC which is not free but subsidised. Asylum seekers may get limited free via state programs.
1 votes
Marked as accepted