Question on Healthcare

ohanna
Junior Member



Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 20
Location: BC

Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 3:55 pm

 

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Hi! I am considering to apply for a job in Melbourne and would like to ask a couple of questions. Hope someone can help me here.

How does the healthcare system in Australia compare to that of Canada? On the job description it says that the employer provides private health insurance, so I'd like to know if I am pretty much safe. I need to see doctors and dentists very frequently, almost on a monthly basis.

My second question is, do I need a car to get around in Melbourne?

Thanks a lot.

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comet555
Super Member



Joined: 28 Jun 2007
Posts: 197
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:02 am

 

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I've only been here for about 4 months so I haven't had to experience the healthcare side of things too much. The system here is a combination of public and private.

If you see a doctor or go to the hospital then it's close to free public healthcare although you may have to pay a little bit. For example I had to pay about $50 for a doctors visit, but the public health care system paid back $32. Sometimes you can find a doctor who will bill the public health directly (bulk billing) and you will pay nothing.

Dentists visits would fall under the private health care system. I don't believe there is any (or possible very little) coverage in the public health system, same as in Canada. There are different companies and plans for private health care so it's hard to say if the employers plan is any good. They may have a plan that has excellent dental benefits or they may have a basic plan that has none. So I can't really help out there.

Here is a link to one of the major private health care providers. You can have a look and see what some of their plans to get an idea of their dental coverage.

http://www.medibank.com.au/Client/StaticPages/RetailHome.aspx

I would definitely apply for the job and then ask specifics if you get an interview. Do you already have a work visa, or are you applying without one? If you don't have a work visa I just want to warn you that it will be very difficult to find a job without one. Even if you do have a visa it is tough to get them to take you seriously if you're not in the country yet. Either way, I wish you the best of luck.

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ohanna
Junior Member



Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 20
Location: BC

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:36 am

 

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Thanks a lot comet555. So it sounds like what we have in Canada.

No I don't have a Visa, but this employer cannot find people to do the kind of work they need so their HR contacted me.

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comet555
Super Member



Joined: 28 Jun 2007
Posts: 197
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 2:28 pm

 

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If you're coming out on a temporary visa then you should make yourself aware of all of the restrictions. If you are on a temp visa and have kids then you may have to pay all of their school fees which could be very expensive.

If you're being sponsored for permanent residency then no worries.

Out of curiousity, what is it that you do?

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ohanna
Junior Member



Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 20
Location: BC

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:31 am

 

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Cheers comet555. They will sponsor permanent residency, but if I do go I probably would only treat it as a temp job anyway because I still want to stay in Canada long term. but maybe I will fall in love with the country when I get there.

I am in Aerospace Engineering.

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comet555
Super Member



Joined: 28 Jun 2007
Posts: 197
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:51 pm

 

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That's good that they'd be willing to sponsor a permanent visa right away.

You can find more information on health care and on Melbourne on the following website:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=54

There's nothing wrong with the Canuck Abroad website but it doesn't have a whole lots of information on it. So the link I gave you is the best website I've found for informaiton on immigration and moving to the country. It's also a great way to meet people if you want to. The website is meant for people from the UK who are moving abroad but there are people who use it from all over the world.

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ohanna
Junior Member



Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 20
Location: BC

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:33 am

 

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Thanks that link is very informative! I believe I came across it while I was doing my research on the city but I thought it's only for British.

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comet555
Super Member



Joined: 28 Jun 2007
Posts: 197
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:25 pm

 

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Definitely the most information site out there. From the looks of it the British want to be everywhere but the UK!

There's a few Canadians there but they're harder to find. The only one I know of off hand is "Dorothy". She moved to Adelaide last year from the Hamilton area and she has since moved on to Perth. She actually shipped all of her stuff out to Australia so if you have questions on moving I'm sure she'd be glad to help. I would also make use of the search function for the forums. There is so much information there if you just look for it.

Here's a link to a discussion not long ago:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t...ighlight=Canadian

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