Australia

You can see a general practitioner either at a community health centre or at a private clinic.

Treatment may be invoiced in different ways. You may be asked to show your Medicare card, in which case Medicare will pay the doctor directly, and you won’t need to pay anything yourself. However, it is possible that you will only be reimbursed by Medicare after you have paid the full invoice and submitted a claim for the doctor’s visit. It is recommended that you check in advance how the treating doctor charges for the treatment. More information about invoicing is available on the Health Direct website.

If you need to pay a co-payment, you can pay the invoice yourself and apply for a reimbursement on the basis of receipts from a Medicare office. Sometimes, the doctor’s office can send an application for reimbursement to Medicare electronically once you have paid the invoice. In this case, the reimbursement will be deposited into your bank account at a later date. Alternatively, you can take the unpaid invoice to a Medicare office. You will receive a cheque addressed to your doctor from the office, which covers part of you treatment costs. You must take the cheque to your doctor and also pay them the co-payment.

As a general rule, dental care is not reimbursed. Likewise, no reimbursement is generally provided for complementary health care services, such as physiotherapy or psychological services.

You are responsible for the cost of patient transport.

You may receive partial reimbursement for the cost of medications when your doctor prescribes them in accordance with the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. In this case, you will pay the co-payment for your medications.

Present your passport or Medicare card at the hospital reception. This way, treatment in public hospital, either in a day or inpatient ward, is free for you as a public patient.

Please note that in Australia, patients who use private healthcare can also receive treatment in public hospital facilities. The costs of treatment in private hospitals are the responsibility of the patient unless covered by their private health insurance.

Remember to ensure that your patient data is transferred between countries. You can provide those responsible for your follow-up care or your healthcare provider with the patient records related to the treatment you received abroad. If the patient records need to be translated, you will be responsible for arranging the translation yourself.