Medicare
Medicare is Australia’s universal health care system introduced in 1984 to provide eligible Australian residents with affordable, accessible and high-quality health care.

You may be eligible to join Medicare and gain immediate access to health care services and programs. Migrants who reside in Australia are eligible if they:

• hold Australian citizenship
• have been issued with a permanent visa
• hold New Zealand citizenship
• have applied for a permanent visa (excludes an application for a parent visa)—other requirements apply. Contact Medicare for further information.

Medicare provides access to:

• free treatment as a public (Medicare) patient in a public hospital, and
• free or subsidised treatment by medical practitioners including general practitioners, specialists, participating optometrists or dentists (for specified services only)

To enrol in Medicare, you should go into a Medicare office 7 to 10 days after your arrival in Australia and bring your passport or travel documents. As Medicare does not provide for all services, you may also wish to consider Private Health Cover.

Private Health Care
Many people choose to pay for private health insurance. Private health insurance funds may cover costs for your treatment as a private patient in private or public hospitals and can include some services that Medicare does not cover, such as dental care, most optical care and ambulance transport. If you wish to purchase private health insurance, it is important to compare different funds. The cost and type of cover can vary widely.

The Australian Government has a website showing every Health Insurance Policy available from every Health Fund - http://www.privatehealth.gov.au/

Major Health Insurers
Australian Unity
Australian Unity has created Overseas Visitor Cover, health insurance specifically designed for long-term visitors to Australia and people who hold temporary visas. Further information can be found at www.australianunity.com.au.

You can apply for this cover online by using the below link:
http://www.overseasvisitors.com.au/default.asp?agent=australianmigrations.

Bupa Australia
Bupa Australia provides national coverage for their members. With a presence in every Australian state and territory, they operate under the trusted and respected brands HBA, MBF and Mutual Community, covering three million Australians. Bupa will offer all Australian Migration & Visa Lawyers clients a discount of 5% on Health Insurance. For more information email sharon.schooley@mbf.com.au and use reference number 2072197.

Visit Bupa online at http://www.bupa.com.au

MBF
http://www.mbf.com.au/

Medibank Private 
Medibank Private Health Insurance