# Type 1 Diabetic - Will Health insurance cover this??



## Vikky&Matt (Feb 13, 2011)

Hi Im a T1 Diabetic, for past 24 years and I read on another thread that some insurers do not cover pre existing conditions. Can anyone confirm if this includes Diabetes meds as they are crazy expensive if not covered by insurance/medicare we just cant afford the move!

Any help greatly appreciated


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## Weebie (Sep 16, 2009)

Vikky&Matt said:


> Hi Im a T1 Diabetic, for past 24 years and I read on another thread that some insurers do not cover pre existing conditions. Can anyone confirm if this includes Diabetes meds as they are crazy expensive if not covered by insurance/medicare we just cant afford the move!
> 
> Any help greatly appreciated


I'm sure you'll get covered by private. I pay just under 2 grand a year fro Private health cover it's bloody worth it.


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## Vikky&Matt (Feb 13, 2011)

Weebie said:


> I'm sure you'll get covered by private. I pay just under 2 grand a year fro Private health cover it's bloody worth it.


I really hope so, It worries me that I wont be covered and that we wont be able to afford to move because of it,
Thanks for getting back to me though


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Try a site like iselect.com.au and see what they say about pre-existing conditions. 

Regards,
Karen


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## Vikky&Matt (Feb 13, 2011)

kaz101 said:


> Try a site like iselect.com.au and see what they say about pre-existing conditions.
> 
> Regards,
> Karen



Thanks Karen,

It doesnt let me select a pre existing condition though, does anyone know if its going to be covered or is it going to be our expense?

Thank you

Vikky


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

I know when I read the small print on some insurance policies they said that they didn't cover pre-existing conditions. You may have to contact some insurance companies and check what they say. 

Regards,
Karen


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## Vikky&Matt (Feb 13, 2011)

Thank you, 

I will try email a couple and see how I go

Cheers


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## Vikky&Matt (Feb 13, 2011)

This is the response I got from the govermant health people in Australia, Hope this helps someone else too, I have asked some more questions and will post response when I get one

Dear Vikky,



Thank you for your email regarding private health insurance.



Without knowing the medication or the hospital treatment you require for your diabetes, I am unable to confirm if you will be covered under Medicare or if you may need additional cover such as an Overseas Visitors Cover (OVHC) or an International Health Plan. I can however provide general information that may assist you.



From the information you have provided, I assume you are a UK citizen who will be eligible to apply for the Medicare Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) after you arrive in Australia.



If this is the case, under the RHCA you are covered for the following treatment while in Australia-



· free treatment as a public in-patient or outpatient in a public hospital 

· subsidised medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme 

· Medicare benefits for out-of-hospital medical treatment provided by doctors through private surgeries and community health centres. 



If you are currently taking a prescribed medication and expect to continue the treatment while in Australia, you can check whether or not the item appears on the PBS by checking the PBS website (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)) . 



If your medication is not listed on the PBS or if your require private patient hospital cover you can purchase an OVHC from an Australian company or an international health plan from an international insurer. It is important to know that not all OVHC or international insurers cover all drugs so it may not be possible to insure for this item. You will need to contact an insurer directly and ask if they can cover the medication you require. It’s important that you advise the insurer of the name of the medication, if the insurer confirms that they can provide cover, make sure you ask how much is covered and if there are any limits on how much can be claimed.



To cover pharmaceutical and other costs not covered by the RHCA or if you are unable to receive RHCA, you can purchase OVHC or international insurance. Our office does not provide quotes or policy information for Overseas Visitors Health Cover or international insurance. 



The internet is a good way to locate an insurance cover for visitors. We suggest you search for “Overseas Visitors Insurance” or “Overseas Visitors Health Cover” in a search engine and compare policies from at least 3 providers. For more information on purchasing an Overseas Visitors Health Cover please see: Overseas visitors & overseas students



It is important to know that waiting periods will apply to most OVHC plans. Most companies will impose a 12 month waiting period for cover on any pre-existing condition and some companies will not cover pre-existing conditions at all. A 'pre-existing condition' does not need to have been diagnosed prior to treatment. If any symptoms that you have at this time turn out to be related to any condition which requires treatment in Australia, it will be counted as a pre-existing condition.



You may also want to purchase travel insurance from a company in your home country. Travel insurance policies may cover emergencies and repatriation costs. Travel insurance also usually covers items such as loss of luggage, which are not covered by health insurance.



If you would like further information about the Medicare RHCA, you can refer to their website Visitors to Australia - United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Malta and Italy - Medicare Australia

For more information about entry visas into Australia, you can refer to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship as they are the organisation which grants visas and enforces requirements. Their website: Department of Immigration & Citizenship



I hope this information has been of assistance, however, if you require any further information you are welcome to contact me again via return email.





Kind Regards,







Tanya Snowden
Website Liaison Officer
Private Health Insurance Ombudsman 
Phone: 1300 737 299 
Address: Suite 2, Level 22, 580 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000 
Website: Private Health Insurance Ombudsman (PHIO) : Homepage and PrivateHealth.gov.au - Australian Health Insurance Information


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## Vikky&Matt (Feb 13, 2011)

Oops posted same thing twice


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## pillayin (Oct 10, 2011)

*457 Insurance*



Vikky&Matt said:


> Hi Im a T1 Diabetic, for past 24 years and I read on another thread that some insurers do not cover pre existing conditions. Can anyone confirm if this includes Diabetes meds as they are crazy expensive if not covered by insurance/medicare we just cant afford the move!
> 
> Any help greatly appreciated


Did you resolve this issue? My daughter is Type 1 and have the same problem.


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## Guest (Oct 10, 2011)

If you are covered by medicare depends on your visa type? And/or the country you are are from. 

If you take out private health cover you will be covered. Insurers in Australia are not allowed to not cover you because you have an illness/disability etc. 

They can apply waiting periods so you wont be covered for the first month, 3 months, year (depends on the policy check the small print) That is all they can do is apply waiting periods. Once the waiting period is over you are fully covered if you take out the right level to cover it.


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## becks92 (Dec 31, 2013)

Hi,

This is all really helpful stuff - thank you for posting it! There is definitely a lack of information for migrants with chronic conditions!

I am intending to move over to Adelaide with a student visa for a PhD and so would need to get the Overseas Student Health Cover. I believe that I would, additionally, need to get medical insurance to cover my diabetes... is this correct? Or does Medicare cover that? It's annoying that most of the insurance companies have a 12 month waiting period...

I was looking at the PBS website and there is a costing on the right hand side. Do you have to pay that? It says that that is the maximum that you would have to pay... But $36 a pop for 5 insulin viles would have me bankrupt in no time... 

Any extra help or clarity here would be excellent!
Thank you!

Becca


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## Guest (Dec 31, 2013)

As a student you wont be able to use medicare but as you will be taking out overseas student health cover there shouldn't be any waiting period.


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## becks92 (Dec 31, 2013)

Thank you for the prompt reply!!

So, from what I gather, I need to buy:

OSHC (~$550)
Medical Insurance (~$1,400 p/y)
Insulin (~$36 dollars per 5 pieces)
Test Strips (~$8 for 50)

Apparently needles are free? 

Would you happen to know where I would stand with reciprocal medical care?

Thanks!
Becca


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## Guest (Dec 31, 2013)

You can get reciprocal health care but its limited, not what you would get on the nhs. 

You will get subsidised medicine but nobody gets free medicine in Australia. You would pay the subsidised fee of about $30. You can see a GP for your prescriptions but would still need to pay then claim part of that back from medicare. You would get back about $40 from a $100 fee. Unless you find a doctor who bulk billed (billed medicare direct) which can be difficult if you do not want to wait in public clinics for hours on end with some of the worst Australia offers! 

You also get all emergency and follow up care in hospital. Just not planned non essential treatment in hospital. 

You probably dont need private health cover other than ambulance cover on top of oshc and reciprocal cover.


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## FellowexpatAUS (Mar 25, 2017)

I recently moved to South Australia from the US. First step I would advise is to call several Insurance companies, this will allow you to ask more questions and they can give you a more precise quote, as they did for me. Be aware that there is a waiting period for those with pre conditions for overseas health coverage. This means you have to wait a year before the company will cover any services related to the pre condition. I think this had to do with government regulations. I am still looking to see if there are any with out a waiting period but so far out of the 3 I've contacted all of them have the waiting period. Hope my suggestions help! -Fellow Expat


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