How to Use Medicare Card?

MKBHD on 06/09/2019 - 19:51

[Brisbane] Moved to Australia last year and very new to healthcare in Australia so please forgive me if I am asking stupid questions.

We have never used our Medicare cards. Since 1 week, my wife is having constant headaches in certain parts randomly. I suspect 1 of 3 causes:

  1. Eye problems although she says she can see properly
  2. She has bumped her head twice in the past year - ceiling last year and car trunk door 3 months ago
  3. Too much screen

Main point:

I want to take her to a public hospital and do full head check (possibly done by MRI test) and eye test but I don't know how it all works. When I go to healthdirect.gov.au it shows Mater Private Hospital is bulk billed too which is very confusing.

Please advise what we should proceed to see a doctor. Do I just call a hospital e.g. PA hospital and book a GP and ask for MRI tests with the GP? I am assuming it will be easy to start at a public hospital so if it is something serious, we can do everything at one place.

Or, if we visit a local GP, can we take his recommendation to a public hospital and do tests there? How do I find public hospitals covered by Medicare?

This is the best community I have found so trusting this platform to get this information. Thanks guys.

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Comments

  • oscargamer on 06/09/2019 - 20:04
    +13

    If it's an emergency, go to hospital.

    If it's not an emergency, got to a GP. Hospitals are very busy dealing with proper emergencies. Don't waste their time if it's not urgent.

    • MKBHD on 07/09/2019 - 07:43

      I was under the impression hospitals have GPs too. At least that is the case where I am originally from. So hospitals do not have GPs and only have emergency department right?

      • tblife on 07/09/2019 - 09:02

        Unless it is a rural hospital that is run by GP, most hospitals do not have GP s working in them.

        The emergency department is usually the first point of contact, unless you have been referred to a specialist clinic.

        Once again, the emergency department is just for emergencies.

    • boomramada on 07/09/2019 - 10:37

      Before your travel to hospital in a emergency, make sure to get a ambulance cover.

      • MKBHD on 08/09/2019 - 09:35

        How and where can I get that please?
        I once cut my finger and almost passed out, my friends called paramedics and they looked after me. I was never billed.

        • boomramada on 08/09/2019 - 19:06

          Ah sorry, I just noticed it doesn't apply to you in Qld, I think it's free over there. But some states does.

      • brad1-8tsi on 09/09/2019 - 10:17

        You can go to Emergency under your own steam. An ambulance isn't compulsory.

  • bobbified on 06/09/2019 - 20:04
    +2

    Unless it's an Emergency, (in which you would present to the Emergency Department at your local hospital or call the ambulance) everything else starts with your local GP.

    Your local GP will provide you with referrals for specialists or tests to be done. The results will then be sent back to your GP who will then either prescribe medical treatment or refer you for further tests or specialists or hospital.

  • Stewardo on 06/09/2019 - 20:04
    +4

    Gp first

  • pistachio1 on 06/09/2019 - 20:10
    +7

    Find a local GP who will "bulk bill" your appointments with them. Bulk bill means the receptionist at the clinic will have you fill out a form and you give them your Medicare number, and then that appointment with your GP will be entirely covered by Medicare and you will have no money to pay out of your own pocket.

    Sit down with the GP and explain your wife's symptoms. If the doc decides to get an MRI, he will either type up a referral and send it off to the local hospital himself and then you wait patiently for the hospital to get in touch with your wife (time frame completely unknown), or he could type up a referral, print it out, and give it to you to so that you can call up local radiology clinics in your area (not at a hospital) and book an appointment at one of these clinics yourself, presenting your referral and Medicare card to them.
    There may be a cost incurred by yourself to get it done at a radiology clinic as opposed to a public hospital. I am unsure if MRIs are entirely covered or not - I don't think I've ever had one myself. I've had ultrasounds and X-rays, and they were all covered under Medicare with no personal cost to me, if that helps!

    It also might depend if you have a Pensioner card or a Health Care Card.

    I hope I've been helpful, but definitely talk to a GP about all this. The bottom line is you can't just go and get an MRI done; you need a referral. Find a bulk-billing doctor and go from there! :)

    • MKBHD on 07/09/2019 - 08:01

      Thank you :) The University she studied at has a medical centre so we have decided to start there for both GP and optometrist. I will post how it goes.

  • [Deactivated] on 06/09/2019 - 20:17
    +7

    Moved to Australia last year and very new to healthcare in Australia so please forgive me if I am asking stupid questions.

    First of all, Welcome to Australia mate.
    Secondly, there are no "stupid questions". People not asking and seeking to learn, what they do not know, because they think it is a stupid question , is honestly one of, if not the most influential factor in the perpetuation of ignorance. I have probably asked more stupid questions in my life than most, but that's led to me increasing me knowledge on anything I don't understand, because I speak up and ask :) .
    Now I have given you lots of details here, since I don't know what you know and what you don't. So I think I have covered almost everything below.

    Just go to any GP (general practitioner) . That's all you have to do.
    Turn location GPS on, on your phone. Search maps for "doctor" or "GP" or search on Google if you want to look at reviews.
    Find the best one that is not too far from you.
    Call them and ask if they "BULK BILL" for medicare . Not all GP bill government directly. And some charge mate than what the Medicare covers (so you pay a "gap" fee) . Ie. Bill might be $80, Medicare might only cover $58 .
    But in most areas, you can easily find doctors that bulk bill. Then you just show your Medicare card and maybe photo id, and the GP charged government. It is called "BULK bilking" .
    So if you don't want to pay gap fee and just want to bill direct to Medicare card, be sure to phone the local GP's you find on Google, and ask them if they bulk bill or not.
    Some areas, like when I was at Byron bay area, all the doctors seem to charge gap fee and don't bulk bill (they have enough wealthy patients, they don't need to bulk bill) .
    If you go to hospital, just take photo ID and Medicare card . If you show up at public hospital, everything there will not cost you . E.g. if they order xray, or tests like MRI etc, if they do order it and do it there in public hospital, it should be free (not free, but government/tax-payers pay instead) .
    You cannot tell GP or doctors what scans or tests are needed . They will decide that, and if they warrant that certain tests or referrals to specialist are required, then Medicare can generally pay. If you don't want to pay any "gap" fees at all, just mention this to your GP. There are public (seeing a specialist at public hospital) and private options (where you will often pay a gap, but you might prefer the $80 GP over the $50 GP, Just Medicare doesn't pay the extra, they just cover the base/normal rate).

    If there is an emergency, get straight to any hospital with an emergency department, and Medicare means you will leave with no bill

    • Thrawn on 06/09/2019 - 22:28

      There are private hospitals with emergency department, like Wesley hospital or Mater Private which charges $300 odd for a visit (not covered by Medicare or private health insurance)

    • MKBHD on 07/09/2019 - 08:08

      Thank you so much :)

      The University she studied at has a medical centre so we have decided to start there for both GP and optometrist.

      Not an emergency but we won't be delaying this any further. I will update here how I go.

      • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2019 - 20:57

        You're very welcome .
        Btw, regarding universities, if there ever is something that Medicare doesn't cover, it is good to ask at universities. E.g.. I had to have an very expensive eye scan which Medicare didn't cover… Well they have all the equipment at universities and the students need people to practice on, so that is why they do some things cheaper, if it is something Medicare doesn't cover .
        Dentistry would be another example. Sometimes the free dentist under Medicare, they will pull a tooth out rather than fix it if it is bad and an expensive tooth repair. However, friend of mine wanted some extra work done so his teeth looked better, the University student dentist was always being checked by the teacher anyway so my friend gel.t the treatment was good and safe, and he saved alot of $$ . The university students in training can perform different scans etc for next to nothing, considering cost of the equipment. Just they have to have people to train their skills on :). So you are helping them learn, and you are getting to save alot .

      • brad1-8tsi on 09/09/2019 - 10:18

        My daughter uses the GP at her Uni (UTS) and says they are better than our usual GP.

  • jjjaar on 06/09/2019 - 20:25
    +3

    What everyone else head said above is correct.

    However, another thing to try (as well as going to a GP) is to go and see an optometrist and get an eye test done. This includes vision tests but also other tests like glaucoma. Explain the headaches to them as well.

    These are covered by Medicare (and you can get a test done every calendar year for free). If you’re not sure where to start, try your local Specsavers.

  • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 06/09/2019 - 22:38

    Anything to do with the head should be addressed quickly. A very fast GP session should be booked. If it gets very bad then A&E.

  • Zonty on 07/09/2019 - 01:21

    I tell you what many Asian loves waiting emergency for free check up. They do not think it would cost time who need real help, neither think if you wait that much waste your time better make that much money and pay gap yourself.

    By the way I am Asian and I know because my friends always telling me what they do but not me I got full private insurance too.

    • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2019 - 08:29

      I thought asians were a smart bunch of people but people who do this are definitely not only inconsiderate but also dumb because any smart person would value their own time atleast as the result you get from a hospital would be no different to what one may get from a GP. In fact, hospital staff may not have time to assess your personal health history or even remember you like your local GP would.

  • stewy on 07/09/2019 - 01:51

    For some, it's possibly also to do with the way they are brought up back in their home country. In some Asian countries if you want to see a GP you just go to the local hospital. It's the norm to do that there, whereas here obviously they only want you at the hospital for emergencies.

    Edit: I meant for this to be replying to Zonty's comments

    • MKBHD on 07/09/2019 - 07:56
      +1

      You are right. That is what we are used to as well. There is no healthcare such as Medicare where I am from - you pay for everything. So we used to go to a good public hospital and do everything at one place. It's good to know it's not the same here.

  • stewy on 07/09/2019 - 01:59
    +2

    For eye issues, just find a bulk billing optometrist and they will do a eye test which is covered by Medicare. Note they may try up sell retinal imaging which has a cost attached and the cost of glasses can very greatly between optometrist shops, so get the results printed out so you can shop around for glasses at other shops if required.

    Like others said find a local bulk billing GP (medical centres are often best if you want a bulk billing GP) and go explain the issues to them. They will then decide what to do with her and what tests to get. When I initially complained of chronic headaches it was a CT scan I had done. MRI scanners are scarcer and more costly, but obviously the GP deemed that a CT was fine for me. Note when doing any scans, not all imaging places will offer bulk billed services, so you may need to shop around. You don't have to go to the specific place on the referral that the GP gives you.

    Lastly, don't waste your time going to a hospital if it's not an emergency. You will just waste their time and they will likely end up wanting to send you on your way after telling you to go see a GP instead.

    • MKBHD on 07/09/2019 - 07:58
      +1

      Thank you for this tip. The University she studied at has a medical centre so we have decided to start there for both GP and optometrist. I will post how it goes.

  • Marcsie on 07/09/2019 - 06:25
    -7

    How to Google Search ?

    Marcsie on 07/09/2019 - 06:25 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • Sage on 07/09/2019 - 06:39
      +3

      what a rude comment, especially after the answer was already provided above.

      • unco on 07/09/2019 - 08:06
        +4

        You’re talking to someone who hasn’t posted a single deal and has quality comments such as this, this, this and who could forget this classic.
        Absolutely useless to the OzB community.

        • bobbified on 07/09/2019 - 09:33

          …and has quality comments…

          lol :p

    • pistachio1 on 07/09/2019 - 07:57
      +1

      He's obviously fairly new to Australia and has a serious question. Things like this are probably completely different in his home country. You can't tell everyone to "just google it".

  • HardQuiz on 07/09/2019 - 08:24

    Remember, wherever you book an appointment for any medical service, be it a GP, imaging (x-ray, ultrasounds…etc) or lab/blood tests. Always ask if they “BULK BILL” or not.

    Hope your wife feels better soon.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2019 - 09:41

    Swipe it every time you get surgery. The 10th one is complimentary.

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