Aussie Expats Be Warned

[bmanly]

This kind of got up my nose a bit. I have known so many expats that have had to go home for serious medical treatment after living for several years in Thailand. The Australian Government now refuses to renew medicare cards to those who having been out of the country 5 years or more. Check out the story:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/050310/21/tfvk.html

[samran]

This kind of got up my nose a bit. I have known so many expats that have had to go home for serious medical treatment after living for several years in Thailand. The  Australian Government now refuses to renew medicare cards to those who having been out of the country 5 years or more. Check out the story:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/050310/21/tfvk.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you have been outside Australia for more than 5 years, you have to re-establish your residency to a Medicare office. You can do this by proving that you have returned to Australia to live. As an Australian citizen, you are automatically eligible for Medicare....as a resident. Residency can be re-established the day you land back in Australia if you want. There is no waiting period.

To do this you may have to prove that you have severed links with the former place of residency (eg closing of a bank account, termination of old lease) or show that you have restablished residency in Australia, eg via a utility bill in your name, new lease etc.

As far as I read the rules there is nothing to stop you arriving in Australia one week, re-establishing residency, getting a medicare card and then change your mind to move overseas again.

[udon]

This kind of got up my nose a bit. I have known so many expats that have had to go home for serious medical treatment after living for several years in Thailand. The  Australian Government now refuses to renew medicare cards to those who having been out of the country 5 years or more. Check out the story:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/050310/21/tfvk.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you have been outside Australia for more than 5 years, you have to re-establish your residency to a Medicare office. You can do this by proving that you have returned to Australia to live. As an Australian citizen, you are automatically eligible for Medicare....as a resident. Residency can be re-established the day you land back in Australia if you want. There is no waiting period.

To do this you may have to prove that you have severed links with the former place of residency (eg closing of a bank account, termination of old lease) or show that you have restablished residency in Australia, eg via a utility bill in your name, new lease etc.

As far as I read the rules there is nothing to stop you arriving in Australia one week, re-establishing residency, getting a medicare card and then change your mind to move overseas again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Spot on Samran,

You can add a oneway ticket to Oz to that list.

I didn't and I have to wait 10 months here twiddling my thumbs and hoping my leg won't drop off....

No probs with Centerlink just the bastards at Medicare, the war begins again on Monday.

You would think it was coming out of the staff's wages at Medicare, they really have a shitty attitude.

They wanted to know if I'd joined a club on arrival...... go figure the mentality!

[Nignoy]

This kind of got up my nose a bit. I have known so many expats that have had to go home for serious medical treatment after living for several years in Thailand. The  Australian Government now refuses to renew medicare cards to those who having been out of the country 5 years or more. Check out the story:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/050310/21/tfvk.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you have been outside Australia for more than 5 years, you have to re-establish your residency to a Medicare office. You can do this by proving that you have returned to Australia to live. As an Australian citizen, you are automatically eligible for Medicare....as a resident. Residency can be re-established the day you land back in Australia if you want. There is no waiting period.

To do this you may have to prove that you have severed links with the former place of residency (eg closing of a bank account, termination of old lease) or show that you have restablished residency in Australia, eg via a utility bill in your name, new lease etc.

As far as I read the rules there is nothing to stop you arriving in Australia one week, re-establishing residency, getting a medicare card and then change your mind to move overseas again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Spot on Samran,

You can add a oneway ticket to Oz to that list.

I didn't and I have to wait 6 months here twiddling my thumbs and hoping my leg won't drop off....

No probs with Centerlink just the bastards at Medicare, the war begins again on Monday.

You would think it was coming out of the staff's wages at Medicare, they really have a shitty attitude.

They wanted to know if I'd joined a club on arrival...... go figure the mentality!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hoping to move to thailand in may, but have been told in no uncerttain terms by Centre link Caboolture and Medicare, unless we return for 2 weeks every 6 months we will lose our aged pensions and medicare benefits Nignoy

[Jai Dee]

Hoping to move to thailand in may, but have been told in no uncerttain terms by Centre link Caboolture and Medicare, unless we return for 2 weeks every 6 months we will lose our aged pensions and medicare benefits Nignoy

That really sucks.

We pay our taxes and medicare levy all our working lives, then they do sh1t like this?

[aletta]

Do excuse me for my ignorance,but how does your healthcare provider know that you have not been in Australia.?

[NarrLing]

Medicare is a government run healthcare linked to the social security system. These agencies are linked by a computer system that includes the immigration computer. Big Brother

NL

[Ned]

I've been out of the country for a bit less than 5 years but I've kept up my nsw driver's licence and I use my brother's postal address as my own. I also go back every year for a few weeks. I've still got a bank account there too. I'm pretty sure Medicare wouldn't want to look at my passport before approving treatment.....would they? I still pay tax too on a few small investments I have there. I'd reckon the bloke who started this topic , living in the Philippines and turned down in Darwin must'nt have any of the above. Best not to cut ties completely eh?......maybe.

[Diggerbasher]

I'm pretty sure Medicare wouldn't want to look at my passport before approving treatment.....would they?

If they do all you have to do is lose your passport and get a new one.

Edited March 11, 2005 by Diggerbasher

[udon]

Hoping to move to thailand in may, but have been told in no uncerttain terms by Centre link Caboolture and Medicare, unless we return for 2 weeks every 6 months we will lose our aged pensions and medicare benefits  Nignoy

Hi Nignoy.

Did they give you that directive in writing or is it somewhere spelt out on their Internet sites?

Caboolture ........ I'd swap today, any riots up there?

[NarrLing]

A company I worked overseas for, informed me in April 2003 of Medicare’s confirmation that Australian citizens who do not reside in Australia and who have lived outside Australia for more than 5 years are ineligible for Medicare during return visits to Oz.

Apart from actually returning to Oz to live permanently and providing proof the move was permanent, they advised:

“You should note that provided Medicare is confident your Australian address is current, your Medicare card will automatically be replaced before its expiry date. Check Medicare has your current Australian address. This will ensure you receive your replacement Medicare card and important information from Medicare.”

This is a link to the Centrelink site with information on benefit payments etc while overseas.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/inte...rseas/index.htm

This is the Medicare enrolment eligibility link.

http://www.hic.gov.au/yourhealth/our_servi...eligibility.htm

I hope this helps someone

NL

[tuky]

Hate to put a dampener on things, but in my way of thinking perhaps due to my circumstances I already consider myself ineligable for medicare.

I am a non resident of Aus (registered as such with the ATO) to avoid the tax situation (I am not resident officially in any country), so therefore I have not paid tax, I am not eligable for the benefits...

just my way of thinking.

Perhaps true for others too?

[bmanly]

Hate to put a dampener on things, but in my way of thinking perhaps due to my circumstances I already consider myself ineligable for medicare.

I am a non resident of Aus (registered as such with the ATO) to avoid the tax situation (I am not resident officially in any country), so therefore I have not paid tax, I am not eligable for the benefits...

just my way of thinking.

Perhaps true for others too?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It doesn't say that mate. Check NL's URL the hic one, it doesn't say if you are a resident or not it says that if you hold Australian citizenship and if you have not lived outside the Country for more than 5 years then you are entitled. It is the "5 years and Citizenship" that is the criteria. As far as the ATO tact goes that is a very smart move, non residents are only taxed at 10% on income from interest bearing accounts.

The OZ Government is making it harder and harder for expats and they simply don't deserve it. As someone has already said, you work all your life and pay taxes then they try and dud you. I feel sorry for the old guy with cancer who can't get treatment because he chooses to live and support his 4 kids and wife in the Phillipines. Wrong Wrong Wrong To top it off smurking Costello looks like announcing a 10 billion $ budget surplus. Take the taxes and give zip back! Arhhh I feel better now.

[samran]

Hate to put a dampener on things, but in my way of thinking perhaps due to my circumstances I already consider myself ineligable for medicare.

I am a non resident of Aus (registered as such with the ATO) to avoid the tax situation (I am not resident officially in any country), so therefore I have not paid tax, I am not eligable for the benefits...

just my way of thinking.

Perhaps true for others too?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The fundamental principal underlying Medicare is that it is universal, available to all Australian residents regardless of capacity to pay for medical care or not. Thats why it is so popular.

Given that, just because you are not paying into the Australian Tax system doesn't mean you are ineligble. For instance, if you are a child you are most likely not paying taxes, but that doesn't mean as a child you aren't covered by medicare.

The deciding criteria is whether you have been physically resident in Australia during the previous 5 years. If not, then Medicare is cut off until you come back and re-establish your primary residence in Australia.

Re-establishing residency doesn't require that you work, just that you intend to make Australia your main home. The rules for medicare don't state how long you have to maintain that residency for. These rules shouldn't be confused with ATO tax laws which state you are considered a resident for taxation purposes if you have worked in australia for at least 180 days in the past 12 months.

[Nignoy]

Hoping to move to thailand in may, but have been told in no uncerttain terms by Centre link Caboolture and Medicare, unless we return for 2 weeks every 6 months we will lose our aged pensions and medicare benefits  Nignoy

Hi Nignoy.

Did they give you that directive in writing or is it somewhere spelt out on their Internet sites?

Caboolture ........ I'd swap today, any riots up there?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

After we had filled in the new Centrelink leave of absence forms, we were called in for an interview and hauled over the coals, I think they took it as an insult, that we should have the audacity to want to try something new, they made it very plain what we would lose !!but in the words of Confucius Who gives a shit!! Nignoy

[Nignoy]

Hate to put a dampener on things, but in my way of thinking perhaps due to my circumstances I already consider myself ineligable for medicare.

I am a non resident of Aus (registered as such with the ATO) to avoid the tax situation (I am not resident officially in any country), so therefore I have not paid tax, I am not eligable for the benefits...

just my way of thinking.

Perhaps true for others too?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The fundamental principal underlying Medicare is that it is universal, available to all Australian residents regardless of capacity to pay for medical care or not. Thats why it is so popular.

Given that, just because you are not paying into the Australian Tax system doesn't mean you are ineligble. For instance, if you are a child you are most likely not paying taxes, but that doesn't mean as a child you aren't covered by medicare.

The deciding criteria is whether you have been physically resident in Australia during the previous 5 years. If not, then Medicare is cut off until you come back and re-establish your primary residence in Australia.

Re-establishing residency doesn't require that you work, just that you intend to make Australia your main home. The rules for medicare don't state how long you have to maintain that residency for. These rules shouldn't be confused with ATO tax laws which state you are considered a resident for taxation purposes if you have worked in australia for at least 180 days in the past 12 months.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[/quot To Coin A phrase COBBLERS new legislation is in force , to keep medicare cover and your pension you have to prove that you are still residing in australia for 2 periods of 4 weeks a year, a postal address by a relative does not suffice, there is now a dept that will supposedly check on this, we still own property here but because we will be rentin it out we can not use it as a residential address , so we put our sons address in Roma that was checked up on and deemed not large enough for us to live there, so there you go !! you figure it out. Nignoy

[NarrLing]

There are many variables with the medicare situation of people. A person recieving an old age pension and retiring overseas has totally different circumstances to a younger Expat with dependents still living in Australia in boarding schools etc.

In the later case, the children will be listed on the parents medicare card. Do the parents lose medicare along with the children, or does medicare continue to provide both children and parents with coverage even though the parents have been outside of Australia for a period longer than 5 years? From experience medicare continues to provide support for the parents.

NL

[TizMe]

When I left Oz about a billion years ago to work overseas, (maybe a little exageration) my accountant suggested one of the things that I should do to establish myself as a "non resident for taxation purposes" was to return my medi-care card.

[udon]

When I left Oz about a billion years ago to work overseas, (maybe a little exageration) my accountant suggested one of the things that I should do to establish myself as a "non resident for taxation purposes" was to return my medi-care card.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When I left Aus , there was no such thing as Medicare, Centrelink or Tax numbers!

My last driving licence was number 9493AA Go figure .....

[Nignoy]

When I left Oz about a billion years ago to work overseas, (maybe a little exageration) my accountant suggested one of the things that I should do to establish myself as a "non resident for taxation purposes" was to return my medi-care card.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When I left Aus , there was no such thing as Medicare, Centrelink or Tax numbers!

My last driving licence was number 9493AA Go figure .....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But was,nt Ned Kelly still running free then and Bluecoats was uniform of the day nignoy

[aletta]

Am i right in thinking that in the UK,immigration don't even stamp your passport anymore and they have no idea who is or is not in the country?

[NarrLing]

aletta

I gather from your posts you may be a Brit. There have been some interesting articles refering to expat Brit pensions etc in the Expat Telegraph newspaper lately.

If interested, take a look at the expat or money sections at www.telegraph.co.uk/

NL

[udon]

Am i right in thinking that in the UK,immigration don't even stamp your passport anymore and they have no idea who is or is not in the country?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you notice the UK Immi officer tapping on his/her keyboard, they will have your movements on record.

Same in Aus, no stamp but they know !

I have to ask for a stamp sometimes.

[aletta]

If interested, take a look at the expat or money sections at www.telegraph.co.uk

Thanks for the quote.

Yes i am from the UK and there was a huge fuss a while ago when Jack Straw was Home Secretary and he said in parliament that he had no idea who was or was not in the UK at any moment in time.the Tories had a field day.

[Polly]

So Samran, you seem to have all the info, if I own my own home and it is not officially rented out (family member paying cash in hand) and it is still my address in Australia, could I get away with it?

[TizMe]

Am i right in thinking that in the UK,immigration don't even stamp your passport anymore and they have no idea who is or is not in the country?

If you notice the UK Immi officer tapping on his/her keyboard, they will have your movements on record.

Same in Aus, no stamp but they know !

I have to ask for a stamp sometimes.

No need for the keyboard. A quick swipe of the bar code will do it.

[Nignoy]

So Samran, you seem to have all the info, if I own my own home and it is not officially rented out (family member paying cash in hand) and it is still my address in Australia, could I get away with it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

With the new centrelink leave of absence forms, you have to give a statutary declaration, giving exact checkable dates of absence, they informed us we need to sign in personally within 5 days of arriving back in oz, it does not matter if you own property in australia, to keep your pension and medicare cover you have to actually reside in australia 4 weeks out of every 26, suggest you inquire at your local centrelink, nignoy

[udon]

So Samran, you seem to have all the info, if I own my own home and it is not officially rented out (family member paying cash in hand) and it is still my address in Australia, could I get away with it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

With the new centrelink leave of absence forms, you have to give a statutary declaration, giving exact checkable dates of absence, they informed us we need to sign in personally within 5 days of arriving back in oz, it does not matter if you own property in australia, to keep your pension and medicare cover you have to actually reside in australia 4 weeks out of every 26, suggest you inquire at your local centrelink, nignoy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Strewth, that would add a min of 25000B X 2 a year for a single retiree, just in airfares!

Plus accom for EIGHT weeks.........

.

THANK YOU LITTLE JOHNNY!

Edited March 18, 2005 by udon

[Patong Bob]

There are a lot of Australians here. I complained to my federal MP. I suggest everyone else does the same. Enough people making a fuss will result in action. If you can get your children, relatives and friends to complain too.......well a thousand or so letters of compalint WILL get something done.

As a former Centrelink manager I can tell you that the Disability Pension restriction (you have only 13 weeks overseas) was as a result of so many mainly(Mediterranean-born Australians) complaining about their country people back in Greece or Turkey running hotels and restaurants, and still getting the bad back and depression DSP.

There appears to be no reason for the restriction on Age pensions. If you had 25 years working years (between 16 and 65), YOU COULD ALWAYS GO OVERSEAS TO RETIRE. This sucks.

Write to your MP today (or email him/her).

[udon]

Well, at last....... I finally got THE CARD it only took 10 months.. Grrr.

I was, again, asked if I had joined a club !!!???

As a parting shot, the interviewer said if I was a (censored) Kiwi, I wouldn't have had to wait 10 months...... AAAAAAAArrrrrrggggghhhhh

I still cannot find info on their website, how long I can leave Aus for before losing the card.