Doctors, insurance and emergencies in Sydney

Medicare and eligibility

Medicare is the public scheme, and access depends on your residency status or on a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement between Australia and your home country — the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and a number of European countries have one, with varying coverage. Where you are eligible you enrol through Services Australia and receive a Medicare card. Where you are not, you will usually need private cover, and some visa conditions require it in any case.

• Reciprocal Health Care Agreements exist with a defined list of countries and cover differing things.
• Enrolment goes through Services Australia, with your passport and visa evidence.
• Overseas Visitors Health Cover is the standard product for those without Medicare access.
• Eligibility rules change and depend on your individual status — confirm with Services Australia rather than relying on this page.

GPs, bulk billing and gap fees

General practice is the entry point to everything: you need a GP referral to see a specialist and to claim the Medicare rebate on it. Some practices bulk bill, meaning they charge Medicare directly and you pay nothing; many now charge a fee and you claim a rebate back, leaving a gap. Bulk billing has become much harder to find in Sydney, so ask about fees when you book rather than at the counter afterwards.

• A GP referral is required for the Medicare rebate on specialist consultations.
• Ask whether a practice bulk bills before booking; many no longer do.
• Prescriptions are subsidised through the PBS for those with Medicare access.
• Register with a practice early — same-day appointments are scarce in the inner suburbs.

Private health insurance

Private cover splits into hospital cover and extras, which pay for dental, optical and physiotherapy. Two tax mechanisms push higher earners towards it: the Medicare Levy Surcharge applies to those above an income threshold without hospital cover, and Lifetime Health Cover loading adds a permanent premium for people who first take out hospital cover after a certain age. Waiting periods apply to most conditions, so joining after you need something does not work.

• Hospital cover and extras are separate products, often sold bundled.
• The Medicare Levy Surcharge applies above an income threshold without hospital cover.
• Lifetime Health Cover loading is permanent and depends on the age you first take out cover.
• Waiting periods apply, including a long one for pre-existing conditions and maternity.

In an emergency

000 is the emergency number for ambulance, police and fire. Public hospital emergency departments triage and treat regardless of insurance status, and Medicare covers treatment for those enrolled. Healthdirect provides a free 24-hour telephone health advice line, which is the right first call when you are unsure. Ambulance transport is the exception to the public system's coverage in New South Wales, and it is billed.