Operated by the Department of Human Services, Medicare is the primary founder of health care in Australia. It is the basis of Australia's health care system and covers many health care costs. Eligible patients of Medicare may elect to be treated as either a public or a private patient.

I am not an Australian Citizen. Am I Eligible for Medicare?

You might be eligible for Medicare health care benefits if you are living in Australia and are:

• A permanent residence visa holder
• An applicant for a permanent residence visa (excluding aged parent visa), and have either:

o   A spouse, partner or child who is an Australian Citizen or permanent resident, OR

o   authority from Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs to work

• A foreign spouse of an Australian residents:

o   Must have an application of permanent residence, as above

• An Asylum seeker who have been issued with valid temporary visas.

            Note: The list of visas is subject to changes which may be applied by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs

• An American Fulbright scholar studying in Australia (excluding their dependents

• A temporary visa holder who lives in a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. These countries are: United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Slovenia, Malta, Italy, Republic of Ireland and New Zealand.

*Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCA) entitles visitors who are residence or citizen of these countries to have limited access to Medicare and entitles Australian residents  to reciprocal rights while in one of these countries.

• A new born whose mother has an eligible status for Medicare. However, if the mother is ineligible, the eligibility status of the father will be applied to the child.

Persons who are not eligible for Medicare may not elect to be treated as a public patient.

Prisoners are ineligible for Medicare, under Section 19 (2) of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (Cwlth).