A reciprocal country has a health care agreement with Australia, which entitles its residents to medically necessary care in a public hospital anywhere in Australia.
As a resident of one of these countries, you are entitled to the following care or treatments while you are in Australia:
- medically necessary care out of hospital
- medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital
- some Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescription medicines at the general rate.
The key-word here is ‘medically necessary’. Reciprocal health care agreements aren’t designed to replace private travel and health insurance. If you rely on a reciprocal agreement, you may have to wait a while before you’re treated, even for emergency treatment. Taking out private health insurance means you won’t have to go on a public waiting list, once you’ve served the applicable waiting periods. What’s more, you’ll be able to choose your own doctor and hospital.