Can I avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge if I can access Medicare under a reciprocal healthcare agreement?

Yes. If you are from a country that has a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia enabling you to access Medicare and you earn over the Medicare Levy Surcharge threshold, you can avoid the Surcharge by buying an approved Hospital Cover insurance policy.

Unfortunately, this type of insurance provides limited benefits for Hospital Cover and you may incur significant expenses if you are admitted as a private patient.

If you require hospital treatment, you have 2 other options:

• You can use your reciprocal healthcare agreement entitlements to access Medicare for treatment in hospital as a public patient.
• You can buy Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) for treatment in hospital as a private patient. Unfortunately, this type of insurance provides limited benefits for Hospital Cover and you may incur significant expenses if you are admitted as a private patient.