Anyone emigrated to Australia or have advice

Everyday living
1

Hi has anyone emigrated to Australia with MS?? I have highly active ms and I’m taking Gilenya, I am a midwife and work full time. Just wondering if anyone has any advice xxx

2

I haven’t emigrated or know what I’m talking about…

But, going by what other people from Australia have said on other health forums…

Make sure you look at health insurance in depth.
How much will it be to cover you because you’ve been diagnosed with MS?
What will it cover you for?
How much will it cost you to get the medical things you will need now, and in the future?

3

I moved to Austria the 1st year the heat was a killer at 40 degrees but you get used to it, I have an e friend in australia who I met through this site 5 years ago. I will contact her and ask her to visit the site and contact you. Good luck with the move

Rick

PS Wild horses wouldn^t drag me back-

4

I live in Sydney in Australia and I take Gilenya as well.

The way that it works over here is:

  • There is an Australian version of the NHS, it is called medicare
  • Over here you can choose which MS drug you want to take (eg there is no first line / second line etc)
  • Over here health insurance companies are not allowed to discriminate against you if you have a pre-existing condition - so they can’t refuse you insurance or charge you more than a healthy person (but you can’t claim for MS related problems for the first 12 months)
  • Lots of people over here have private health insurance not because medicare is terrible but because of the way the taxation system works - essentially if you earn over a certain amount (I think it is $90k) you have to pay 1.5% of your salary in addition to all other taxes if you do not have private health insurance. So it is usually cheaper to get private healthcare (and you at least get something for the money!)
  • There is also a new national disability insurance scheme that is being rolled out but I don’t know much about that

Let me know if there is any other info that would be useful!

5

Wow this is really interesting we were thinking of moving and then got diagnosed with MS so thought that was it…does this mean that even with MS they will give you a visa, my OH is a lecturer and been offered a job and I can also get a skilled visa?