DH and I are trying to arrange health care. Please, if you would be so kind, tell me what you pay and who you use? We are having a terrible time figuring out what we need to have.

We are both young and healthy and need very little in the way of care. We are in Sydney.

Many thanks!

Need to ask some questions first in order to give you a good answer !

What kind of visa do you have ?

If here on a temporary visa, where are you from originally ?

Is your combined family income greater than $100k ?

We are originally from Canada.

We are here on a 457.

Yes, our combined household income is greater than $100k.

Hmmm - difficult one !

Under the terms of the 457 visa, the sponsor/employer is responsible for your health care arrangements. However what a lot of sponsors do is make it a condition of your employment that you make your own arrangments for medical insurance. If they didn't do this then I would contact them and point out that a condition of employing someone under a 457 is the employer has to provide medical insurance and see what they say !

If they did put it in the contract then your only other option is to take out Private Health Insurance - which for 457 visa holders is very expensive and very difficult to actually find a company who will provide it. Here are a couple.

http://www.exfin.com/health-insurance-457.php

http://www.austhealth.com/?gclid=CKmg0cGDvY8CFQEgYAodRSyWQQ

One good thing is that you will be able to claim back any medicare leve and medicare levy surcharge that is withheld by your employer. However I am not sure when you can do this or whether you can apply for a tax withholding adjustment to compensate for this (this would be done by your employer). Alternatively you could claim at back at the end of the tax year.

Hope this helps !