The international student recalls a terrifying and stressful experience of being asked to pay hundreds of dollars upfront before being treated in a Queensland public hospital emergency department.
Proponents have come to call for hospital policies to be changed to directly bill students’ health insurance.
Key Point:
- International students are not covered by Medicare, but must have health insurance
- Students were asked to pay with bank cards before accessing emergency care
- There is a call to hospitals asking for advances to change their policies
International students are not covered by Medicare, but must have health insurance as part of their student visa.
Feroza Arshad and her husband came to Australia to study. After she finished her studies, she started working on a temporary graduate visa.
Hashim, the first child, was born in July 2021 while her husband continued to study.
Hashim was born prematurely, and two days after being discharged from the hospital, the newborn suffered a prolonged sobbing and falling asleep.
“I tried to calm him down, but his crying got worse, he was all red, and suddenly he was quiet,” she said.
“His eyes were closed and I tried to move his limbs, but he didn’t respond.
“I tried to wake him up, but he didn’t, so as a new parent, I freaked out and called an ambulance.
Paramedics checked on Hashim and took the mother and baby to hospital.
“If they had a bank card, they took us.”
When they arrived, Arshad asked for her son’s name and details at the triage reception while the baby was on a stretcher with paramedics standing next to her.
Arshad explained that he does not have Medicare and instead has health insurance. The hospital administration then asked for prepayment or a bank card.
“I remember I didn’t have my wallet or anything, so I called my husband. [who had followed the ambulance in his car] I said, “Where are you? You have to go in.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Arshad said her husband was unable to come to the hospital, so the hospital arranged for staff to go and pick up the bank card.
“The whole time Hashim and I were at the reception desk. I was so scared, so worried, so nervous and crying,” she said.
“Once we got our card at reception, they let us in.”
According to Arshad, while Hashim was receiving treatment, hospital staff asked her to sign paperwork to process the payment.
“I remember being very scared for those 10 to 15 minutes. For me, it was the longest because I was waiting there and the baby wasn’t taken,” she said.
“I wanted him to be hospitalized and tested to make sure everything was okay. He?
“Maybe I’m overthinking it, but I know all parents would be scared if I put myself in their place.”
Arshad said the baby had colic and was later told he was fine but was physically exhausted.
“They told me: ‘You did the right thing, called an ambulance…and brought him in,'” she said.
Hashim was discharged after about six hours of observation.
Arshad said he hopes to apply the same process in the emergency room, given that the hospital was able to bill the health insurance premiums directly when Hashim was admitted to give birth.
“Why can’t I directly claim the premium when I go to an emergency or use an ambulance?” she said.
“So what you have to do is create a policy around it. You have the means, you have the resources, you have the right systems and you have to create a policy around it.”
Pakistan-Australia Cultural Association (PACA) President Saeed Asghar Naqvi said international students and temporary visa holders face many problems when going to emergency departments.
He said financial pressures on international students include tens of thousands of dollars a year to balance living and accommodation costs while completing a degree, and income restrictions.
“As Australians and as members of the Pakistani community, I believe we need to treat the Pakistani people. [a] Especially when someone is in an emergency, in a human way,” he said.
“Hospitals need to change their policy of asking for money upfront when students go to hospitals.”
Naqvi said some international students do not have adequate levels of insurance to cover treatment costs if they develop a terminal illness while in school.
PACA supports struggling international students by creating an online fundraiser to help cover medical costs and encourages community members to provide meals and other support to students.
Naqvi said he hopes the government, university departments and health insurance companies will work together to better support international students.
He suggested that universities and health insurance companies could better coordinate health insurance packages that provide international students with top-level coverage at more affordable prices.
“The government needs to help students need the highest level of insurance because they will suffer later when they need support,” said Naqvi.
Amir was billed $1,500 for heart attack despite health insurance
In October 2021, Amir Mehmood started having chest pains. Thinking it would be no big deal, he went to his GP for treatment. However, later in the day the pain became “unbearable”.
Mehmood, who is just minutes’ drive from Brisbane’s QEII hospital, asked a friend to drive her to the emergency department.
Mehmood said he was told he had to pay upfront as a non-Mehmood patient.
He said he didn’t have enough money at the time, so he asked a friend to help him pay.
When he was rushed to the emergency room, he was monitored with an electrocardiogram and then transferred to Princess Alexandra Hospital (PA).
“[The] The next morning they informed me: You had a heart attack,” he said.
After being admitted to a PA hospital, he was billed for the full cost of treatment (approximately $1,500).
According to Mehmood, many international students have health insurance so they don’t feel the need to pay for emergency department treatment upfront and claim the insurance later.
“Emotionally, it was really hard,” he said.
“Hospitals should at least change their policy that if someone walks in during an emergency, they shouldn’t be charged first,” he said.
In a statement, Metro South Health said it is dedicated to providing timely emergency care based on clinical need and will explore opportunities to improve processes and communications related to prepayment by Medicare-ineligible patients. says.
A spokesperson for Queensland Health said anyone who attends hospital will be seen according to clinical need, not ability to pay.
“Public hospitals may require payments from patients who are not Medicare eligible to recover costs associated with the care provided, but these decisions will not delay the delivery of emergency care.” the statement said.
“Decisions about how to recover costs from patients who are ineligible for Medicare are at the discretion of individual hospitals and health services.
“Payments requested from patients ineligible for Medicare must be proportionate to the level of care provided.”
Adrianne Belchamber, acting chief operating officer of Metro South Health, said Medicare-ineligible patients who need urgent care and are uninsured or having difficulty paying will not be denied treatment.
“Anyone needing emergency, life-saving or limb-saving medical care will always receive treatment, regardless of Medicare entitlement,” she said.
Arshad and Mehmood’s medical expenses were eventually reimbursed by their respective health insurance plans. As such, hospitals should implement a process to bill health insurance companies directly rather than requiring students to pay up front.
A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Health and Human Services said Overseas Students Health Cover (OSHC) is a mandatory requirement for student visas.
A spokeswoman said the basic OSHC coverage that most students purchase includes 100% of fees collected by public hospitals and ambulance services.
“If there is a contract between an insurance company and a private hospital, the amount specified in the contract (in practice, this means 100% of the fee),” the spokesperson said.
“OSHC coverage and premiums ensure that the cost of health insurance does not discourage international students intending to study in Australia, and that they have access to affordable medical and hospital care while studying abroad. The purpose is to be able to receive
