p(standfirst). Australian residents are entitled to “immediately necessary medical and public hospital treatment” in the UK, New Zealand, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Republic of Ireland and Sweden under reciprocal health care agreement with these countries.

HIV-related conditions should be covered by this arrangement, however ongoing HIV therapy would be at the discretion of each individual country. The exact nature of the agreement between Medicare and each of these countries differs slightly.

For information regarding these agreements visit the Health Insurance Commission site.

To access emergency medical care under the reciprocal health care agreement, in any of these countries, you are required to present your Australian passport as well as your current Medicare card. Medicare also recommends taking travel insurance in case your situation is not covered by these agreements. Insurance is strongly recommended for the United States of America where the cost of health care is extremely high.

However, while most illnesses and conditions are covered by private travel insurance regardless of HIV status, illnesses directly related to HIV are not generally covered by private travel insurance.