Google has released its top search trends for 2018 and way before physical queries (‘How to lose belly fat’) or social media (‘How to delete Facebook and Instagram accounts’), this year Australians wanted to know ‘How to opt out of My Health Record’.
But, let's take a step back for those who might be unfamiliar with the new service. My Health Record is an automatically collated digital summary of your key health information, designed to make Australian health services more efficient and inform medical professionals of a patient's health history. This can include details of your medical conditions and treatments, medicine details, allergies, and test or scan results.
Since Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced the initiative, concerns arose over personal data security and personal privacy. Over 900,000 Australians have opted out the My Health Record database due to those concerns, so far.
Currently, if you decide not to 'opt out', a record will be automatically created, and while an initial deadline to opt out is January 31, 2019, you can subsequently opt out of the scheme.
The first thing you need to have to opt out, as explained on the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA), is your Medicare number, as well as a form of identification (passport, drivers licence or IMMI card), and be prepared to enter that information on this webpage.
Many people residing in Australia, such as international students or Working Holiday Visa makers or people on a Parent Visa, are not considered permanent residents, so they have access to Medicare services for a limited amount of time or not at all.
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How to enrol for Medicare
But, how do you opt out if you don’t have a Medicare number?
The answer was simple: you can only receive a My Health Record if you are eligible for Medicare.
"A healthcare provider cannot register you for a My Health Record if you are not enrolled in Medicare," an ADHA spokesperson told SBS Italian.
Whether you are eligible for Medicare depends on your country of origin and the type of Visa you enter Australia with.
Many migrants without Medicare simply won't have the option to decide whether or not to have a digital collection of their medical history available for health professionals.
For more information about Medicare eligibility, and a link to the Medicare enrollment form, is available the Department of Human Services website.
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