We have received quite a number of enquiries from clients and Australian expatriates about whether they would be able to participate in the Medibank Private float.
As you may be aware a share offer has been announced for Medibank Private currently scheduled to open in early November 2014. Currently available is a Pre-Registration process for Policyholders and General applicants. The Pre-Registration entitles the prospective shareholder to a preferential allocation over applicants in the IPO who do not pre-register. Policyholder pre-registration has priority over General pre-registration closing on 15 October 2014.
Essentially there will be two types of expats that would be applying:
- Medibank Private members – these expats are those that have or have had Medibank Private membership in the past and have placed their membership in suspense whilst they are overseas. The good news is that even if your Medibank Private membership is suspended you are still considered a member and are still eligible for the Priority Offer though you will need to talk to Medibank Private to ensure you haven’t breached the 4 years maximum suspension time frame. There are ways to extend this four year period however you will need to talk to Medibank Private to confirm the most appropriate course of action.
- Non-Medibank private members – these expats are either members of other funds or don’t have any health fund membership.
The steps that need to be followed are:
- If you are a Medibank Private member you will need to speak to them to confirm your membership is still financial. The best number to call is +61 3 9862 1047. This only needs to be done if you are applying under the Member Priority Offer.
- Once you have confirmed your eligibility if you’re applying under the Member offer you will then need to contact the Medibank Private Share Offer Information Line which is +61 3 9415 4011 to confirm if you are able to apply based on your country of residence as there are restrictions in place.
Obviously, if you aren’t applying under the Member Offer and would just like to Pre-Register then you can skip the first step and just go straight to the second step.
The above comments are not a recommendation to invest in the Medibank Private Float and should be taken as general information only. We do not provide any guarantees that if you follow the above steps you will be guaranteed an allocation in the float. To find out more information please go to www.medibankprivateshareoffer.com.au.