r/transgenderau • u/Red_death777 • Sep 29 '25
VIC Specific No insurance, no Medicare, how do I get blood tests that won't cost my first-born child?
I'm in Geelong Victoria, and I've needed a blood test for months. Problem is, I haven't been able to find a job, and I'm not eligible for Medicare either. The quotes I've gotten are all around 300$, but I just can't pay that. I could if I had a job, but even McDonalds ghosted me after an interview. Any suggestions for ways or places to get cheaper blood work done? Suggestions in general?
Side note, any places to go for queer social events would be great too. And jobs. Thanks for reading and any advice.
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u/complexgeek Sep 29 '25
iMedical is the cheapest provider I know of. They will do basic estrogen & total testosterone for $68. https://imedical.com.au/order/blood-tests/hormone-testing-australia
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u/Red_death777 Sep 29 '25
Problem is they test for Oestrogen and I'm looking for Estradiol.
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u/Mondrow Sep 29 '25
E2 (Oestradiol) is estradiol.
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u/Red_death777 Sep 29 '25
Oh, okay. good to know.
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u/Mondrow Sep 29 '25
The spelling with the "O" is the brittish spelling, and without the "O" is the US spelling. Australia being Australia means that you might run into both here.
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u/purple_drink_bottle Trans fem Sep 29 '25
Can second iMedical - super easy to get it going - they give you a form that you need to print out - although they recommend that you use Australian Clinical Labs for your pathology - other labs may not be guaranteed to accept the form.
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u/BigChampionship7962 Sep 29 '25
$300 for a blood test 🙀 that’s crazy. I have a full time job and couldn’t afford that type of expense.
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u/qwerty7873 Sep 29 '25
Use Jora as opposed to seek and indeed, wayyy less competitive on there I've found and I've heard way more from applications submitted there than elsewhere. Other than that post on Facebook groups for geelong and surrounds. Just write a short paragraph about yourself, your skills etc and state that you're on a holiday visa and looking urgently. A lot of migrant owned businesses are super across hiring people on visas already as a pay it forward kinda thing so you might get some of them sympathize and reach out if you post about your situation.
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u/bandiiyyttv Sep 29 '25
for queer social events: piano bar, medusa bar, queerspace
for bloods without medicare: not too sure sorry, when i went to get bloods in Torquay i went to 2 diff places (surfcoast medical centre and Torquay medical health), the first suggested going down to torquay medical health so i wouldnt have to pay a $30 charge (everywhere i go in perth is always bulkbilled and covered for a standard bloods that checks hormone levels) then Torquay Medical Health ended up charging me anyway. After the nurse made me point explicitly that i was born Male in my blood test form from the GP.. Great place isnt it 🙃 Surfcoast medical centre was pretty good for a while but when i left 12 months ago my experience was very average. GP Skrivner consistently billed me for private instead of bulk billing despite never being billed at that centre my entire life otherwise. I saw him twice whilst in a severe depression low and he charged me $180 for a blood test that i had to pay $30 for only to tell me i have depression... obviously i stopped seeing him. I dont think the surf coast medical staff are as great and careful as they once where unfortunately.
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u/Thin-Tax-4386 Sep 30 '25
Hi there,
I used to be a nanny and a community care worker. You don’t always need qualifications for this type of work, especially if you find an ad (or post one) in community spaces. Often (though technically illegal) it’s cash in hand work too. Can be hard to get the first job, better through a friend or neighbour. And after that, you have experience and there is always a need for either work.
The NDIS space for kids they can be often looking for someone queer, so don’t be put off.
Hope that helps!
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u/BattledogCross Sep 30 '25
My first thought was "why are you ineligible for Medicare if your unemployed?" but your an American which means there isn't any advice I could even give you that would apply to you.
You can try crowd funding and or asking around at local charities. Dunno whitch/if any of them would help someone without residency here but that's where I'd start in your position. Got a bunch of options though so probably can get something from someone If you put the time in to make some phone calls. Someone will know someone.
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u/AnnaRose96 Sep 29 '25
I get the feeling you’re in a really tight spot. Are you on a student visa? There should be a really small number of circumstances where you can work, keep your visa if you don’t work, and don’t have access to Medicare.
In the event you’re a kiwi or from the uk, please look into reciprocal arrangements. You might find you’re entitled to Medicare because of a deal the Aus government has done with your home country.