Overseas Visitors Health Insurance

Many Australian visas require you to have OVHC that meets minimum requirements. But these minimum requirements may not provide the extent of cover you’d like. Instead, you may want to pick a more comprehensive policy.

You can check what your visa requires through the Department of Home Affairs’ website. 

Australia has both a public and private hospital system. The public hospital system uses Medicare (the subsidised public health system), which means Australian citizens can get healthcare for free. However, private health insurance means they can use the private system and enjoy benefits like shorter waits and private rooms.

Additionally, states and territories handle ambulance transport differently. For instance, in Queensland, the state government handles the costs of emergency transport for its residents, while only residents over 65 receiving a pension have free emergency ambulance services in WA. As a result, many Australians may choose to have ambulance cover as part of their private health insurance.

While most overseas visitors won’t be able to access Medicare, your OVHC could mean you can use the public hospital system as a private patient. Your insurer may then cover some of the costs of your treatment and you don’t have to put off medical care for fear of an oversized bill.

As an overseas visitor, you’re unlikely to be eligible for any free ambulance rides — even if they are for an emergency. Therefore, picking OVHC that includes ambulance cover could give you greater peace of mind; particularly if you’re hoping to get up to some serious adventuring while you’re in Australia.

Healthcare doesn’t begin and end at the hospital. There may be times when you need to visit a general practitioner (GP) or a specialist, like a dentist, physiotherapist or optometrist.

For Australians, some of these costs are handled by Medicare or by their private health insurance. Either way, they may also have out-of-pocket fees.

As an overseas visitor, you likely won’t be able to use Medicare. However, your OVHC could help pay for treatment costs, including prescription medications. It’ll depend on what’s included in your policy.

Reading through your OVHC policy document could help you better understand what you can claim for, as well as to what extent. For instance, your policy may have a limit for how many prescription medications your insurer will help pay for.

Additionally, your insurer may not cover pre-existing conditions. What’s important to note here is that, depending on the policy, pre-existing conditions can count as anything you were dealing with before you reach Australian soil

Taking the time to think about what restrictions and exclusions you’re okay with can help you narrow in on a policy that offers you better value.

To maintain your cover, you’ll need to pay a regular payment (a premium) for your OVHC. But this may not be the only fee you’ll have to pay. For instance, you may have an excess. This is a set amount you’ll need to pay before your cover kicks in if you go to the hospital. Similarly, you could also have a co-payment. This is another set fee to pay for every day you’re in hospital.

If you’re looking to tailor your premium somewhat, it may be worthwhile opting for a bigger or smaller excess, and adding or removing your co-payment requirements.