Who needs OVHC?Overseas Visitors Health Cover is ideal for visitors to Australia who are not eligible to receive free public health care under Medicare*, and who do not have adequate travel insurance with a medical component.
In particular, if you are applying for a 457 (long-stay working) visa, it is important that you take out Overseas Visitors Health Cover that complies with your visa application requirements (special conditions exist for visitors from countries with Reciprocal Health Care Agreements). If you are applying for a student visa, you'll need to take out Overseas Student Health Cover, unless you are from Belgium, Sweden or Norway.
* Medicare is available in full to residents of Australia, and to a limited extent to visitors from a country with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement.
Overseas Visitors Health Cover provides cover for medically required hospital admissions and a portion of doctor's fees, including:
Overseas Visitors Health Cover does not include Extras cover like dental, optical, physio, chiro and more. You may purchase Extras cover from any Australian health fund in the same way as regular Australian residents, however you will not be eligible for the 30% Government rebate.
If you don't have Overseas Visitors Hospital Cover or any other level of medical cover (like travel insurance), you will have to pay for any medical expenses you incur while in Australia. Even in a public hospital, your fees alone could be well over $1000 per day.
If you are applying for a 457 visa or student visa but do not have Overseas Visitors Health Cover, your visa cannot be approved (unless your country has an exception), as adequate health cover is a mandatory part of the application.
Before purchasing Overseas Visitors Health Cover, be informed to ensure you're getting what you need.
Is it compliant?
If you're taking out visitors cover as part of your visa requirements, make sure that the cover you take out complies with the conditions of your visa.
Know what you're getting cover for
Read the policy documents carefully and be informed as to what you're paying for. Some plans will have lower benefits or no benefits for certain types of treatment, which may lead to out-of-pocket expenses. Many plans also have limited cover for pharmaceutical benefits (ie. they usually don't adequately cover the high cost of some drugs such as chemotherapy), so take note of your benefits before you apply.
Be aware of waiting periods
Most Australian health funds impose waiting periods for a number of features, meaning you will have to wait a few months before you are able to claim on them. In particular, pre-existing conditions generally require a 12 month waiting period, but some health funds will not cover them at all. Pre-existing conditions are any conditions where the signs or symptoms were present six months before joining your health cover, whether or not the condition was diagnosed. Because your Overseas Visitors Health Cover policies generally commence when you arrive in Australia, any illness that develops while you are travelling to Australia are considered to be pre-existing.
If you have an existing condition for which you want cover, or would like to protected for the duration of your journey to Australia, consider taking out travel insurance instead of, or in addition to, visitors cover.
Keep your policy paid up to date
If you fall behind in policy payments, your health fund may refuse claims or cancel your membership. This could impact on your visa status if health cover is mandatory for your visa.
Consider Extras cover
Overseas Visitors Health Cover covers you for hospital benefits only, so to receive benefits for Ancillary/Extras features like dental, optical, physio and more, consider taking out Extras cover with any Australian health fund.
For more information go to health.gov.au
