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Allianz is a trusted name in the insurance industry, taking care of the insurance needs of millions of people in Australia and around the world. Allianz Global Assistance provides health cover to international students studying in Australia through its Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
As a condition of their student visas, international students must have OSHC for the entire time they are in Australia and Allianz OSHC provides them with access to both in- and out-of-hospital medical services. Allianz Global Assistance is the preferred provider for more than 70% of Australian universities. This guide looks at what Allianz OSHC has to offer and what sets it apart from other similar insurance products.
Most visitors applying for a Student Visa Subclass 500 will be required to take out private health insurance as a condition of their visa. This is known as condition 8501, and it states that the visa holder must maintain "adequate arrangements for health insurance while in Australia." Although the law doesn't spell out what is meant by "adequate arrangements", various policy documents have come to interpret this as meaning a policy that:
You do not need to use an Australian insurer as long as your local insurer can meet these requirements. However, Allianz and other Australian insurers would be better placed to understand local regulations.
Allianz Global Assistance OSHC provides the following cover for students:
Allianz Global Assistance OSHC does not provide cover for any of the following:
It differs based on whether you're treated in-hospital or out-of-hospital:
If you are treated in a public hospital, there will not usually be any out-of-pocket costs, since public hospitals charge the exact fee stated in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Allianz covers 100% of your MBS fee.
However, you may face out-of-pocket costs in a private hospital. One major reason for this is the doctor's gap charge. Private hospitals and doctors are free to charge over and above the MBS fee (this additional amount is called the gap). Private health insurance doesn't usually cover this gap unless your insurer has a special arrangement in place with that doctor or hospital. The cost of accommodation, doctor's fees, blood work and prescriptions can also exceed the insurer's benefit amount in a private hospital.
Luckily, Allianz has agreements in place with a wide network of private practitioners throughout Australia, with whom they've negotiated lower rates for their members. You can easily locate these providers on the Allianz website or through the app, and if you visit one of these, you can save on your out-of-pocket expenses.
Your Allianz policy also has no excess, which is an additional out-of-pocket expense many other policies make you pay per hospital visit.
Your Allianz policy will cover 100% of the MBS fee for doctor's visits. Some doctors charge more than this, and you'll be responsible for the difference (called the gap). If you don't want this extra charge, you'll need to look for a "bulk billing" practitioner. These doctors charge only the MBS fee, leaving you owing nothing.
Your policy also covers 85% of the MBS fee for specialist visits. If you visit a specialist, you'll be responsible for the additional 15% plus any gap.
Now let’s take a look at Allianz OSHC in more detail:
There are a number of other benefits of joining Allianz, including:
Allianz refers to its network of partner providers as direct-billing medical providers. There are two main benefits to visiting one of these providers:
To find a doctor, simply visit the Allianz website or app and enter your location. You can filter by languages spoken, by medical specialty and by gender of the practitioner. When visiting one of these providers all you have to do if provide swipe your membership card and they will bill Allianz directly for Allianz' share of the bill. You will have to pay the rest.
You are not required to use a practitioner in Allianz' network. Just be aware that you may have higher out-of-pocket costs and you will have to make your claim manually.
Allianz Global Assistance provides three easy ways to make a claim on your OSHC policy:
Category | Option to claim? | Explanation |
---|---|---|
Online | Yes | Student can login via our Allianz website |
Customer App | Yes | Students can download the app |
Yes | ||
Yes | ||
Phone | Yes | |
In-store | No | |
On Campus | Yes | Allianz have locations at over 50 campuses across Australia |
HICAPS | No | |
Network of Direct Billers | Yes | Allianz have a Network of Direct Billers you can access and claim automatically using your student card. |
Q. Who doesn't need OSHC?
Q. When does a waiting period commence for a pre-existing condition?
Q: How much does Allianz OSHC cost?
Q. What happens if I need treatment while I’m in Australia?
Q. Can I take out OSHC with an overseas insurer?
Q. I am leaving Australia and my OSHC has not yet expired. Can I get a refund?
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