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Allianz Care Australia OSHC Review

On-campus support at universities across Australia and 24/7 assistance and telehealth are some of the reasons worth choosing Allianz Care Australia OSHC.

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Pros

  • Allianz Care Australia is Australia's largest OSHC provider, with on-campus support at various universities across the country and 24/7 telehealth services.
  • Unlike other insurers, Allianz Care Australia OSHC lets you select exactly how many months you need insurance, ideal if you're in Australia for less than a year.

Cons

  • A 12-month policy costs around $627 a year, similar to other providers, but like them, you'll still incur out of pocket expenses if you need medical care.

Get quote for Allianz Care Australia OSHC

Name Product Visa Compliant Smartphone Claiming Private Hospital GP Visits Pharmaceutical Price
Allianz Care Australia Overseas Student Health Cover
$500 ($1,000 for families)
From $51.00 per month
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Allianz Care Australia OSHC: Our verdict

The Allianz Care Australia OSHC policy is designed for 500 Student Visa holders and helps out with the basics while you're living and studying in Australia. It covers you for private and public hospitals admissions, ambulance transportation, GP visits, medical tests and prescription medicine.

Allianz Care Australia is good if:

  • You need to meet condition 8501 of your visa – to hold adequate health cover.
  • You want to avoid ambulance fees.
  • You won't be covered by Medicare or want more cover.

Allianz Care Australia is not great if:

  • You want covered for services like dental, optical and physio.
  • You're coming to Australia but not as a student – you'll need a OVHC.

Review by our insurance and innovations editor Gary Ross Hunter

What types of health insurance does Allianz Care Australia OSHC offer?

Hospital icon

Hospital Coverage

All of Allianz Care Australia's hospital policies include the minimum requirements of providing restricted cover for rehabilitation, psychiatry and palliative care. It also offers full cover for accidents and ambulance rides, plus transport and accommodation support if your round trip for hospital admission is more than 200km.

Allianz Care Australia OSHC provides the following cover for students:

  • In-hospital medical services. Allianz Care Australia will pay 100% of the MBS fee for in-hospital medical services, 100% of the OSHC rate (varies by state) for shared-ward public hospital accommodation, same-day services, accident and emergency and outpatient medical and post-operative services and 100% of insurable costs in a contracted private hospital with a minimum of shared-ward accommodation.
  • Some Out-of-hospital medical services. Allianz Care Australia will pay 100% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee for medical services such as GP visits and 85% of the MBS fee for other services such as specialist visits, pathology and radiology.
  • Prescription medication. Allianz Care Australia will pay a benefit for expenses exceeding the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) patient contribution limit up to $50 per prescribed item and up to a maximum annual amount of $500 for singles and $1,000 for families.
  • Surgically implanted prostheses. Allianz Care Australia will pay 100% of the cost of items that appear on the Federal Government's Australian Prostheses list.

Extras icon

Extras coverage

Like most OSHC policies, Allianz Care Australia doesn't automatically cover extras – but you can pay more to get OSHC Extras. This can cover some common services like:

  • Dental. Up to $500 per year for basic restorations, extractions and oral surgery.
  • Optical. 75% towards the cost of glasses, frames and contact lenses (up to $150 per year)
  • Physiotherapy. Up to $350 per year towards physio, chiropractic and osteopathic consultations and treatment.

Ambulance icon

Ambulance coverage

Allianz Care Australia will pay 100% of the cost of ambulance transport by an approved ambulance service for admission to hospital or emergency treatment only. This can be an important reason for getting OSHC in Australia as ambulance services aren't covered by Medicare, so can cost over one thousand dollars.

Allianz Care Australia OSHC complaints

We looked at the 2022 Ombudsman health insurance complaints. Here's how Allianz Care Australia (which is underwritten by Peoplecare) stacked up:

  • It's a generally reliable and trustworthy service – it had a lower proportion of complaints than its market share.
  • It had proportionally more complaints than Mildura, which also offers OSHC.

This chart shows the weighted volume of complaints received by each health fund, according to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The lower the number, the better. Only non-restricted funds with a national market share of at least 0.1% are included here. Peoplecare (who underwrite Allianz Care Australia OSHC policies) is fifth overall in this ranking. The weighting ensures that funds are compared fairly; larger funds serve more customers so can potentially get more complaints.

Allianz Care Australia OSHC eligibility, exclusions and waiting periods

Now let's take a look at Allianz Care Australia OSHC in more detail:

  • Eligibility. To be eligible for cover, you must be an international student on a student visa (or applying for one) or an eligible spouse, de facto, child or stepchild of an international student.
  • General exclusions. Benefits are not payable for IVF and assisted reproductive services, treatment outside Australia, treatment arranged prior to arrival in Australia, transport into or out of Australia, treatment covered by other entitlements and elective cosmetic surgery.
  • Waiting periods. Waiting periods must be served for pre-existing medical conditions (12 months), pregnancy-related conditions (12 months) and pre-existing psychiatric conditions (no waiting period) unless deemed an emergency, in which case waiting periods may be waived.
  • Excesses. No excesses are payable under Allianz Care Australia OSHC.

Are there any other Allianz Care Australia OSHC member benefits?

There are several benefits of the Allianz Care Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) policy:

  • Meeting visa requirements: The Allianz Care OSHC policy is specifically designed for Student Visa holders studying in Australia, and it can help meet the visa requirement of having adequate health insurance coverage.
  • Large health network: Allianz Care Australia has a large network of doctors and medical providers across the country, giving policyholders access to a wide range of healthcare options.
  • 24/7 emergency assistance: Allianz Care Australia offers a 24/7 emergency and assistance phone line for policyholders, providing access to assistance whenever it is needed.
  • MyHealth app: The Allianz MyHealth app allows policyholders to easily access their digital membership card, submit and track medical claims, and view policy details on their phone.
  • Find a doctor tool: Allianz Care Australia's "find a doctor" tool helps policyholders locate healthcare professionals in their area who bill the insurer directly.
  • Hospital in the Home treatment: For certain conditions, Allianz Care Australia offers a Hospital in the Home treatment model, allowing policyholders to receive medical care in the comfort of their own home.
  • Telehealth services: Allianz Care Australia OSHC members have access to telehealth services through the Doctors on Demand platform, allowing them to speak with a qualified doctor via phone or video call at any time.

Are there any out-of-pocket costs for treatment?

It differs based on whether you're treated in-hospital or out-of-hospital:

Hospital

In-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 Care Australia 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 gap charge. Private hospitals and doctors are free to charge over and above the MBS fee (this additional amount is called the gap).

Luckily, Allianz Care Australia 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 find these providers on the website or through the app.

Nurse

Out-of-hospital

Your Allianz Care Australia policy will cover 100% of the MBS fee if you need to go to a GP. 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, so you owe 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. Unless you get OSHC extras cover, you won't be covered for other out-of-hospital expenses such as dental, physio or optical.

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Allianz Care Australia OSHC frequently asked questions

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