Australian Unity Overseas Visitor Health Cover

Australian Unity is an Australian health insurance brand that provides a range of Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) to non-residents. If you're visiting or working in Australia, your visa will most likely require that you have a sufficient level of health insurance.

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What cover does Australian Unity offer?

Australian Unity offers 6 policies for overseas visitors, broken down into working visa cover, and visitor and working holiday visa cover. All policies include cover for emergency ambulance transportation fees.

• Working visa cover
• Visitor and working holiday visa cover

Who is Australian Unity OVHC for?

Australian Unity OVHC is tailor made for visa applicants who require health insurance as part of their visa requirements. It's also suitable for you if you are travelling around Australia and you don't have travel insurance or it doesn't cover your medical expenses.

Australian Unity provides cover for working and non-working (visitor and holiday) visa holders. Here's a simple breakdown of which cover is suitable for specific visa types.

• Working Visa Cover: You will need a working visa health insurance policy if you are on a working visa. This includes visas such as the 407 Training Visa, 482 Temporary Skill Shortage Visa and the 485 Temporary Graduate Visa. You can also get cover for the 457 Visa with Australian Unity OVHC.
• Non-working Visa Cover: This is for temporary visitors who are not working, including the 600 Visitor Visa. It's also intended for those who are here and on certain working holiday visas, including the 417 Working Holiday Visa and 462 Work and Holiday Visa.

Features and benefits

Below are listed some of the main features included with Australian Unity policies.

• Cover for accommodation and theatre fees in over 500 private hospitals throughout Australia, up to yearly limits.
• Emergency ambulance transportation when you need to go to hospital.
• Help covering the costs of medical fees from doctors' fees and GP visits to tests and X-rays that occur in and out of hospital.
• Emergency room fees when you are admitted to hospital.
• Cover for a range of treatments and services including day surgery and procedures.

For a more detailed list of specific benefits and services covered, check out the table below. Remember to read the product disclosure statement (PDS) for a full list of services provided.

How OVHC works

While Australian citizens and residents have access to both Medicare (Australia's public healthcare system) and private health insurance, overseas visitors generally do not. This means if you don't have health cover, you will most likely need to pay for hospital and out of hospital services yourself.

When you sign up for a policy with Australian Unity, it will email a compliance letter that you can include as part of your visa application to make sure it is accepted.

Depending on the policy you get, Australian Unity OVHC can give you access to hospital and out of hospital (commonly known as extras) care. Keep in mind that if a doctor charges more than the standard Medicare rate, you will incur out-of pocket-expenses that Australian Unity will not cover.

Visas covered

The visas covered by an Australian Unity Overseas Visitor policy include:

How to claim

You can claim for the following services in these ways:

Emergency ambulance

For ambulance services, you can claim by mail or fax.

1. Fill out a health cover claim form.
2. Get and attach your ambulance receipt to the form.
3. Mail or fax the completed form and receipt to Australian Unity.

Hospital services

Before agreeing to hospital treatment, contact Australian Unity to make sure you're covered and to help speed up the claims process. The majority of private hospitals have an agreement with Australian Unity which will cover you for some or all accommodation and theatre fees. If you get pre-approval, the hospital will send the bill to Australian Unity.

For medical services, you will generally have to either:

• Pay the doctors up front, then claim the money back.
• Submit unpaid bills to Australian Unity.

You can mail, email or fax your health cover claim form for medical services and doctor visits. Follow these steps when submitting your claim:

1. Fill out a health cover claim form.
2. Attach any relevant receipts to the form.
3. Send the completed form and receipts to Australian Unity.