Frank Health Insurance is a not-for-profit insurer that was established in 2009 to provide simple and easy to understand private health insurance for Aussies. It now provides a policy for overseas visitors as well; that is, non-Australian citizens and residents who are coming to Australia on the 457, 482 or 485 visa.
As part of your visa requirements, you'll need to have adequate health care in place. Frank's Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) meets those requirements and sends you your visa compliance letter as soon as you purchase a policy.
Frank working visa policies currently on offer
How does Frank's Overseas Visitor Health Cover work?
Because you're not an Australian citizen or resident – and you are not eligible for reciprocal health care – you won't be entitled to use Australia's public healthcare system, Medicare. As a result, most visas require you to have some form of health insurance to help cover the costs of your medical care in Australia.
Frank's OVHC is specifically tailored to non-Australian residents and meets Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection requirements. It pays a benefit towards inpatient (hospital) services, meaning it will pay a percentage of your hospital bills. This includes:
Public and private hospital fees
Medical repatriations
Emergency ambulance
Private inpatient medical fees
Even if you are eligible for Medicare with reciprocal health care, having OVHC means you won't have to wait on public hospital waiting lists and you will also have the choice of your own doctor.
You can apply for Frank's OVHC online. A policy will cover you for a year and the application takes around 10 minutes to complete. In order to get your compliance letter straight away, which you need for your visa application, you'll need to make your first payment in advance.
What visas does it cover?
Frank's Minimum Working Visa policy covers visitors coming to Australia on a 482 Temporary Skill Shortage Visa or a 485 Temporary Graduate Visa. Once you purchase a policy, you will have satisfied the 8501 condition of the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection's working visa requirements.
What levels of cover does Frank offer?
Frank Health Insurance provides one level of Overseas Visitor Health Cover, Frank Minimum Working Visa, which provides you with basic hospital cover in Australia. You can take out this policy for one or two people. Some of the services included in this policy are:
Public and private hospital admissions
Emergency ambulance
Repatriation for up to $20,000 per membership
Funeral expenses for up to $5,000 per person
In hospital specialist services
For a full breakdown of what's included, make sure you read the product disclosure statement (PDS).
It's worth noting that GP and extras services are not covered. However, you can get extras cover with Frank as well. Extras, sometimes called ancillary services, gives you access to medical care commonly done outside of hospital like dental, optical and physiotherapy.
What are the waiting periods?
When you purchase a policy, it doesn't mean you can claim straight away. There are usually waiting periods for specific services. For Frank's Minimum Working Visa, this includes:
0-day waiting period for hospital treatment as a result of an accident.
2 months for psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care (whether or not the condition is pre-existing).
12 months for all other pre-existing conditions.
12 months for pregnancy and pregnancy related services.
If you already have a policy with another health fund and are looking to move to Frank, you probably won't have to re-serve waiting periods.
How to make a claim
In most cases, the hospital will electronically bill Frank, though sometimes it is done by mail. After Frank receives the hospital account, it will pay your benefit to the hospital. There might be situations when the hospital does not do electronic billing. If this happens and the doctor gives you a bill, pay it, then fill out a claim form from Frank and email both the bill and the form to Frank. If you paid the account, Frank will reimburse you. Alternatively, it will pay the doctor directly.
Before receiving treatment, be sure to contact Frank for a quote beforehand. This ensures you know exactly how much you're covered for.
Frequently asked questions
Yup - Frank is a not-for-profit fund. It's owned and operated by GMHBA, another Australian not-for-profit health fund. GMHBA doesn't offer OVHC policies though, so Frank is the best bet for visitors.
There are good points for and against not-for-profit health funds. They don't have shareholders, so they tend to return a bigger percentage of premiums to members through benefits. However, smaller funds may not have the same network of practitioners or support staff. It cuts both ways. We like not-for-profits in general, but you might have different needs.
Gary Ross Hunter is an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146).
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