What do the policies cover me for?

All HBF OVHC policies cover necessary treatment as an admitted patient in a private hospital, except for anything specifically excluded under your plan. The more comprehensive plans also cover out-of-hospital services like GP appointments. You may not be covered for 100% of your medical costs, so contact HBF before treatment to check for any out-of-pocket expenses.

What are the limitations and waiting periods that apply?

Not all of these plans are suitable for working visas, and additional conditions or exclusions may apply. You are not necessarily covered for all private hospital treatments, and may be left with out-of-pocket expenses. You are generally only covered for private hospital services in HBF-partnered private hospitals. The HBF network may be more expansive in Western Australia than other states, and as such this type of cover may be most suitable for those intending to reside in Western Australia. If you will be living or working in a different state, you may want to compare other overseas visitor health cover options. Waiting periods apply as follows: 12 months. Pre-existing conditions (except psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care), maternity care services 6 months. Repatriation 2 months. Rehabilitation, palliative care and psychiatric treatments None. Ambulance cover None. All other treatments and services

How can I make a claim?

If you are admitted to hospital while you are in Australia, the hospital can check your overseas visitor cover details, and may be able to bill HBF directly. You will need to pay any remaining expenses to the hospital or practitioner as applicable.

How are premiums paid?

You can pay premiums via direct debit from a bank account or credit card.

Is there an HBF OVHC promo code?

HBF's OVHC offers change throughout the year, so check HBF's site for anything current before you buy. Other insurers also run offers on their OVHC from time to time, such as free weeks of cover. You'll find any current ones in our OVHC comparison table.

HBF overseas visitor cover (OVHC) review

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HBF's Working Visa Hospital cover starts at $59.90 a month and is its highest-scoring OVHC policy.
Emergency ambulance is included on every HBF OVHC policy with no waiting period, which matters because Medicare doesn't cover ambulance in Australia.
HBF's private hospital network is most extensive in Western Australia, so the cover suits visitors living there best.

Pros

Three hospital plans at very different price points, from visa-minimum cover at $59.90 a month up to top-level cover that includes a private room and out-of-hospital pharmacy.
Emergency ambulance is covered on all policies with no waiting period to serve.
HBF has one of the strongest complaints records of any large health fund, receiving proportionally fewer complaints than its share of the market.

Cons

You're generally only covered in HBF-partnered private hospitals, and that network is strongest in WA, so you may face more out-of-pocket costs elsewhere.
Pre-existing conditions and maternity services carry a 12-month waiting period, so the cover won't help with anything you're already being treated for.

HBF visa policies currently on offer

Finder Score	Meets condition 8501	Dental	Medical repatriation
9.5 Excellent HBF Overseas Working Visa Hospital	9.5 Excellent	$300	Optional	From $59.90	Discount: Get 6 weeks free when you join and start eligible HBF overseas working visa hospital cover, with or without extras cover. Offer ends 31 Jan 2027. T&Cs apply.	Get quote View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
7.9 Great HBF Overseas Working Visa Hospital + Medical	7.9 Great	$300	Optional	From $197.73	Discount: Get 6 weeks free when you join and start eligible HBF overseas working visa hospital cover, with or without extras cover. Offer ends 31 Jan 2027. T&Cs apply.	Get quote View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
7.5 Great HBF Standard Overseas Visitors	7.5 Great	$500	Optional	From $170.65	Get quote View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading

Finder Score for overseas health insurance

To make comparing overseas health insurance even easier, we developed the Finder Score. Factors like price, hospital cover, extras cover, emergency travel, and more are weighted and scaled across 50+ policies from 15+ providers to produce a score out of 10. The higher the score, the more competitive the policy.

Read the full methodology

HBF health insurance complaints

The Commonwealth Ombudsman's 2024–25 State of the Health Funds report excludes complaints about overseas visitor cover, so these figures reflect HBF's health insurance for Australian residents. They're still a useful guide to how HBF handles complaints overall:

HBF received 4.4% of all complaints, well below its 7.9% share of the market.
That gives it a market-share-to-complaint ratio of 56%, the best result among Australia's five biggest funds.

How to make a claim

For hospital claims, most of the work happens at the hospital. When you're admitted, give them your HBF membership details and they can check your cover and in many cases bill HBF directly. You'll need to settle anything left over with the hospital or the treating practitioner, so it's worth asking about out-of-pocket costs before you're admitted rather than after.

For extras claims, if you've added Flex 50 or Complete 60 you can claim on the spot at any provider with a HICAPS terminal by presenting your membership card. You'll only pay the gap, which is 50% of the fee on Flex 50 and 40% on Complete 60. If your provider doesn't have HICAPS, keep the itemised receipt and submit it through your HBF online account.

For out-of-hospital medical costs on the Working Visa Hospital and Medical plan, you'll usually pay your doctor first and claim the benefit back afterwards. Keep the receipt, since you'll need it to claim.

HBF OVHC frequently asked questions

All HBF OVHC policies cover necessary treatment as an admitted patient in a private hospital, except for anything specifically excluded under your plan. The more comprehensive plans also cover out-of-hospital services like GP appointments.
You may not be covered for 100% of your medical costs, so contact HBF before treatment to check for any out-of-pocket expenses.
Not all of these plans are suitable for working visas, and additional conditions or exclusions may apply. You are not necessarily covered for all private hospital treatments, and may be left with out-of-pocket expenses.
You are generally only covered for private hospital services in HBF-partnered private hospitals. The HBF network may be more expansive in Western Australia than other states, and as such this type of cover may be most suitable for those intending to reside in Western Australia.
If you will be living or working in a different state, you may want to compare other overseas visitor health cover options.
Waiting periods apply as follows:
- 12 months. Pre-existing conditions (except psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care), maternity care services
- 6 months. Repatriation
- 2 months. Rehabilitation, palliative care and psychiatric treatments
- None. Ambulance cover
- None. All other treatments and services

Sources

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Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

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Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

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Gary Ross has written 522 Finder guides across topics including:

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