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HBF overseas visitor cover review

HBF offers three main types of cover for visitors who are in Australia for work or leisure purposes. Its most comprehensive policy can meet some of the costs of accommodation in a private room and pharmacy expenses.

Gary Ross Hunter

Updated

May 26, 2023

Fact checked

Pros

With three core plans to choose from, you're likely to find something that fits your need: whether that's the minimum to meet your visa requirements, or some added health cover.
HBF had a lower rate of policy complaints (5.9%), compared to its overall market share (of 7.3%) in Australia. The Commonwealth Ombudsman figures were for 2022 and are the most recently available figures.

Con

You may be able to find other competitively priced options elsewhere.

This provider is not available via finder. You can visit www.hbf.com.au for more information or compare more options now.

HBF OVHC: Our verdict

HBF is good if:

You need to meet condition 8501 of your visa.
You want to avoid ambulance fees which aren't generally free in Australia.
You aren't covered by a RHCA.

HBF is not great if:

You aren't interested in some extras services like dental.
You're a student – you'll need OSHC.

_{Review by our insurance and innovations editor Gary Ross Hunter}

What types of health insurance does HBF OVHC offer?

Hospital
Extras
Ambulance

Hospital icon

Hospital Coverage

HBF offers these plans:

Standard Overseas Visitors cover. Policies start at $26.70* per week and cover you for benefits including urgent ambulance, in-hospital pharmacy and even insulin pumps.
Working Visa Hospital cover. Policies start at $25.90* per week and provide you with a range of cover for benefits including joint replacements, heart treatments and IVF.
Working Visa Hospital and Medical cover. Policies start at $42.30* per week and provide top-level cover with protection for the costs from accommodation in a private room and out-of-hospital pharmacy.

*Price is based on a single, in WA paying by direct-debit with 0% Australian Government Rebate on private health insurance and 0% Lifetime Health Cover loading price gathered 29/03/2021.

Extras icon

Extras coverage

You're also able to add extra cover to these hospital policies, which protect you from the costs from treatments like physiotherapy and massage. These include:

Flex 50s. This pays 50% towards benefits including general dental, major dental, optical, physio, chiro and more.
Complete 60s. This pays 60% towards most out-of-hospital services including general dental, major dental, optical, physio, acupuncture, healthy living programs and more.

Ambulance icon

Ambulance coverage

HBF OVHC policies can cover emergency ambulance transportation. This service isn't generally covered by Medicare in Australia.

HBF health insurance complaints

We looked at the 2022 Ombudsman health insurance complaints. Here's how HBF stacked up:

Proportionally, HBF had a strong complaints record compared to most other large health funds.

HBF wasn't first place – it was behind other insurers including Mildura Health Fund, Queensland Country Health and Phoenix.

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. HBF is sixth overall in this ranking. The weighting ensures that funds are compared fairly; larger funds serve more customers so can potentially get more complaints.

HBF OVHC frequently asked questions

For necessary medical services, except those specifically excluded under each plan, you are able to receive treatments in a private hospital, following admission.
In all cases your health insurance will only cover shared-room hospital accommodation, so you will need to pay more for a private room, or will have to pay these costs out of pocket if you are admitted to a hospital that only has private rooms available.
The more comprehensive plans also cover you for a range of out-of-hospital services, such as doctor appointments and health check-ups.
It is important to note that you may not be covered for 100% of medical expenses. You should contact HBF prior to receiving treatment to find out if any out-of-pocket expenses are involved.
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

Thank you for your feedback!

Gary Ross Hunter

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, news.com.au, The Telegraph, Explore Travel and Escape. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Kaplan Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146).

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HBF overseas visitor cover review