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Health insurance for overseas visitors works a little differently than what's available to locals, so Allianz makes it easy to understand by breaking it down into three streams of cover, each tailored to a different type of visitor: students, workers and travellers.
If you fall into one of these groups, Allianz has a selection of policies just for you, whether you're a student or worker whose visa requires it, or you're a backpacker who just wants some extra protection.
Allianz is one of the largest insurance companies in the world, operating in 66 countries around the globe. The division of Allianz that offers health insurance to overseas visitors is called Allianz Global Assistance.
It was born in 1983 as a company called Worldcare, when its founder struggled to safely bring his son home from overseas.
It has since joined the Allianz Group and specialises in helping people travel safely with products like Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC), Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), roadside assistance, travel insurance, emergency home assistance and more.
Allianz offers three streams of cover to different types of visitors: students, workers and travellers. Each of these groups has slightly different needs and Allianz' policies cater to them accordingly.
Here are the options available to all types of visitors:
For most students, the number one feature they need in a health insurance policy is for it to meet visa condition 8501, which is the government's requirement for the student to have adequate health insurance.
Allianz offers two OSCH policies that meet this condition. These are Standard Cover and Essentials Cover. The standard policy has a 2 month waiting period for psychiatric services and 12 month waiting period for pregnancy related services. Both Essentials and Standard policy have a 12 month waiting period for pre-existing conditions. Students are covered for a range of treatments and services including:
Here's what it provides for students such as those on visa 500:
Most workers visiting Australia also need insurance that meets visa condition 8501. Allianz offers four policies for workers who need it, such as those on visas 482, 485 and 405. These are:
Allianz also also uses the term OVHC to refer to its visitors cover, although Allianz does not promise that these policies meet condition 8501. That's because these travellers aren't required to meet this condition for their visas.
Here are the policies available for travellers, such as those on visas 600, 601 and 651:
There are a number of benefits of going with Allianz, including:
Your Allianz health insurance id is your policy number listed on your certificate of insurance.
You'll need that to register for Allianz' online member portal and app, where you can make a claim, find a doctor, update your membership details and access the Global Assistance Helpline.
Once you sign up, you can simply login using your email address and password.
Claiming is slightly different for Allianz' OSHC and OVHC policies.
If you visit one of Allianz's Direct billing providers, your claim is automatically sent to them and payment is made directly to the medical provider. Alternatively, you can also use the My OSHC Assistant app to make a claim. All you need to do is download the app, create an account, select submit claim and upload photos of your invoices and receipts.
You can also sometimes claim in person with a cash claim on-campus. Cash claims are available at most major education providers. There is a limit of $105 per invoice, and your medical bill needs to be paid.
With OVHC, when you make a claim, you can either claim money back for the treatment you've already paid for or claim money to pay for the treatment. To claim, download the OVHC claim form, print and fill out the form, scan your completed form and any relevant receipts and invoices and email them to ovhcclaims@allianz-assistance.com.au with your policy number as the email subject line. If you'd rather post your claim, send it to:
Allianz Global Assistance OVHC
Locked Bag 3001
Toowong QLD 4066
Most reviews online pertain to Allianz travel insurance. The travel insurance product is also powered by Allianz Global Assistance, meaning you'll be dealing with the same support team. Reviews seem to sway positive toward customer service and efficiency of claims.
However, you should take reviews with a grain of salt and you should seek out opinions elsewhere, such as on travel forums or through friends and family.
