If you're coming to Australia on a temporary working visa, you'll need a specific type of Overseas Visitor Health Cover – workers cover. This is a type of health insurance designed for people who come to work in Australia on a temporary basis.
When you apply for a visa, most come with condition 8501 which states that you need to have health insurance while you're in Australia. All the policies above meet the requirements outlined in your visa.
This also means you'll need to purchase a policy before you complete your visa application. When you take out cover, they'll send you a certificate straight away to put with your application. You generally won't be charged until you arrive in Australia.
| Response | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.42% | 0.19% |
| 2 | 0.42% | 0.19% |
| 4 | 0.38% | |
| 5 | 0.38% | |
| 3 | 0.19% |
Your insurer will pay up to 100% of the MBS fee as long as your policy covers the treatment. You may be covered for less if you use a hospital that doesn't have a partnership with your insurer.
Your insurer will pay up to 100% of the amount that the Australian Government has determined that a standard GP consultation should cost. You'll need to pay the difference if your doctor charges more.
You generally get a yearly dollar limit that you can claim for prescriptions and specialist service costs such as x-rays and bloodwork.
Your insurer will pay for ambulance rides in an emergency. If it's not an emergency, you'll need to pay for the costs.
There are certain service and treatment exclusions that your policy will generally not cover, such as:
No. Some people on visas from countries which have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia do not need to get OVHC. They are eligible to receive subsidised health care treatment (Medicare).
Australia has agreements in place with the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, The Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Malta and Italy:
If you're coming from any of these countries to work in Australia, you should enrol for Medicare when you get to Australia.
RHCAs don't cover everything. You will be out of pocket for ambulance transportation (in most states) dental care, medical evacuation and private patient treatment, so it might still be worth getting OVHC even if you are eligible for Medicare.
Prenatal care in Australia is covered by Medicare, meaning it’s mostly free through the public system. You can choose to go private, which comes with a lot of benefits – but there are out-of-pocket expenses to watch out for.
The 8501 visa condition means you need to get health insurance for your stay.
See if Latrobe health insurance is right for you.
RT Health Fund offers a range of health cover options to transport and energy industry employees and their families.
Do you qualify for Defence Health health insurance? Find out what you could receive and what options are available to ADF members as well as their families and siblings.
Looking for health cover but aren't sure which policy is best? This article looks at Australian Unity's health insurance options and helps you decide whether any of its policies are what you need.
Our experts compared 30+ funds and analysed hundreds of policies to help you find the best health insurance.
Start your search today to find a Queensland health fund that offers value for money and the cover you need.
HCi is a not-for-profit health fund that offers hospital, extras and combined cover that includes a wide range of medical services and treatments.
As a not-for-profit brand, HIF is able to offer low premiums across both hospital and extras policies.