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What you need to know
Student visa holders need health insurance to meet their visa requirements.
OSHC is a type of health insurance designed specifically for international students who are studying in Australia. You can get different levels of cover to include additional treatments but a basic policy includes hospital accommodation and GP visits. Many health funds in Australia will also offer more comprehensive policies that cover a wider range of treatments which include out-of-hospital services such as optical and dental.
OSHC is not only a mandatory requirement for international students, but it also gives a piece of mind, knowing that you can access quality healthcare in Australia whenever needed. From personal experience, a quick tip for you is to research the best possible option that suits your needs when choosing your OSHC provider.
Your insurer will pay up to 100% of your hospital costs as long as your policy lists the treatment as covered. You may get less if you use a hospital that doesn't have a partnership with your insurer.
Doctor's visits
Your insurer will pay up to 100% of the amount that the Federal Government has determined that standard GP consultation should cost (you'll pay any difference if your provider charges more).
Prescriptions, x-rays and bloodwork
You'll usually get a set yearly dollar amount that you can apply toward prescriptions and up to 85% for specialist service costs including X-rays and bloodwork.
Emergency ambulance rides
Your insurer will pay up to 100% of your ambulance rides in an emergency. If it's not an emergency, you'll be responsible for the cost.
How are treatments like dental covered?
Most OSHC policies don't include dental cover since it's not required as part of your visa. However, international students can get extras cover for non-hospital treatments like dental, optical and physio.
You can choose from any extras policy in the Australian market and you'll hold this type of cover in addition to your OSHC policy.
What is not included with OSHC?
Keep in mind that you'll probably be unable to claim for a number of medical services and treatments under your student health insurance policy. Common exclusions include:
Treatments not covered by the Australian public health system
Treatment you require while travelling to or from Australia
Claims for treatment costs that could otherwise be covered by compensation or damages
Cosmetic surgery
Any treatments you have arranged before travelling to Australia
Non-emergency ambulance transportation
Transportation of an overseas student (or their dependant) into or out of Australia
IVF and assisted reproduction services
Who needs OSHC?
Generally, everyone with a Subclass 500 Student Visa needs OSHC. Condition 8501 on the Department of Home Affairs website says that, "You must have and maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia."
OSHC is designed to meet your visa's criteria and covers you as long as your premiums are paid and you're enrolled as a full-time student. When you take out OSHC, the insurer will email you a confirmation certificate which you can attach to your visa application.
Coming with your partner or spouse? They're covered too!
If you're travelling to Australia on a Subclass 500 Student Visa with your partner or spouse, they will also need cover. Good news is, you can apply for a couples policy to make sure you're compliant with the visa requirements.
Is OSHC mandatory for all nationalities?
You're not required to have OSHC if you're a student from Belgium, Norway or Sweden. Under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) that Australia has with those nations, you'll be able to claim benefits for certain medical treatment under the public health system called Medicare.
Belgian students. The benefits provided by the RHCA in place between Australia and Belgium is considered adequate health insurance. No student health insurance is needed to satisfy your visa requirements.
Norwegian students. As with Belgium, the RHCA between Australia and Norway satisfies the student visa health insurance requirements.
Swedish students. Health insurance is not required for Swedish students provided they are covered by a policy from the CSN (Swedish National Board of Student Aid) or the Kammarkollegiet (Swedish Legal, Financial and Administration Agency).
Be aware that if you are a student from any of the other countries Australia has an RHCA with, this does not exempt you from needing to take out OSHC.
How to provide evidence of your health insurance arrangements
"If applicants are required to provide evidence of their health insurance arrangements, any the following may be considered acceptable, unless a particular visa subclass instruction requires other specific information:
a copy of the insurance policy;
a written letter or cover note from an acceptable insurance provider, certifying that the primary visa applicant and any accompanying family members immediately upon visa grant or their arrival in Australia, are, or will be, covered by insurance that is at least as comprehensive as the prescribed adequate level of cover;
evidence that the visa applicant has lawfully enrolled with Medicare via Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RCHA);
evidence that the primary visa applicant and any accompanying family members immediately upon visa grant or their arrival in Australia, are, or will be, covered by health insurance that is at least as comprehensive as the adequate level of cover required under policy, with the understanding that the applicants will either enrol with Medicare under a RHCA or enrol in a private insurance arrangement after arrival; or
for citizens from the Republic of Ireland that may access RCHA, evidence that they hold an Irish passport.
Family members applying separately from the primary visa applicant or visa holder must produce evidence as per above, which clearly indicates that they, as dependant applicants, will be covered upon arrival in Australia by a policy with an adequate level of cover."
— Kaku Caro is a lawyer in LegalVision’s Corporate Immigration team. He has previous experience in the areas of commercial litigation, corporate and personal immigration. He also has experience advising on visa eligibility and preparing visa applications such as partner visas, employer-sponsored work visas, parent visas, and general skilled migration visas.
How to compare OSHC options
Since OSHC is a requirement for a student visa, all insurers must provide you with minimum levels of cover for it to be compliant with your visa condition. This means that when comparing OSHC options, rather than cover levels, price is one of the main comparison points.
Below is a cost comparison for 1 year of cover for a single 25-year-old coming to Australia to study with cover for 12 months.
*Prices correct at time of writing (25 August 2023) and subject to change
The costs above are for the basic cover option that just satisfies your visa requirements. Some funds, such as Medibank, offer comprehensive options that provide cover in addition to these minimum standards, and have benefits for private psychology and repatriation costs.
FAQs about OSHC and student health insurance
At the time of writing, OSHC policies are offered by 6 health funds.
Yes. If you have signed up for OSHC, you will be covered for treatments on the Medicare Benefits Schedule. It also includes emergency ambulance cover and limited pharmaceuticals.
OSHC does not cover anything considered general treatment, such as the dentist, physiotherapy or optical.
Basic level student health insurance will cover:
The same hospital treatments that are covered by the Australian public health system
Accommodation in a shared ward in a private hospital
Certain prosthetic devices
Emergency ambulance transport
The same out-of-hospital treatments that are covered by the Australian public health system
Day surgery accommodation
Pharmaceuticals ($50 per script, limit of $300 per year)
Some universities will allow you to purchase your OSHC through them, but it is not a requirement that you do. They will usually have a specific "preferred provider" that they've partnered with and this may give you access to special rates or increased levels of cover that the insurer does not offer to the general public.
If you purchase your insurance through your university, your university may also help organise your first payment to the insurer and advise the Department of Home Affairs on your behalf.
A drawback of going through your university is that there will be lack of choice. Your best bet is to see what they offer and compare it side-by-side with other policies in the market.
You have the freedom to transfer to another provider at any time. However, keep in mind that you may incur a "refund processing fee" if you transfer part-way through a cover period.
No, the only health insurance that complies with student visa requirements are policies offered by Australian providers.
If you wish to stay in Australia following the conclusion of your studies, you will need to apply for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485). You will also need to transfer your OSHC policy to an Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) policy.
No, not in most cases. Part of the 500 visa application process requires you to enter your health insurance policy number and you won't be able to enter the country if you don't have an adequate health insurance policy in place. Even if you're in Australia on a holiday, you will need to leave the country before you're eligible to apply for the 500 visa. There are some exceptions for students who are in the country on permanent visas that require you to hold an OVHC policy.
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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