Insurance for international travel and overseas medical costs

Does Medicare or health insurance cover me overseas?

Private or public, Australia has one rule about its health care - it's gotta happen in Australia. Neither Medicare or domestic private health insurance will cover you while you're overseas. Once you're back you can head straight to hospital and get treatment as usual. But if you're outside of Australia when something goes wrong, you'll have to pick up the bill - unless you have travel insurance.

How to cover overseas medical costs

If you're travelling and want medical coverage, you're going to want a good travel insurance policy. Travel insurance covers you for medical costs while you're in a different country, but it can also covers you for trip disruptions, lost or stolen belongings and more. Medical care in a different country can be really expensive - like, hundreds of thousands of dollars. As far as we're concerned here at your favourite website that starts with the letter 'f', travel insurance is essential.

Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCAs)

Okay, so there is one exception to the overseas medical cover rule above, and that's Reciprocal Health Care Agreements, or RHCAs. If you're an Aussie citizen, there are 11 countries where the cost of medically necessary care will be covered for you.

However, that's no excuse to not get travel insurance. Even if you're only travelling to countries with an agreement, travel insurance can cover more costs than the agreement will include - repatriation and emergency evacuation for example. In any case, your health is way too important to risk - get travel insurance!

Australia has RHCAs in place with the following countries:

Health insurance for visitors to Australia

So far we've been talking about Aussie citizens. But what if you're stumbled upon this page on your way to Australia from overseas? Well, most working, study and visitor visas in Australia have the 8501 visa condition. This condition requires you to have adequate health and medical coverage for your entire trip to Australia.

You can get this with a comprehensive travel insurance policy, but a more comprehensive option is to get Overseas Visitor Hospital Cover (OVHC) with an Australian insurance provider. Especially for working and student visas, this really is the better option. Local health funds have pre-established relationships with local medical professionals and hospitals and will do a better job of serving you while you're here. Also, because the companies have custom made their policies to suit the requirements of the Department of Immigration, you'll never have to worry about the visa condition.

What about medical tourism?

We can't talk about overseas medical costs without covering medical tourism. Whether it's heading to Turkey for a hair transplant or South East Asia for a new set of teeth, medical tourism is both on the rise, and absolutely not covered by Medicare or any type of health or travel insurance.

Now we're not here to tell you what to do...but you really should not go overseas for a medical treatment. Don't just take it from us, the Aussie government agrees. Medical tourism is dangerous, scams are common, and if something goes wrong you could be on the hook for a massive overseas medical bill that won't be covered. There are some horror stories out there.

Frequently asked questions

• Does my health insurance cover international travel

  Unfortunately not. In Australia, any cover from a health insurance policy you've purchased from an Aussies provider will only apply to treatment you receive within Australia. If you happen to get injured or fall ill while you're overseas, you'll likely have to foot the bill yourself, unless you have travel insurance that covers you for health conditions.

• Do I need travel insurance to travel to New Zealand?

  Yes, you will. If you're a citizen or permanent resident of Australia and on a temporary visit in New Zealand, you may be able to receive publically funded medical treatment as part of the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) the countries share. This may only fund a portion of your costs and will apply for treatments that are deemed immediately medically necessary. This does not mean you don't need travel insurance. Having your medical costs covered by a RHCA can only happen under specific conditions, and for the most part, you'll need a travel insurance policy that covers medical costs to be financially compensated if something unexpected happens overseas.

• Does Medicare cover me overseas?

  Medicare won't cover you for any injuries or illnesses you receive while you are overseas. If anything does happen, it's likely that you'll have to pay any treatment costs out of your own pocket or wait till you arrive back home to receive treatment.

  However, there is one situation where you may be able to get assistance from the government. If you are travelling in one of the 11 countries that have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia, a portion of your medical costs can be publically funded. This only applies if your condition is an emergency or is considered medically necessary care before your return home. In general, you will still need your own travel health insurance.

Written by

Tim Bennett

Insurance expert

A seasoned journalist with over 10 years of experience in news, politics and finance reporting, Tim has previously held roles at the ABC, SBS and Fairfax Media. Tim’s expert insights have been quoted in The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and more. He regularly appears on TV and radio, and has been interviewed on 7 News, Sunrise, SBS News, ABC Local, 3AW and 5AA. Tim is passionate about simplifying complex insurance topics for Australian consumers. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics) from Macquarie University and a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification, which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). If you’re interested in a media interview with Tim, please reach out to our PR team at aupr@finder.com. See full bio

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Co-written by

Cameron Thach

Writer

With a background in writing across education, Web3, and finance, Cameron’s mission is to create content that speaks directly to readers in a way that’s easy to understand, helping them navigate complex topics with confidence. Cameron studied a Bachelor of Commerce, Economics and Marketing at Macquarie University, graduating in 2019. See full bio