Medibank Overseas Visitor Health Cover

To satisfy your visa requirements, you might to need to have some form of healthcare in place. Medibank offer Overseas Visitor Health Cover for most visa holders. They offer student cover, working holiday visa cover and more however, if your visa is subject to Condition 8501 this cover may not be suitable. Read below to -find out what medibank OVHC covers and whether it is the right cover for you.

Compare Medibank OVHC options

Medibank options are:

Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC)

• Overseas Visitors Everyday Hospital and Medical. This is tailored to those visiting Australia who are fit and healthy, whether to see family or for an extended holiday. It covers you for medical essentials and accidents.
• Overseas Visitors Starter Hospital and Medical. This mid-level range of cover offers protection for young people visiting Australia. It covers hospital treatments including heart, joint and cancer. However, if you need health insurance for your visa, this option does not meet condition 8501 as required.

Working Visa Health Cover

• Overseas Workers Base Hospital. This provides you with basic treatment as an admitted patient in a public or private hospital and satisfies your visa requirements.
• Overseas Workers Standard Hospital and Medical. Helps cover the cost of everyday medical services like seeing a GP. Outpatient pregnancy and birth services are not included.
• Overseas Workers Advanced Hospital and Medical. This comprehensive hospital cover includes pregnancy and birth and assisted reproductive services, heart and vascular system admissions and benefits towards GP visits, x-rays and blood tests.
• Overseas Workers Premium Hospital, Medical and Extras. As well as comprehensive hospital cover, this also cover extras, which includes out of hospital services like dental and physiotherapy.

Student Cover

• Essentials OSHC. Cover that meets your student visa health insurance requirements (for all course types), while helping towards your hospital and medical needs. Purchase online quickly and easily.
• Comprehensive OSHC. Cover that meets your student visa health insurance requirements (for all course types), helps towards your hospital and medical costs, as well as providing added value above Essentials OSHC. This product is only available through selected universities and schools. Check with your institution to see if you are eligible for this cover.

How OVHC works

• Medicare procedures. These are specified medically-necessary procedures. With this cover you can access all Medicare procedures in a private hospital, except fertility treatments.
• Excluded treatments. Generally, your health insurance will only ever pay for Medicare procedures. When a treatment is excluded, it specifically refers to a Medicare procedure that's not covered. Non-medically-necessary treatments, such as cosmetic surgery, aren't covered either despite not being specified as an exclusion.
• Gap Expenses. This is the difference between the amount charged by a hospital or medical practitioner and could vary depending on the hospital, doctor and treatment. Before undergoing medical treatments you can check the cost of a procedure and if you'll have any gap expenses.
• MBS amount. The cost of a treatment as specified by the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). Some doctors might charge more than the MBS amount for their services, but where specified you'll still only be able to claim the MBS amount and will have to pay any difference yourself.
• PBS amount. This is the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme amount. You'll need to pay a set amount yourself and can then claim up to the specified amount on your health cover for the remainder.

Finder survey: How long have people of different ages had Overseas Visitor Health Cover?

Waiting periods and limitations

Regardless of which cover type you choose, some exclusions and waiting periods will apply.

Waiting periods

You can't claim for certain services within a waiting period. These may vary depending on the policy and cover level you select, but generally you can expect:

• 12 months. Pregnancy, fertility and obstetrics-related services and pre-existing medical conditions.
• 2 months. All other hospital services including rehabilitation, psychiatric and palliative care even when it's a pre-existing conditions.
• None. Accident cover for treatments needed as a result of accidental injuries.

The excess

Depending on your level of cover a hospital excess may apply. This is an amount paid per hospital admission up to a set maximum per year (typically one or two admissions).

Depending on your cover, you might:

• Have no excess at all
• Have a set excess
• Be able to choose your own excess

Where you're able to choose your own excess, you can select a higher amount for lower premiums or a lower amount for higher premiums.

Private and public hospital limitations

The hospital accommodation cover refers to room fees and special fees that a hospital may charge, separate to the actual cost of a treatment.

• A room. The cost of a room, whether private or shared.
• Special ward or theatre fees. Additional costs for using certain facilities. For example, labour ward fees will typically be incurred as part of pregnancy "treatment" while certain surgeries will incur operating theatre fees.

Your accommodation cover might vary depending on:

• Whether you attend a public or a private hospital.
• Which private hospital you attend.
• Whether you've been formally admitted to a hospital or are receiving treatment in the emergency department prior to admission.
• Whether you're admitted to hospital for a same-day procedure or an overnight stay.

How you're covered for accommodation costs depends on your level of cover, as well as the situation. Where possible, contact Medibank prior to hospital admission to find out how you'll be covered.

Hospital and non-hospital admissions

You're covered in a different way for hospital services and non-hospital services.

• Hospital services. Treatments received after an official hospital admission for the purposes of treating a clear condition.
• Non-hospital services. All services that aren't received as part of a formal hospital stay.

For example, you might go to hospital only to get an x-ray. This won't be a hospital service even though it's within a hospital. However, if you're admitted to hospital following a car accident and get x-rays, this is a hospital service.

How to use your health insurance

• When you go to hospital. Typically, a hospital will arrange payment directly with Medibank and you'll pay the excess or gap expenses where applicable.
• Claiming out of hospital doctors services. You can arrange this with your doctor in consultation with Medibank, or pay upfront then claim back from Medibank by posting in a claim form or visiting a Medibank store.
• Additional support services. Health concerns keeping you up at night? Members are supported by Medibank nurses on their 24/7 Health Advice Line.
• Claiming extras (Overseas Workers Premium Hospital, Medical and Extras only). Your Medibank card can be swiped at participating providers to claim the cost of extras on the spot and you can simply pay the difference yourself.

How to pay premiums

Premiums will need to be paid in advance for the upcoming period. You can generally choose whether to pay for 12 months or 1 month in advance.

Premiums are payable by:

• Direct debit from a bank account or credit card.
• Direct payment. Medibank will send you a form with the specific options available.