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HIF has been helping Australians look after their health care needs since 1954. As well as offering a range of domestic hospital and extras policies, HIF also offers Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) to make health insurance easy, convenient and affordable for those visiting Australia.
HIF working visa policies currently on offer
*Pricing is based on a single male planning to live and work in the State of New South Wales on a working visa who is not applying for permanent residency, is not from a country that Australia has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with and is not eligible for cover under Medicare. Prices reflect the April 1 premium rise and are accurate for December 2023 but are subject to change in the future.
HIF OVHC is designed to help you afford to pay for medical care while in Australia. It can help you reduce your out-of-pocket expenses for everything from GP visits to major surgery, giving you peace of mind for the duration of your stay.
OVHC is not a requirement for every visa but it is compulsory for the majority of long-term visas. For example, to qualify for a 457 temporary employment visa or a 676 tourist visa, you must have an adequate level of health insurance cover in place for the duration of your stay. HIF offers OVHC policies to suit working and non-working visas that include the following:
457 Temporary Work (Skilled) visa
676 Tourist visa
410 Retirement visa
Short-term visitors
Temporary residents
Norfolk Island residents
What medical services are covered?
HIF’s OVHC offers several hospital cover and extras cover policies designed to suit the different needs of foreign visitors. The cover provided by these policies is outlined below:
Comprehensive Working Visa. Top-level cover designed for those who want the highest level of protection while in Australia. It is available with an optional $500 or $1000 excess to help reduce the cost of premiums.
Intermediate Working Visa. A mid-level policy and HIF’s most popular option for working visa holders. It provides cover for a range of hospital related treatments (including GP visits) at an affordable price.
Essentials Working Visa. This entry-level option meets the minimum visa requirements to fulfil the 8501 Condition. It is intended to be as affordable as possible while providing cover for vital medical treatment and services in a public hospital.
Basic Working Visa. HIF's newest product is an affordable OVHC policy. It covers the same treatments as the Essentials Working Visa policy, including pregnancy.
Hospital treatments covered by HIF OVHC
Treatment
Basic
Essentials
Intermediate
Comprehensive
Access Gap cover
No
No
No
Yes
Urgent ambulance
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Hospital accommodation
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Maternity services
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Intensive care fees
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Theatre fees
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Pharmaceutical drugs
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Medical repatriation
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
GP visits
No cover
No cover
Covered
Covered
X-rays and pathology
No cover
No cover
Covered
Covered
Cardiac (heart) services
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Joint replacement
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Psychiatric care
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Palliative care
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Eye surgery
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Bone marrow and organ transplants
No cover
No cover
No cover
Covered
Assisted reproductive surgery
No cover
No cover
No cover
Covered
Services not covered by Medicare
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Visitor Value. This is a mid-range option fulfils the health insurance requirements for non-working visa holders aged 64 years and under. It can be taken out with a $250 or $500 excess to reduce the cost of premiums.
Visitor Saver. Designed for young holidaymakers and tourists, this policy offers a basic level of health insurance which covers you for treatment in a shared room in a public hospital. An excess option of $250 or $500 is available.
Warning. The Visitor Saver policy does not fulfil visa requirements. If you require a visa letter of compliance you need to purchase the Visitor Value policy.
Hospital treatments covered by HIF non-working visa policies
Treatment
Visitor Saver
Visitor Value
Urgent ambulance
Covered
Covered
Hospital accommodation
Covered
Covered
Maternity services
No cover
Covered
Theatre fees
Covered
Covered
Pharmaceutical drugs
Covered
Covered
Cardiac (heart) services
No cover
Covered
Eye surgery
No cover
Covered
Joint replacement
No cover
Covered
Surgically implanted prostheses
Covered
Covered
Outpatient services
No cover
Covered
Premium Options. The highest level of HIF extras policy available, Premium Options offers comprehensive cover for all the services covered by the Super Options policy, but with larger benefits and higher annual limits.
Super Options. Super Options is HIF’s most popular extras policy for Australian visitors. It covers all the same treatments and services as the Special Options policy but has higher benefit limits.
Special Options. This intermediate extras policy offers cover for all the same treatments as the Saver Options policy, but includes more generous benefit limits and major dental.
Saver Options. This entry-level policy is designed for young and healthy people and offers affordable cover for a range of common general treatments.
Vital Options. This basic policy covers general treatment services you might need, including chiro, physio, osteo and general dental, plus gives you 50% back for each service until you reach the $800 per person annual limit.
What is extras (general treatment) health insurance?
Extras covers you for medical treatments which are administered outside of hospital, such as dental, optical, physiotherapy and chiropractic services. It is worth considering adding extras cover to your OVHC policy as paying for these treatments out of your own pocket can be very costly. Be aware that an extras policy by itself does not satisfy visa requirements.
General treatments covered by HIF extras policies
Treatment
Premium Options
Super Options
Special Options
Saver Options
Vital Options
Ambulance
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Chiropractic
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Complementary therapies
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
General dental
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Dietetics
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
No cover
Healthy lifestyle
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
No cover
Optical
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
No cover
Osteopathy
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Pharmacy drugs
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
No cover
Physiotherapy
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
Podiatry
Covered
Covered
Covered
Covered
No cover
Auxiliary home nursing
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Asthmatic spacers
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Diabetes education
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Occupational therapy
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Orthoptics
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Peak-flow meter
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Speech therapy
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Blood glucose/pressure monitor
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
External prostheses
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Major dental
Covered
Covered
Covered
No cover
Covered
Nebuliser/humidifier
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Orthotic appliances
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Psychological consultations
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Assisted reproduction drugs
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
Hearing aids
Covered
Covered
No cover
No cover
No cover
What are the waiting periods on claims?
When you take out an OVHC policy with HIF, you will need to serve a waiting period before you will be eligible to access any benefits. These apply to both hospital and extras health insurance and will vary depending on the specific treatment or condition you claim for. Select your OVHC policy type to view the relevant waiting periods.
What else should I know about HIF OVHC?
Your letter of compliance will be emailed to you instantly.
If this happens, the fund may be required to notify the Department of Immigration and Border Protection that your policy has been cancelled.
If your country has an RHCA with Australia, you may be exempt from the health insurance requirement on certain visas. Australia has RHCAs with the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Malta, Sweden, Slovenia, Finland and Norway.
If your children are dependent and living with you, they remain covered until they turn 21. If they are also studying at an approved Australian education institution, they can be covered until 25 years of age.
If you want to study in Australia on a temporary student visa, you may have to take out Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
Richard Laycock is Finder’s insights editor after spending the last five years writing and editing articles about insurance. His musings can be found across the web including on MoneyMag, Yahoo Finance and Travel Weekly. Richard studied Media at Macquarie University and The Missouri School of Journalism and has a Tier 1 Certification in General Advice for Life Insurance.
Read on to find out why international students need Overseas Student Health Cover, and what sets Allianz Care Australia OSHC apart from other similar insurance products.
The 190 Visa gives you permanent residency and can lead to citizenship. Read our easy, step-by-step guide on how to apply and what health cover you will need to have in place.
If you’re applying for a TSS visa to work in Australia, we explain what’s changed from the old 457 visa and help you find Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC).
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