nib Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC)

See what’s offered by nib OVHC and find the right cover level

Many overseas visitor and student visas for Australia will require you to have a form of health insurance, often referred to as overseas visitor health cover (OVHC) or overseas student health cover (OSHC). nib is one of many Australian health insurance providers that offers this type of cover.

nib is one of Australia’s most prominent health insurance providers, covering more than one million customers in Australia and New Zealand. It is known for flexible policies that offer a range of options and cover levels, and brings the same benefits to its OVHC

The nib overseas visitor cover options

For non-students there are four levels of cover to choose from, so you can balance your cost and health needs to find a policy that’s right for you.

• About nib health cover for students

  For overseas students who want to fulfill visa requirements you are covered for:

  • 100% of public hospital, and nib-agreed upon private hospital, expenses up to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) amount
  • 85% of the MBS amount for out-of-hospital specialist services and treatment to support day to day health needs, such as pathology or X-rays
  • 100% of the MBS amount for in-hospital specialist services, and eligible, necessary MRI scans
  • 100% of the MBS amount for doctor visits and consultations
  • 100% of the benefit covered for approved surgically implanted prostheses
  • Up to $50 for prescription medication, after you pay the PBS patient contribution amount (around $37)
  • 100% of medically necessary ambulance transportation, by a state or territory ambulance service

For other overseas visitors who want additional cover, there are four options to choose from, all of which meet visa requirements. nib offers these through IMAN, a subsidiary largely focused on healthcare for overseas visitors.

• Budget: Basic cover for emergencies. You will likely need to pay out-of-pocket expenses for things like doctor visits, and other relatively basic health needs.

• Basic: Effective cover for wider, everyday health needs, such as doctor consultations, outpatient medical services and basic health needs.

• Mid: Effective cover for emergency and outpatient health needs, includes cover for pharmaceuticals, physiotherapy, chiropractics and osteopathy.

• Top: You are covered to a high level, including for pregnancy, outpatient and inpatient services and for a wide range of ancillary health procedures.

Hospital benefits

Extras benefits

What’s not covered

Non-Medicare services are not covered by any of the cover types, except the applicable extras. Each cover type also has some specific exclusions which you cannot claim benefits for:

Budget:

• General dental and optical
• Outpatient medical
• Outpatient pharmaceutical
• Non-medicare procedures
• Assisted reproductive
• Bone marrow and organ transplants

Value and Basic:

• General dental and optical
• Outpatient psychology and psychiatry
• Non-Medicare services
• Assisted reproductive
• Bone marrow and organ transplants

Mid:

• General dental and optical
• Outpatient psychology
• Non medicare services
• Assisted reproductive services
• Bone marrow and organ transplants

Top

• Outpatient psychology
• Non-Medicare
• Assisted reproductive services
• Bone marrow and organ transplants

Benefits and features of each

All cover levels will fulfill your visa requirements and also entitle you to specific additional benefits.

• Emergency ambulance cover included
• No excess for any services or hospital admissions
• Repatriation benefits, to transport you back to your home country if medically required
• Funeral expenses cover, up to $20,000

Limitations and waiting periods to be aware of

In all cases, you will only be covered up to 100% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) amount for hospital and other medical services. This is the “normal” cost of procedures according to Australia’s public healthcare system. Some policies and treatments will only let you claim up to 85% of the MBS amount, in which case you will need to pay the difference yourself. In all cases you will only be covered for the specified situations and treatments listed in your policy.

If you undergo treatments with a doctor who charges more than the MBS amount, such as you might find at a private clinic, you will need to pay any difference yourself.

You can check beforehand to see how much a doctor charges, and whether you’ll incur any gap expenses.

Waiting periods also apply, and you cannot claim for the specified services immediately after taking out cover.

• Ambulance cover: No waiting period
• Inpatient psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation: 2 months
• Pre-existing conditions and pregnancy-related services: 12 months

How to make a claim

When you go to a hospital, you can often talk to the receptionist or hospital admissions officer, and direct them to call IMAN on 1800 22 11 33, and provide details of the account. Here, the hospital can contact nib/IMAN for payment directly.

For services already provided, you can also fill out a claims form, downloadable online, and send it to the addresses specified on the form, after which the appropriate expenses can be reimbursed to you.

Note that claims can only be paid up to two years after services are rendered, and your overseas visitor insurance must be active at the time in order to make a claim.

Compare nib's range of overseas visitors cover