See what’s offered by nib health cover for overseas visitors 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
Comparison of overseas visitors health cover from nib
*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 September 2017 but are subject to change in the future.The nib overseas visitor cover options
For students coming on a 485 visa,nib has a single-cover option starting from $17.20 per week for single cover. For non-students there are five 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, or students who want additional cover, there are five 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.
- Value Plus: Also covers you for pharmaceuticals, and outpatient specialist services such as X-rays or pathology which may be required.
- 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
| Budget | Value Plus | Basic | Mid | Top | |
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| Monthly price (singles cover) | $75.62 | $107.17 | $138.67 | $273.00 | $322.83 |
| Monthly price (couples) | $151.23 | $212.34 | $277.33 | $546.00 | $645.67 |
| Monthly price (family) | $219.67 | $272.98 | $362.27 | $715.00 | $819.00 |
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| Inpatient treatments |
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| Emergency facilities cover | Only when leading to hospitalisation |
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| Outpatient treatments following hospitalisation |
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| Outpatient doctor consultations |
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| Outpatient specialists (including pathology and radiology) |
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| Outpatient psychiatric consultations |
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| Pregnancy cover |
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Extras benefits
| Budget | Value Plus | Basic | Mid | Top | |
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| PBS-listed pharmaceuticals |
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| Artificial aids |
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| Physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy |
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| General dental |
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| Optical |
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| Home nursing |
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| Therapies |
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| Health appliances |
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| Laser eye surgery |
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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.
