Medibank is Australia’s largest health fund and in 2014 became privatised, listing on the Australian Stock Exchange (MPL)
Does Medicare Offer Overseas Visitor Health Cover?
Yes, Medicare offers Overseas Visitor Health Cover that meets visa requirements including condition 8501.
This means that when you apply for their overseas cover, you will receive a certificate which you attach to your visa application as proof you have met the ‘adequate heath insurance’ requirements of your visa.
How Does Medibank Compare To Other Australian Health Funds?
There are several elements that should be considered when comparing overseas visitor health insurance policies including price, what the excess is and benefits.
Below you can see our singles overseas visitor health insurance comparison table for those looking for cheap cover. It highlights that Medibank is priced at the more expensive end and has a $300 excess.
The below couples overseas visitor health cover insurance comparison table shows a similar story to above with all policy prices doubling compared to their singles policy. Medibank’s cheapest policy is almost $70 more expensive each month compared to HIF.
Our family overseas visitor health insurance comparison showed the same story again with most policy prices the same as couples policy except for BUPA and Medibank that charge a premium.
Things To Note If Considering Medibank Overseas Visitor Health Cover
1) Excess
There is a wide range of excess levels between the Australian health funds that offer overseas visitor health insurance. Medibank’s basic singles policy has an excess level of $300p.a. This means that if you need treatment in a hospital you will be out of pocket for the first $300. After this level your health insurance will start to contribute towards costs but you may be further out of pocket.
An excess exists to discourage individuals to go to a hospital for non-emergency elements (such as if you have a cold).
2) Agreement Hospitals
Some health policies allow you to get treated in any hospital while other’s like Medibank have agreement hospitals. This means that while you can hypothetically be treated in any public or private hospital, you will receive a higher level of funding if you get treated at an agreement hospital. Generally, if you have a Medibank policy getting treated in an agreement hospital is a ‘must’ to avoid been out-of-pocket hundreds to thousands of dollars.
3) Advice Line
Medibank has an advice line where you can call a registered professional (eg a nurse) about medical concerns you may have. An example if you may have a blood nose and like to find our recommendations on how to treat the condition. While this advice line may provide peace of mind for some basic conditions, for most conditions the person will recommend you see a GP or hospital which limits their effectiveness.
Are Medibank Reviews Favorable?
The best way to view what Medibank past and current policy holders think of the fund (and policy) the website Product Review was used. This site accepts reviews only after policy holders provide their current (or past) Medibank membership number and has reviews from all the Australian health insurance companies. These reviews can be viewed below with the average score of 1.8/5 from 195 reviews as of the 02/02/2016.
While this score is better than BUPA’s it is well behind some other overseas visitor health cover providers including Frank, IMAN and HIF.
Editors Summary
Medibank are Australia’s largest health fund and as a past policy holder, their products and service is relatively good compared to some other players. While their health insurance range for predominant residence range is well prices, the Medibank overseas visitor health cover range is priced at a premium. This may be due to the fact that as a larger brand, many overseas visitors one of their policies (irrelevant of the price) due to ‘trust’. The truth though is as long as you choose a fund that meets condition 8501 (all of which are shown on this site) there is no advantage of their policy vs competitors to meet your visa requirements. It’s worth comparing their policy to the other funds before making a purchase.
Medibank is rated 2.0 stars by 135 customers.
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