If you’re a foreign resident to Australia – whether you’re visiting or working – you might not be eligible for free or government-subsidised health care while you’re here. Luckily, you can get overseas visitor health cover (OVHC) for a pretty affordable price.
Allianz Global Assistance offers six policies in total, starting at less than $20 a week. Four of these policies are aimed at workers whose visas need to meet visa condition 8501, including visas 485, 417 and 482 (the old 457). The other two are aimed at visitors that don’t have visa requirements but still want protection, like those on visas 600, 601 and 651.
The cover provided by Allianz varies depending on the visa you have and the policy you choose:
Allianz Workers Insurance
Here are the policies for workers on visas 482, 485 and 417 and other working visas that need to meet condition 8501. Of course, all of these policies do meet that condition:
- Budget Working Cover. This covers 100% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee for most treatments in a public or private hospital except for assisted reproductive services (Like IVF) and cosmetic surgery that is not medically necessary. It also covers certain hospital fees including:
- Overnight and same-day hospital accommodation
- In-hospital medications
- Accident and emergency fees that lead to inpatient admission (public hospital only)
- Emergency ambulance transport
- Emergency medical repatriation cover
- Surgically implanted prostheses
- Rehabilitation
- Standard Working Cover. This is a step up from Budget Working Cove, covering all the same things plus a few other treatments and services including:
- Visits to a local doctor, known in Australia as a general practitioner, or GP.
- Non-hospital prescriptions
- Pathology
- Radiology
- Visits to other specialists
- Mid Working Cover. Covers everything the other two policies do, plus:
- General Dental
- Optical
- Physiotherapy
- Chiropractic
- Complementary therapies like acupuncture and remedial massage
- Top Working Cover. This is the highest level of cover, covering you for everything all the other policies do plus:
- Speech therapy
- Hearing Aids
- Podiatry
- Psychology
- Health management including cholesterol screening and weight management programs
Who Needs Allianz Workers Insurance?
You’ll need this type of insurance if you are on any of the following visas:
- 405 Investor Retirement
- 408 Temporary Activity
- 417 Working Holiday
- 400 Temporary Work, Short Stay Specialist
- 457 Temporary Work, Skilled (replaced by the 482 visa in 2018)
- 482 Temporary Skill Shortage
- 485. Temporary Graduate
- 489 Skilled Regional, Provisional
- 416 Special Programs
- 420 Temporary Work, Entertainment
- 461 New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship
- 462 Work and Holiday
- 401 Temporary Work, Long Stay
- 407 Training
- 188 Business Innovation and Investment, Provisional
- 402 Training and Research (closed to new applicants since 2016)
- 403 Temporary Work, International
- 580 Guardian (closed in 2016 and replaced with the 590 visa)
- 590 Student Guardian
- 476 Skilled, Recognised Graduate
- 010 BVA Bridging visa (only if the visa you are applying for requires health cover)
- 020 BVB Bridging visa (only if the visa you are applying for requires health cover)
- 030 BVC Bridging visa (only if the visa you are applying for requires health cover)
Allianz Visitor Insurance
Here are the policies for visitors on visas 600, 601 and 651 and others whose visas don’t have any special insurance requirements. Neither of these options include cover for extras like dental or optical, but you’re free to buy any extras policies on the market to supplement this cover:
- Budget Visitors. This is a hospital-only policy, covering 100% of the MBS fee for most treatments plus many secondary fees like:
- Overnight and same-day hospital accommodation
- Doctor’s fees
- In-hospital medications
- Accident and emergency fees that lead to inpatient admission (public hospital only)
- Emergency ambulance transport
- Emergency medical repatriation cover
- Surgically implanted prostheses
- Standard Visitors. Visitors Plus is a more expensive policy option that provides a higher level of cover. It covers all the same hospital expenses as the Budget Visitors policy, but with added cover for:
- Visits to a local doctor.
- Non-hospital prescriptions
- Pathology
- Radiology
- Specialist visits
Who could benefit from Allianz Visitor Insurance?
You’ll benefit from this type of insurance if you are on any of the following visas:
- 600 Visitor
- 601 Electronic Travel Authority
- 651 Visitor visa, eVisitor Tour
- 300 Prospective Marriage
Allianz Global Assistance OVHC policyholders can also benefit from:
- 24-hour support. If you experience a medical or personal situation and you need medical advice and assistance, referral to a doctor, access to legal advice or access to an interpreting service, you can phone Allianz Global Assistance’s 24-hour OVHC helpline.
- Cover for the whole family. There are single, dual and family policies available, allowing you to cover your spouse and/or any dependent children travelling with you.
- Flexible payments. You have the option to pay for your OVHC policy fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, six-monthly or annually. Premiums can be paid by automatic payments from your credit card or bank account.
- Access to agreement hospitals and doctors. Allianz has a large network of private hospitals and doctors who bill Allianz directly and save you on out-of-pocket expenses by reducing or eliminating the gap payment. The gap is the amount non-network doctors charge above the benefit amount Allianz will pay.
No. Some Allianz policies also offer benefits for extras treatments. In Australia, private health insurance can be broken down into two types of cover:
- Hospital cover. This covers medically necessary treatments that require you to be admitted to a hospital, including day hospitals. Examples include broken bones, appendicitis, cancer treatments and pregnancy.
- Extras cover. This is for supplementary health treatments that aren’t usually conducted in a hospital. Examples include dental, optical, physiotherapy and hearing aids.
OVHC policies usually combine the two types of cover into one and depending on the policy you choose, it may or may not include some extras treatments.
Allianz Global Assistance OVHC is designed for foreign residents planning on visiting or working in Australia on a temporary visa. However, Allianz also offers overseas student health cover (OSHC) for people coming to Australia to study. There are some specific situations and services for which OVHC from Allianz Global Assistance will not provide any cover, such as
- Assisted reproductive programs (such as IVF)
- Bone marrow and organ transplants
- Treatment provided outside of Australia
- Treatment for pregnancy-related or pre-existing conditions in the first 12 months of cover
- Services and treatment which are covered by compensation or damages provisions
- Elective cosmetic surgery
- Dental, optical, physio and other general treatments (unless you add Basic Extras or Top Extras to your OVHC policy)
Read the policy document closely for a full list of exclusions that apply. You should also be aware that the following waiting periods apply:
- 12 months for pregnancy-related treatment
- 12 months for pre-existing conditions
- Two months for psychiatric, rehabilitative or palliative care
Waiting periods also apply to some extras services, so check these in the policy document if you decide to include extras with your OVHC policy.
There are a couple of important factors that impact the cost of OVHC from Allianz Global Assistance:
- The level of cover you choose. Visitors Plus cover is more expensive than Budget Visitors cover.
- Whether you add extras. Select visa holders also have the option of adding Basic Extras or Top Extras cover for an additional premium.
- How many people you cover. OVHC for a single person won’t cost as much as cover for you, your spouse and a couple of kids.
If you need to make a claim on your Allianz Global Assistance OVHC policy, you will need to:
- Download a form. The OVHC claim form is available for download from the Allianz Global Assistance website.
- Fill it out. Download and complete the form with details of the service you are claiming.
- Submit your form. You can scan the completed form and any receipts and then email them to ovhcclaims@allianz-assistance.com.au, or you can post your claim and receipts to Allianz Global Assistance OVHC, Locked Bag 3004, Toowong QLD 4066.
Claims are processed within ten working days of being received.
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If you’ve submitted a claim for treatment which you’ve already paid for, you can choose to have your benefit paid by direct debit or cheque. If you’ve submitted a claim to pay for treatment, payment will be sent directly to your GP or medical provider.
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If OVHC is not a mandatory requirement of your visa, you can cancel your policy by emailing ovhc@allianz-assistance.com.au and specifying the date when you would like cover to end. If OVHC is a requirement of your visa, you’ll need to download and complete a refund form and then submit it by email or post.
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You can add extras cover if you hold one of the following visas:
- 188 – Business innovation
- 400 – Short stay
- 401 – Temporary work (long stay)
- 402 – Training and research
- 403 – Temporary work (international)
- 416 – Special programs
- 407 – Training
- 408 – Temporary activity
- 417 – Working holiday
- 420 – Temporary work (entertainment)
- 457 – Temporary work (skilled)
- 462 – Work and holiday
- 476 – Skilled – recognised graduate
- 485 – Temporary graduate
- 489 – Skilled regional
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Yes, but a 12-month waiting period applies. However, if you suffer from a pre-existing psychiatric condition, this waiting period is shortened to two months.
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No. Allianz Global Assistance OVHC only covers emergency ambulance transport.
If you need OVHC for your stay in Australia, Allianz Global Assistance’s policies are worth a closer look. Compare them with the cover offered by other OVHC providers before deciding whether they’re the right match for your healthcare needs.
