Medical services in Australia are extremely expensive and even harmless injury or pain can bring you unexpectedly high costs.
That is why it is always recommended to have health insurance for Australia that will make your stay carefree and enjoyable.
Types of Health Insurance and How to Choose the Right One?
The type of private health insurance depends on the visa you have. When it comes to tourist visas for Australia, the appropriate type of health insurance is the Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC).
As mentioned above, it is always strongly recommended that you have health insurance for your stay in Australia.
However, if you have condition 8501 on your valid visa (whether it’s a tourist or some other type of visa), it obliges you to have proper health insurance for yourself (and for family members if they travel with you). In that case, adequate insurance is again the Overseas Visitor Health Cover – OVHC.
What does OVHC Insurance Cover for Tourists in Australia?
The insurance cannot cover all the costs that may occur, but, it is important to be well-informed about what the policy covers.
OVHC policies can vary. In most cases, OVHC covers hospital treatments and some costs of medical services.
You should be very careful when purchasing it, as many of them cover the costs of previously known medical conditions only after the first 12 months.
Also, OVHC can cover the cost of pharmaceuticals, but some limitations may apply and you might be required to pay extra for the pharmaceuticals.
Keep in mind that you can bring certain medical devices and pharmaceuticals to Australia in defined quantities on which you need to be informed beforehand.
Medicare Health Insurance for Tourists in Australia
If you have a tourist visa for Australia and passport from one of the following countries:
- United Kingdom,
- The Republic of Ireland,
- New Zealand,
- Sweden,
- The Netherlands,
- Finland,
- Belgium,
- Norway,
- Slovenia,
- Malta, or
- Italy
you can apply for Medicare Health Insurance for Australia based on your nationality from the above list and your country’s Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with Australia.
Medicare is an Australian public health insurance and it is available to Australian citizens and permanent Australian residents in most cases.
Even if you qualify for Medicare insurance, you can have a private health insurance in addition which would be complementary to Medicare, as Medicare cannot cover all the costs that may occur.
Planning a visit to Australia? See how to apply for a Tourist visa for Australia.
