Australia is known as a country of a highly developed health care system, but it is also known for its expensive medical services.
You have probably heard stories about people that needed medical assistance in Australia, but didn’t have any health insurance or didn’t have an insurance that could cover their costs sufficiently.
If you are planning to stay in Australia temporarily, for example as a tourist, it is recommended that you have Australian health insurance that will make your stay more carefree and enjoyable.
However, for some temporary visas, such as a student visa for Australia or for a specific subclass of temporary work visa for Australia, you are required to have an Australian health insurance as this is a requirement for your visa application.
We Offer Discount
The cost of the health insurance always depends on several factors: your age, length of stay in Australia, whether it is a group or individual insurance, and etc., but buying insurance with us can get you a significant discount that ranges from a few dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on the period for which the insurance is needed.
We are partners with three insurance companies in Australia:
and we would be more than happy to help you choose the right insurance so that you can fully enjoy your stay in Australia.
We are here to enable you a quick and easy purchase of Australian health insurance, that suits your needs and budget, and at lower prices whenever it is possible.
Types of Health Insurance for Australia
The table below will show you in a simple way what health insurances for Australia you should purchase depending on the type of visa you have.
| Types of visas * for Australia | Types of health insurance for Australia |
| Student visa for Australia | Student health insurance for Australia is one of the conditions for having a student visa granted. You need to have a specific private health insurance called Overseas Student Health Cover – OSHC. |
| Temporary work visas for Australia | Temporary work visas for Australia, such as work visas of subclass 482 and subclass 485, require Overseas Visitor Health Cover – OVHC which is also a condition for having a visa granted. |
| Any type of Australian visa that has a condition 8501 | If you have a condition 8501 on your valid Australian visa, it obliges you to have proper health insurance for yourself and/or your family members. In this case Overseas Visitor Health Cover – OVHC will be the right for you. |
| All Other Types of Temporary Visas for Australia | The Overseas Visitor Health Cover – OVHC is the appropriate type of health insurance for Australia. |
*The table shows only temporary residence visas for Australia, as Australian permanent residents (in most cases) and Australian citizens can use Medicare services.
Medicare is Australia’s public health insurance that covers most of the treatment costs for those who qualify. Information about Medicare can be found on this link.
Student Health Insurance in Australia
One of the requirements for applying for a student visa for Australia is having a specific type of health insurance called the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
What does OSHC Insurance for Students in Australia Cover?
OSHC can cover the costs of medical and hospital treatments, as well as the cost of ambulance services.
OSHC cannot cover the cost of dental, optical or physiotherapy unless you take Extra OSHC that covers those things too.
OSHC can also cover international travel insurance if you pay extra for this coverage.
OSHC also covers the cost of pharmaceuticals, but it can be covered up to $300 per year per person ($50 per pharmaceutical item) or $600 for families per year. If you need more expensive pharmaceutical items you can expect additional expenses.
Keep in mind that you can bring certain medical devices and pharmaceuticals to Australia in defined quantities. To read more about it, please, check the website Entering Australia.
Medicare Health Insurance for Students
Applicants for a student visa from countries such as United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, Italy or New Zealand can apply for Medicare Public Health Insurance of Australia based on their countries’ Reciprocal Health Care Agreements.
Students need to be sure beforehand if Medicare insurance is sufficient or they need to purchase private insurance with it.
Even if you hold a passport of one of these countries, it does not necessarily mean that you will be exempt from the obligation to purchase private health insurance for Australia, which may be complementary to your Medicare insurance if you are already eligible for it.
Health Insurance for Tourists and Temporary Workers in Australia
Tourists arriving in Australia are always advised to have health insurance to spare themselves the enormous costs of treatment that may occur during their stay in Australia.
For temporary workers in Australia with subclass 482 and subclass 485 visas, having the right health insurance is a condition for their visa to be granted.
In both cases, the appropriate type of health insurance is Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC).
What does OVHC Insurance for Australia Cover?
OVHC policies can vary, but most of them, regardless of the scope of coverage, will not cover all the costs that may occur.
In most cases, OVHC covers hospital treatments and some costs of medical benefits.
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 there are also limitations and you might need to pay extra.
Keep in mind that you can bring certain medical devices and pharmaceuticals to Australia in defined quantities. To read more about it, please, check the website Entering Australia.
Medicare 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 country’s Reciprocal Health Care Agreements.
If you have a student visa for Australia and have a passport from one of the following countries: United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, Italy or New Zealand, then you can apply for Medicare health insurance to cover your medical costs during your stay in Australia as a student.
Students from Norway, Finland, Malta and the Republic of Ireland cannot be covered by Medicare health insurance in Australia on a reciprocal basis and they must purchase the OSHC insurance that we mentioned above.
For more information, visit this link.
Purchasing Private Health Insurance for Australia
We can help you purchase the private health insurance for a given period of your stay in Australia with an insurance company that we are partners with and at a discount price whenever it is possible.
We are partners with three insurance companies in Australia:
The cost of insurance always depends on a number of factors (your age, length of stay in Australia, whether it is a group or individual insurance, etc.), but purchasing insurance with us you can get you significant discounts with a range from a few dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on the period for which insurance is needed.
We will also send you price list and policies to the coverage of insurance, but please beware that the policies are written by insurance companies and that we are not responsible for the contents of the policies and the coverage they provide.
We are here to enable you a quick and easy purchase of Australian Health Insurance that suits your needs and budget, and at lower prices whenever it is possible.
You can always contact us if you have questions on one of the available contacts, and we can give you suggestions for purchasing private health insurance for Australia.
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