You could have an ‘n’ number of reasons for visiting one of the best countries in the world, Australia. You have your schedule ready, your aim set, your ticket & passport in check and you’ve mentally travelled already to Australia. You also start getting dreams of sitting in top-class Australian landscapes and enjoying the beauty of the same, living every moment as time goes by. But hey! Where is your Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC)?
If you read the last sentence of the paragraph above, your first reaction could be, "Why do I need insurance when I’m just here to enjoy or work for a while?” As a visitor, you might be here, in Australia to visit your friends or family and spend some quality time with them or probably, enjoy Australian sightseeing from a cruise or if you’re a businessman, it could even be developing your business. You could also be a student who’s recently graduated from an Australian Institution or another country, but have the necessary skills & qualifications to stay & work in Australia, you maybe are an overseas skilled worker who’s sponsored by an Australian employer to fill a suitable role a fellow Australian can’t take.
But whatever the case is, before visiting Australia, it is highly recommended and even mandatory in many instances, depending on the type of your visa, to get yourself & your families adequate Overseas Health Insurance for the entire period of your stay in Australia. What is it for? To help curb financial liability! Financial liability? What’s a liability in healthcare? Let us tell you this. Australia is one of the few countries in the world that takes pride in providing top – class healthcare to its citizens. With top – class comes top costs. A single day in an Australian hospital with the most basic facilities could easily reduce your bank balance by AU$ 1000. Yes, one thousand Australian dollars for a single hospital day! But hey! You only need to pay this, if you don’t have an adequate OVHC Cover. So, what’s the smart thing to do here? Pay out of pocket or take insurance and stay expenses – free for a majority of health-related costs?
So, a smart choice would be to buy a suitable OVHC as per your budget & need and prevent paying hefty amounts to something that you could avoid. But again, what is generally included in your Overseas Visitor Visa Insurance? To begin with, here are a few Overseas Health Insurance Features that you stand insured to if you have an OVHC ^:
- Overnight or same – day accommodation.
- Operating Theatre, Labour ward fees & Intensive care fees.
- Emergency transport via an ambulance to a hospital, emergency room & emergency staff fee.
- Medications listed under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
- In – hospital & out – hospital doctor general physician & specialists’ fees. Up to 100% of the Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) covered in such cases.
- Coverage for various services like radiology & pathology.
- 100% insured for Surgically Implanted Prostheses.
- Private room wherever available.
- Gastric banding & rehabilitation services in case of accident.
- In – patient psychiatric accommodation.
- Physiotherapy
- Funeral expenses, home – country repatriation,
- Renal dialysis, Hernia surgery, removal of tonsils & appendicitis.
- Back surgery.
- Cardiac-related services *.
And lot’s more, again, depending upon the type of insurance & the brand you choose to go with.
Now that we’ve seen general features that are included let us have a look at some excluded features; where you are ineligible to get compensation. In other words, your OVHC insurance doesn’t back you for the below-mentioned costs arising from:
- All claims which relate to services when a policy is suspended/removed.
- Expenses incurred within waiting periods.
- Services provided or rendered outside of Australia.
- Pre-existing conditions.
- Pregnancy and birth related care
- Hips and Knee Replacement, Cataract
- Rehabilitation, if the incident occurred before arriving in Australia.
- In – Vitro Fertilization (IVF) & other assisted reproductive services.
- Bone marrow & organ transplants.
- If another source claims compensation, damages or benefits.
- Luxury room services and services not covered under Medicare.
- Cosmic surgery or experimental surgery.
- Choosing your own health provider rather than going with the hospital’s registered practitioner for in-hospital treatment.
- Out – patient pharmaceutical costs, Non – PBS high-cost drugs & experimental drugs.
- Drugs or medicines purchased over – the – counter without a prescription issued by a Medical Practitioner.
There may be even more grounds stating which your insurer may deny paying of your medical costs incurred via treatment.
But as you can see, all significant medical ailments & processes are generally covered or are insured by various insurers. At GetMyPolicy, we are here to help you make your best choice regarding your OVHC health insurance if you’re travelling to Australia. With us, make your choice of selection between the best government certified OVHC providers. Compare available features, know what you pay for & then, make your choice! When you buy from us & upload your policy, you stand to get 15 FREE PTE practice tests!
^NOTE: THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES MIGHT/MIGHT NOT CHANGE OR EVEN REMAIN THE SAME, NEW SERVICES COULD BE ADDED OR OLD ONES COULD BE DELETED CONCERNING VARIOUS PROVIDERS. THE SERVICES COULD AGAIN DIFFER FROM A PUBLIC/PRIVATE/PARTNER HOSPITAL. THEREFORE, PRICES & SERVICES ARE BOUND TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE, AND THE WRITER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CHANGES IN ANY MANNER. THE WRITER NEITHER ENDORSES ANY PARTICULAR INSURANCE BRANDS.