Health insurance explained

Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) is designed to help cover the costs of hospital and medical treatments for people who visit Australia and are not entitled to Medicare benefits. It helps cover the cost of doctors, anaesthetists, and medical fees, as well as other costs such as hospital accommodation, theatre fees, and pharmacy prescriptions.

With overseas visitors cover, you can go to a private hospital for treatment, and choose your own specialist and time of treatment whilst you visit Australia. Depending on your visa type and what cover you choose, a range of OVHC meets the Department of Home Affairs condition 8501.

Having health insurance will help pay some of the cost of your treatment if you require medical services while in Australia. If you don’t have private health insurance while in Australia and aren’t eligible for Medicare, you will need to pay 100% of the bill for any medical expenses you incur during your stay, including things like visiting a doctor or being admitted to hospital.

Note: Some Australian visas require you to maintain an appropriate level of private health insurance cover for the duration of your whole stay in Australia. Learn more about visa requirements.

When you take out hospital cover, you will be asked to choose a start date for your policy - this should be the date you arrive in Australia.

A reciprocal health care agreement is an agreement between two countries to cover certain health care costs. If your country has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, you will be covered for certain health care costs while you’re in Australia, while Australians visiting your country will enjoy the same benefits. The United Kingdom is one of the many countries that has an agreement with Australia. For more information and to find out if you qualify, visit the Services Australia website.

OVHC helps cover the cost of ‘inpatient’ services – these are treatments you receive when you’re formally admitted to the hospital for care, e.g surgery.

Depending on the cover you choose, OVHC can also cover ‘outpatient’ services – these are treatments you receive when you haven't been formally admitted to hospital, for example, tests and examinations (like a GP visit, x-rays or blood tests)