Learn more about the compulsory health insurance for foreign students in Australia, the Overseas Student Health Cover
When coming to study in Australia, students must have Overseas Student Health Cover. Good Day offers this service, making it easy to sign up. If you want to understand how the whole process works, you can watch our video ''Compulsory health insurance for students'', on Youtube. Or read the article and find out more!
OSHC and the Australian health system
In Australia, the first consultation is with the General Practitioner, the general practitioner who usually sees Aussie families. Unlike Brazil, where you can go straight to a specialist, there you need a referral from the GP, such as a dermatologist or gynecologist, for example. Consultations are necessary to obtain prescriptions for medication, just like in Brazil. But it's important to remember that the consultation is paid for at the time of the appointment. You can then ask for reimbursement through your health insurance.
In Australia, the public health system is Medicare, but international students don't have access to this system, which works like insurance. It sets "fair" rates, according to the government, for each health service. Doctors and clinics can charge as much as they like. But the government only pays Australians the amount established in the Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS). If the provider charges more, it is the patient's responsibility to pay the difference, the so-called "out-of-pocket expenses".
On this site you can also compare the benefits of each insurance provider. In general, they all offer the same benefits, except when it comes to specialist doctors, pathologies and x-rays. For these services, BUPA is the only one that covers 100% of Medicare, the others only cover 85% of MBS (remember that this is the amount stipulated by the government, the price charged can be much higher).
Step by step to request reimbursement from OSHC
Before making an appointment, contact your health insurance company to check which partner clinic is closest to you, you can do this directly through the app. Next, book your appointment with your chosen health center, the main OSHCs in Australia are: Bupa, Nib, Allianz. You can learn more about each of them here.
Remember to tell reception what insurance you have and if you need to pay the bill back, don't forget to ask for a receipt. This document should include the name of the clinic, the name of the doctor who provided the care, professional registration number, ABN and address.
With these details in hand, check with the health insurance company on the best way to send the reimbursement. This could be via email, app, letter or in person.
In the case of hospitalization, surgery or ambulance, it's the same: you pay and then request reimbursement. Be aware that most of the time the reimbursement does not correspond to the full cost of the service.
What do you need to have OSHC?
Some requirements must be met in order to be insured:
- Have a student visa
- Have a current student visa application
- Bridging Visa
- Being on a student visa before migrating to the Bridging Visa
More information about OSHC
The OSHC should cover medical consultations, hospital care, ambulance and some varieties of medication. Some insurers may also offer discounts and services in partnership with other companies.
In this case, agreements with health plans can offer "Bulk-Billed" consultations and services, which are billed directly to the plan. This way, the bill goes directly to your plan and you don't have to make the payment. Pretty similar to the health insurance system in Brazil, right?
If you want to avoid the hassle of bureaucracy when hiring OSHC, Good Day takes care of everything for you. We offer a complete service, helping you find the best option, whether for families, singles, couples planning to get pregnant, and much more. Contact us to find out more!
