Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is an international student health insurance that Australia requires students to buy before a visa is approved, and the duration of the visa needs to be synchronized with that of the OSHC. A number of Australian companies are now OSHC insurers designated by goverment; this article will lead you through the various services provided by OSHC and how to use OSHC to see a doctor. So that overseas people in Australia to deal with investment migrants and business migrants, if the children happen to have the need to study in Australia, can also do so.
Services provided by OSHC
Australia's medical conditions are good, but without OSHC health insurance, ordinary hospitalization costs more than A $1000 a day. Therefore, the importance of OSHC is self-evident.
OSHC mainly includes: local general practitioner's treatment fee; outside hospital specialist treatment; in-hospital treatment; prescription medicine; emergency ambulance assistance.
Insurance companies designated by goverment:
- Alliance Global Assistance
- Medibank Private
- BUPA Australia
- nib OSHC
- Australia Health Management
According to the 2016 fee standard, the most basic overseas student health insurance, or insurance plan that meets the minimum insurance requirements set by the goverment, will cost about $400 to $550 a year.
Australia's goverment requires that international students must always be insured while they are in Australia. Therefore, students to sign at the same time to apply for insurance, insurance for a minimum period of one year, due to the insurance company to renew.
The method of using OSHC student insurance to see a docto
After entering the country, actively contact the insurance company to apply for overseas student medical insurance card (OSHC card). After that, if you need to see a doctor, buy medicine, stay in hospital, have a medical card, reimbursement of medical expenses is much more convenient. When seeing a doctor, there will be different ways to deal with the general situation and the emergency condition.
general run of things
If you need to see a doctor, if it is not a medical emergency, you should first contact (GP)., a general practitioner at the local medical center. You should make an appointment by telephone to see a local general practitioner.
The doctor at the medical center will ask you about your health and have a simple physical check-up. They will then provide advice on how to treat your condition, which may include referrals for further testing or treatment.
In a medical center that provides direct settlement services, you need to show your membership card and photo ID card so that they can pay directly to OSHC's insurance provider for the portion of the service that they can cover.
Alternatively, you can see thousands of other general practitioners in Australia free of charge, but will be required to pay before the consultation, and then submit the receipt to OSHC's insurance provider.
Emergency treatment
Each public hospital has a 24-hour emergency and first aid department, where you can go in case of emergency.
Doctors examine and treat patients waiting in the emergency department according to the severity of the patient's condition. The most urgent patient will be treated as a matter of priority. If you go to the emergency department to see a less serious illness, you may have to wait a long time before you get the doctor's treatment. There was a friend of foreign students who had been waiting in the emergency department for 5 days because of the constant emergency.
Reimbursement of medical expenses
The rate of reimbursement for overseas students' medical insurance is calculated on the basis of Australia's National Health Insurance (Medicare) Medical Services reimbursement Standard (Medicare Benefits Schedule,MBS).
(B) OSHC Insurance, which usually reimburses 100% of the general practitioner's fees and 85% of the specialist's (including radiologists) fees in accordance with the MBS standard; 100 percent of medical and inpatient expenses in public hospitals are reimbursed, and 85 percent of other out-patient and check-up expenses are reimbursed according to Medicare standards.
OSHC has limits on reimbursement of prescription drugs. Therefore, everyone's drug purchase expenses may be a little more. In general, insurance companies prescribe a reimbursement of up to A $50 per drug and A $300 per person per year.
When buying medicine, everyone has to pay for the co-payment of each drug first. If the cost of the medicine exceeds A $50, you will have to pay the overcharge again. If you exceed the annual drug reimbursement limit, you will have to pay for it yourself. Over-the-counter drugs purchased by themselves in pharmacies cannot be reimbursed.
Each insurance company provides 24-hour consulting services, and some even provide translation services. You can contact the insurance company at any time, and the insurance company is allowed to switch to other companies, but there are fees to be paid.
Items not covered by insurance
- Dentists;
- Fees for optometrists and optometrists;
- Services provided by physiotherapists, osteologists, chirotherapists, natural healers, or other ancillary services;
- Optional cosmetic surgery;
- Fees to be paid by you, or fees charged by the service provider higher than the MBS fee;
- Artificial assisted reproductive projects;
- Pregnancy-related treatment during the first 12 months after arrival in Australia;
- In the first 12 months after the purchase of OSHC, treat a disease that was already in existence before the purchase of OSHC;
- Non-medical prescription drugs, or drugs not included in the drug welfare programme (PBS);
- Medical, or hospitalization costs arising from events related to the exclusion clause.
Submit a declaration
Cost reporting requires original receipts, invoices and any other related documents. So, once you see a doctor with medical insurance, be careful to keep a good list of fees.
There are three ways to declare medical expenses:
- Declare on campus
- Online declaration
- Mailing bill declaration
The declaration method each insurance company has the slight difference, the concrete can consult your insurance company.
If you are ready to leave Australia but the OSHC is not yet due, you can apply in writing for a refund, and the insurance company will refund the premium as required.
Refundable condition
- Paid the premium, but did not come to Australia;
- The premium was paid on the basis of the renewal of the visa, but the extension was not approved by the Immigration Department;
- Because of uncontrollable factors, forced to stop learning and leave Australia;
- Australia has been granted the right of permanent abode.
