HCF Overseas Visitors
Health Cover
Comprehensive private health
insurance for overseas visitors
working in Australia.
Welcome to
Australia
When you come to Australia to
work, the last thing you want to
worry about is a costly medical bill.
Like most countries, healthcare in
Australia can be expensive.
It pays to make sure you’re covered
in case of illness, an accident or
even for general health issues.
Will Australia’s
healthcare system
cover me?
Australia’s public healthcare system is called
Medicare Australia. It provides eligible Australians
with free health treatment in public hospitals, and
subsidised treatment by doctors, specialists and
other health professionals outside of hospital.
As a visitor, you may not have access to Australia’s
Medicare system – which means you must pay for
all of your medical bills.
Visitors from certain countries may receive
Medicare benefits for some treatments under
what are called “reciprocal agreements”.
You can check if your home country has an
agreement with Medicare at:
www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/public/
migrants/visitors/index.jsp
How can I make sure I’m covered?
To ensure you have full coverage, plus choice of
doctor and benefits for services outside hospital
such as doctors’ consultations, you will need
private health insurance like Overseas Visitors
Health Cover. Private health insurance is the best
option for visitors to Australia. Not only does it
protect you from unwanted medical bills, it gives
you more control over your options if you require
medical treatment.
For example, you might want treatment in a
private hospital, your choice of doctors specialist,
or reimbursement for services such as dental,
optical and physiotherapy. With private health
insurance (hospital and extras cover), such things
are covered (partially or in full).
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HCF Overseas Visitors Health Cover
HCF Overseas Visitors Health Cover gives you private health insurance – and peace of mind –
during your stay in Australia.
It exceeds the minimum requirements for health insurance for 457 Visa applicants, as set by the
Department of Immigration.
Who can apply?
You can apply for HCF Overseas Visitors Health Cover if you are:
•on visas 457 (Long stay business visas), 456 (Short stay business visas), 417 (Working holiday),
419 (Visiting academic) and 422 (Medical practitioner) or any other visa that gives you the right
to work in Australia
• a visitor here for business purposes
• a consulate member here for diplomatic purposes.
It is not available for people holding student, tourist or retiree visas.
What is covered?
With Overseas Visitors Health Cover, you can tailor the insurance plan to suit your needs. You can
choose either Hospital and Medical cover only, or you may choose to add on Extras cover. The choice
is yours.
You may only want insurance in case you have to go to hospital or visit a doctor; or you may want to be
covered for additional health services like dental, physiotherapy and optical treatments. To help you
choose, the following pages outline the medical treatments that are covered under the two options.
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1. Hospital and Medical Cover
Hospital services
You will be covered for costs of staying in a public or in an HCF participating private hospital,
for the following:
•private and shared room accommodation (including rehabilitation and psychiatric)
•theatre fees
•special care unit (eg. intensive care, coronary care, neo-natal intensive care)
•100% cover for non-gap Prosthesis List items (there are a small number of prostheses which will
attract a gap)
•full cover for emergency ambulance services with State Government road or air services where you
require hospital or on-the-spot treatment in Australia
•pharmaceuticals in hospital (directly associated with the reason for admission; excludes
experimental and high cost non-PBS – see below)
•doctor’s charges for in-hospital treatment up to 100% of the MBS fee (see below).
Please note: waiting periods apply.
Medical services (doctor’s charges)
You will receive benefits towards the costs of doctor’s charges in and out of hospital.
For medical services billed by doctors who treat you in hospital, HCF will pay 100% of the equivalent
Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) fee. Most doctors charge above this rate leaving members with
a gap. If your treating doctor participates in HCF Medicover’s no-gap arrangement (see below),
then you will not need to pay this gap.
For medical services provided out of hospital, HCF will pay up to 85% of the MBS fee.
What are Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fees?
Medicare Australia has a list of medical services for which benefits can be paid, listed in the Medicare Benefits
Schedule (MBS). The list covers most medical procedures and treatments provided by a doctor,
for both in-hospital and out of hospital treatment.
No medical benefits are paid for services for which there are no MBS item numbers. This includes services such
as elective cosmetic surgery and surgery by an accredited podiatrist.
What is HCF Medicover?
HCF Medicover is a ‘no gap’ arrangement HCF has made with certain doctors to help eliminate personal
expenses for HCF members. If a doctor chooses to participate in this arrangement, HCF will pay all of their fees
for in-hospital medical services – which means there will be no personal expense for you. Please ask
your doctor if they participate.
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2. Extras Cover (optional) – Multicover
If you choose to take out Extras cover as well, you will receive benefits for a range of services, some of
which are outlined in the table below. HCF pays generous limits and benefits for these services items.
Service category
Limits per person
per calendar year
Waiting periods
Dental - General
Diagnostic examinations
2 check-ups
Preventive dental eg. Plaque removal
and fluoride applications
2 scale and clean
1 fluoride application
Tooth fillings
Up to $550
2 months
Dental - Major
Tooth extractions
Endodontic Services (root canal treatment)
Up to $500
Periodontic Services (tooth tissue treatment)
12 months
Crowns & Bridges
Up to $800
Orthodontics
$440 per year up to
$2640 per lifetime
Optical
Spectacle frames, lenses and contacts
Up to $220
2 months
Therapies
Physiotherapy
Hydrotherapy/Group Physiotherapy
Chiropractic / Osteopathy
Exercise Physiology
Podiatry – consultation
Up to $600 rising
to $1200*
Up to $600 rising to
$1200 ($200 sub-limit
on exercise physiology)
2 months
Up to $200
Natural Therapies
Acupuncture / Chinese Herbal Medicine
consultation, Remedial Massage, Myotherapy,
Naturopathy or Nutrition consultation,
Alexander Technique
Up to $200
2 months
Up to $600
2 months
Other services
Pharmacy (HCF approved, non-PBS items)
Annual limit increases with length of membership
*
For a complete list of extras covered under this product, please visit www.hcf.com.au/overseas_visitors.asp
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How much does it cost?
HCF Overseas Visitors Health Cover only (Hospital and Medical)
All states
Fortnightly
Monthly
Singles
$103.00
$223.15
Couple/Family
$206.00
$446.30
Single parent family
$164.80
$357.00
With optional extras
New South Wales/ACT*
All other states*
Fortnightly
Monthly
Fortnightly
Monthly
Singles
$131.20
$284.25
$128.50
$278.40
Couple/Family
$262.40
$568.50
$257.00
$556.80
Single parent family
$209.85
$454.80
$205.55
$445.40
* Based
on state of residence while in Australia.
How do I pay?
This health cover can be paid by direct debit, payroll deduction, credit card or 12 months in advanced
at a HCF branch.
To join, please fill out the application form and send it to:
1.Mail: PO Box 4242 Sydney NSW 2001
2.Email: [email protected]
3.Fax: +612 9290 0255
For more information or to join over the phone please call 13 13 34 (within Australia)
or +61 2 9290 0444 (internationally).
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Glossary of terms
Participating Hospital
means a private hospital or day hospital facility which has a hospital purchaser-provider agreement with
HCF.
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
is the Australian Federal Government scheme where specified drugs are subsidised and charged at
(or below) a specified cost depending on the drug. Any amount not paid for by the Government must
be paid by the member. It is illegal for HCF to pay a benefit for this amount unless the drug is supplied
for treatment related to admission at a participating hospital.
Prostheses List
is a list of surgically implanted prostheses, human tissue items and other medical devices, and the
benefit to be paid by the private health insurers as determined by the Australian Government
Minster of Health.
Waiting periods
must be served before a claim is paid. These vary by service. If you were previously covered for a service
by another private health insurance fund in Australia, you will not need to serve these waiting periods
again if you transfer within 30 days. If you were covered by a fund overseas, you will need to speak to
your agent to confirm whether you are exempt from these waiting periods.
Most services have a 2 month waiting period. 12 months waiting periods for pregnancy, pre-existing
ailments/conditions, major dental and orthodontics. Please go to the HCF website for more
information (www.hcf.com.au).
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More for members
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More than a health insurer
• We employ hundreds of health professionals – dentists, optometrists, nurses
and health coaches, to better care for your health.
• Our 7 HCF Dental and Eyecare Centres in Sydney offer many fully covered services
and products, saving you money.
• Our unique My Health Guardian program helps improve your health.
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More benefits and savings
• We’re not for profit, so members get more, not shareholders.
• We consistently return more in benefits than the industry average.
•HCF’s Oral Health Program gives you full cover on key diagnostic and preventative
dental services, saving you money.
•Unlike most other funds, all HCF Hospital products include cover for heart
conditions, intensive and neo-natal intensive care.
• HCF covers more hospital charges and has the best no-gap medical coverage
of any major health fund, saving you money
• HCF, unlike some major funds, remains Australian owned and operated.
HCF OVHC BRO 0411
…it’s how we’re different from other funds.