Don’t we love it when we get to pick the things from the lot? Like in a garage sale or the way we decorate our platter in a buffet!
Something similar has come to notice w.r.to education & migration consultants offering overseas health insurance to students aspiring to study in Australia.
As per the Department of Home Affairs, it is mandatory for the students to maintain student health insurance (Overseas Student Health Cover – OSHC) for Australia for the duration of their study.
Today’s student community is quite peculiar about their health needs and what they need. Of course, OSHC providers won’t be able to create separate health policies keeping each student in mind.
However, on the contrary, considering the effects laid down by COVID-19 and the ongoing ‘OMICRON’ variant, it is of utmost priority to opt for a student health insurance that resonates with your health needs. So,
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How to meet the health needs with your overseas student health cover?
That is when the “Extras” come into the picture.
Most of the OSHC providers such as Bupa OSHC, Medibank OSHC, and other government-approved insurance companies allow students to choose OSHC Extras. This is specifically designed for international students studying in Australia.
Well, as long as the student has an active OSHC from any of the providers their application is good to go for the visa lodging. In other words, the OSHC Extras Cover is not mandatory to have by the Australian government but OSHC Extras provides additional cover for the common services.
Let’s have a look at the few facts check of OSHC Extras Cover:
- Available only as a single policy (no couples or family)
- Minimum policy period is of 6 months
- Minimum age to join OSHC Extras is 18
Why Take OSHC Extras Cover?
To begin with, ‘OSHC Extras Cover’ offers great value in addition to the standard OSHC for Australia. It offers additional services up to the relevant yearly limit, that isn’t covered by OSHC alone. The biggest benefit of OSHC Extras is that you’ll be covered completely and won’t have to pay any out-of-pocket expenses which usually otherwise are chargeable in the standard or the basic student health insurance policy.
What do you get with OSHC Extras Cover?
More or less, every OSHC providers including Nib OSHC, Ahm OSHC, and others provide OSHC extras cover service.
Usually, it includes,
- Dental check-up
- Optical
- Physiotherapy
- Chiropractic services
- Osteopathic services
- Podiatry consultation
OSHC Extras cover is quite beneficial for the everyday services you need to remain healthy, fit, & fine.
These services can also extend up to a range of other services like acupuncture, dietary advice, and much more depending upon your level of cover.
We recommend that an international student should take OSHC Extras cover along with the basic OSHC policy.
Let us go through a practical scenario to understand the importance of OSHC Extras cover for students.
Besides world-class education, Australia is filled with wellness experiences, arts, and cultural places, food, and drinks, last but not least beaches and islands. Australia is a country with all sorts of natural & beautiful places from deserts to beaches.
It is common among the international student community to make the most of their time whilst studying in Australia. During the term break, you may want to take a hike to natural parks, and what if you, unfortunately, hurt your back?
Will you get admitted to a hospital instantly or do you have to wait?
Will this incident be considered an emergency?
Do you have to pay out-of-pocket or it will be covered in the standard OSHC?
Of course, in an instant, your mind will come up with lots of questions besides the obvious fact the trip is ruined.
Avoid all these hassles with OSHC Extras Cover and make your student stay worry-free. Extras insurance is quite popular in Australia as neither the government offers these services as a part of Medicare to the citizens nor it is covered under basic OSHC for international students.
A student may secure OSHC from either the university, education consultant, migration consultant, GetMyPolicy.Online, or directly from the insurer’s website.
The key thing to remember is to go through the policy document and details before buying the student health insurance. Each OSHC provider might differ not only in terms of price/quote but also not all the services will be similar. It is best to thoroughly understand what you are getting against what you are paying.
It is best to know beforehand, what percentage of the charges are covered or which services are fully paid, etc.
There are also some services that are not covered under OSHC Extras Cover as well. For example, non-prescription glasses, contacts or sunglasses, major dental work like crowns, dentures, and orthodontic treatment.
Moreover, we advise the international students to also familiarize themselves with a few insurance terms such as waiting period, refund policy, accidental and emergency services, out-of-hospital, in-hospital services, etc.
Wrap Up:
We hope that this post will shed light on how, to begin with, study in Australia amid travel ban lift. When it comes to choosing overseas student health cover (OSHC), you can visit GetMyPolicy.online to compare and choose the best student health insurance plan. Moreover, you could compare the plans by price, features, etc., and receive an instant health policy certificate. Visit today & get FREE 15 PTE Practice Tests. Try today!
