Who needs OSHC?
The Australian Department of Home Affairs requires all international students applying for student visa (Subclass 500) to have OSHC for the entire duration of their student visa.
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is a specific type of health insurance that international students must have before arriving in Australia. It includes insurance cover for visits to the doctor, some hospital treatment, ambulance cover and limited pharmaceuticals (medicines).
Curtin’s current preferred OSHC provider is Medibank.
Services covered by OSHC
OSHC providers allow you to claim 100 per cent of the government set fee for a standard medical consultation.
OSHC covers:
- visits to the doctor
- public hospital stay
- ambulance services (when hospital admission is necessary)
- some prescription medicines.
OSHC does not cover:
- dental treatment
- optical treatment
- physiotherapy.
We strongly recommend you take out additional private health cover to cover these additional services.
OSHC policies do not cover treatment for pre-existing (PEC) medical conditions during the first 12 months of membership. What is a PEC? A pre-existing condition (PEC) is any ailment, illness, or condition where, in the opinion of a medical practitioner appointed by your insurer, signs or symptoms existed at any time during the six-month period prior to the start of your policy or any change in cover.
If you have a pre-existing condition, you may wish to consider obtaining additional health insurance from your home country that can cover medical expenses incurred in Australia for the first 12 month.