Health insurance is one of the most important things to purchase before travelling, but it can be very misunderstood. With so many options in Australia and abroad, it’s tough to decide on a policy while balancing the options—the price versus what it covers. I’m looking through the fine print of policies to offer options for choosing health insurance for a Working Holiday Visa in Australia.
While planning to travel to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa, I knew I needed health insurance. And, I didn’t want to pay for my public health insurance in Canada while I was away. But, many international health insurance companies require you to have health insurance in your home country, which is why I had a hard time finding one.
I found purchasing a policy in Australia for visitors was the best solution.
I’m reviewing the most basic health insurance policies for Working Holiday Visas in Australia. All policies and prices are quoted per year for a single Canadian, female, age 25 on a Working Holiday Visa 417 and are current as per the publication date.
This isn’t a complete list of health insurers in Australia, they’re just some of the cheapest and most comprehensive policies.I do not recommend any companies specifically, this is just an overview of what companies are out there, what they offer, and the policy price.
Table of Contents
Do you need health insurance?
Health insurance is always a good idea, even if you’re healthy and have no long-term health problems. Infections or ailments of any kind can occur unexpectedly anytime—especially when travelling. Same goes for accidents or mistakes that result in needing an emergency medical attention.
Many travellers choose not to purchase health insurance at all, mainly because they think it’s a waste of money. If you purchase health insurance and end up not using it, it could feel that way. But, when you need health insurance and save thousands with it, it definitely won’t feel like a waste of money.
Whether you really need health insurance or not is up to your discretion. Many people travel without and do fine, but it’s a big risk.
Important: Health insurance is not mandatory for the 417 or 467 Working Holiday Visas.
Hospital + GP + Ambulance Coverage
Think back to your health needs in your home country. Was it only hospital access or for a GP? The two aren’t included in all basic policies, which is why I’m listing them separately. The companies on this list also offer extras within these policies, such as ambulance coverage.
Before skipping over these policies, remember almost every basic health insurance policy for Working Holiday Visas have an excess charge for hospital admittance (day or night). This fee (sometimes A$500 per visit) can add up quick. In some instances, the policies only cover what Medicare would. Either way, there will be some out-of-pocket expenses no matter what. But, paying a few hundred is still better than paying thousands.
In addition to these policies listed, the companies have more policies and extras to add on—such as dental care. However, none cover existing medical conditions. Policies are listed based on a one-time yearly price.
HCF Overseas Visitors Short Stay – A$589.98
Hospital Excess: A$200 max fee per visit.
First on the list and the cheapest overall price is with HCF. This health insurance for a Working Holiday Visa covers most basic needs, such as doctors fess in and out of hospital, hospital accommodation and ambulance for emergencies. Those that choose this policy can search for doctors and hospitals in HCF’s network to save out of pocket expenses. The above hospital fee is per visit and can be applied multiple times per year.
Check out HCF’s Overseas Visitors Short Stay full list of coverage.
Bupa Short Stay Visitors Cover – A$611.16
Hospital Excess: A$250 per visit per calendar year.
Bupa’s Short Stay Visitor Cover policy covers most people coming to Australia as a visitor. What’s good about this policy, is it covers emergency and non-emergency conditions. Being able to go to a GP means less out-of-pocket expenses that come with going to a hospital. Both private and public hospitals are covered, but there’s more incentive to use a private hospital, based on Bupa’s network and agreements.
Check out Bupa’s Short Stay Visitors Cover full list of coverage.
Australian Unity Basic Overseas Visitors Cover – A$711
Hospital Excess: A$500 for first hospital visit per year.
On the higher end of pricing for Working Holiday Visa health insurance, Australian Unity comes in highest for overall price and hospital excess fee. The yearly benefit limit is A$50,000 for singles for this policy. Along with this only 60 percent of costs are covered for accommodation in a public hospital in a shared room, along with that A$500 excess. And, no pharmacy items are covered out-of-hospital. Pre-existing conditions are also not covered.
There’s also a waiting period of 24 hours for accident related conditions—so be careful getting from the airport towards home, if you choose this policy! A pro of this policy is that it covers one ambulance attendance per year, meaning if an ambulance was called but you chose not to take it.
Check out Australian Unity’s Basic Overseas Visitors Cover policy full list of coverage.
Hospital + Ambulance Coverage
These policies offer more basic emergency health coverage, such as hospital and ambulance access. The benefit to these is not all have a hospital excess fee. So, if the user does end up going to the hospital, it could be more affordable than other options. Similar to the above plans, these policies generally just cover what Medicare would.
The companies offering these policies below also offer additional health insurance for Working Holiday Visas such as with GP coverage and more. Policies are listed based on one-time yearly price, unless otherwise noted.
HIF Basic Working Visa – A$824.85
Hospital Excess: A$500 per admission.
Another basic health insurance for a Working Holiday Visa, HIF’s offers admission to both public and private hospitals for a shared room. Other extras are include such as pregnancy-related services and psychiatric care, but only after a 12 month waiting period. It also offers 100 percent coverage for road ambulance transport for emergency and non-emergency.
Check out HIF’s Basic Working Visa policy full list of coverage.
nib Budget Visitor Cover – A$16.90 weekly
No hospital excess fee
nib’s budget policy offers a unique blend of health insurance. While other health insurance policies don’t this, nib offers funeral expenses and medical repatriation to the users home country. While it also offers some pregnancy-related treatment that other policies don’t, nib’s has a 12 month waiting period.
Check out nib’s Budget Visitor Cover full list of coverage.
Allianz Budget Working Cover – A$900
No hospital excess fee
Included in Allianz’s Budget Working Cover is basic health insurance for Working Holiday Visas. The main difference of this policy to those with GP coverage is that there’s no excess fee. Budget-wise choosing one with GP coverage could be more sensible, if you don’t end up going to the hospital. That’s because this policy is still more expensive than a cheaper plan, without paying the hospital excess fee. A bonus to this plan is that it covers 100 percent of private and public hospital admission.
Check out Allianz’s Budget Working Cover full list of coverage.
International health insurance plans
People with Working Holiday Visas in Australia, aren’t just focused on health insurance in the country. Aside from the previously mentioned plans focusing on health care in Australia, travellers often want health insurance coverage for other countries. This could be because they’re planning to visit other countries on the trip or for other reasons.
There’s hundreds of international travel health insurance plans. I’m just outlining a few common brands. Something to remember, is with most of these health insurance plans the policy only covers someone with health insurance in their home country.
Overall these companies offer health insurance at budget prices, but a downfall to some of these policies is waiting to receive money from a claim can often take months. A benefit, is that some of these companies offer combined travel and health insurance for those looking to have other coverage. Companies are in alphabetical order.
- Allianz
- Covermore
- IMG Global
- Outbacker Insurance (UK residents only)
- True Travellers (European residents)
- World Nomad Insurance
Medicare
Accessing Medicare offers a wide-range of public health care benefits that an Australian citizen are eligible for. Included is access to public hospitals and rebates when going to a General Practitioner (GP).
There’s many things that aren’t included in this, such as dental care, eye exams and ambulances (in most states). Due to Reciprocal Health Care Agreements, some visitors with health insurance on Working Holiday Visas in their home country can apply for Medicare.
This includes visitors from:
- Belgium
- Finland
- Italy
- Malta
- the Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Republic of Ireland
- Slovenia
- Sweden
- the United Kingdom
It’s still encouraged to get additional health insurance on a Working Holiday Visa, based on what Medicare doesn’t cover. But, it depends on your unique needs and wants for health insurance while in Australia.
After choosing health insurance, check out my guide for how to get started in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa.
