Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC): compare insurers

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is the health insurance you need for an Australian student visa (subclass 500). Visa condition 8501 requires you to keep adequate health insurance while you are in Australia — for students, that means OSHC for the whole duration of the visa. OSHC helps pay for doctor visits, hospital treatment and ambulance services and gives limited cover for prescription medicines. Students from Sweden, Norway or Belgium may be exempt under their own national schemes; check with the Department of Home Affairs.

Single OSHC for 12 months costs AUD 665–726 in 2026 (about AUD 55–60 a month) with the entry-level cover of the 5 insurers. The cheapest is Allianz Care OSHC Standard at AUD 665. For 12 months, couple cover costs AUD 5,351–6,686 and family cover AUD 9,515–15,979; Allianz Care OSHC Standard is the cheapest for both (AUD 5,351 and AUD 9,515). All 5 insurers quote couple and family cover online. Higher tiers such as Allianz Care OSHC Essentials or Medibank OSHC Comprehensive (sold only through selected universities) cost more.

No. All 5 insurers must provide the minimum cover set by the Australian Government's OSHC Deed, but the details differ. Prescription medicines: 4 of the 5 insurers pay up to AUD 50 per item and AUD 500 a year on single cover; at Medibank the limit is AUD 70 per item. Waiting periods: at ahm and nib, a 2-month waiting period applies to pre-existing mental-health conditions. The insurers also differ in their private-hospital agreements and telehealth services — check the details on each plan page.

Yes. You can buy OSHC directly from any of the 5 insurers that sell it: ahm, Allianz Care, Bupa, Medibank, or nib. Your university may suggest one, but you are free to choose. You can also switch later: waiting-period time you have already served counts with the new insurer as long as your cover continues without a gap. CBHS International Health stopped selling new OSHC policies after 31 October 2025.

OSHC does not pay for general treatment ("extras") such as dental, optical or physiotherapy — for that you can add extras cover from an OSHC insurer or any Australian health insurer. It does not cover treatment outside Australia, cosmetic treatment or treatment that is not medically necessary. Pre-existing conditions are covered only after a waiting period of up to 12 months, and because medicine cover is limited, expensive long-term medication can leave you with high out-of-pocket costs.

Your OSHC must run for the whole duration of your student visa, and you must keep it paid. If you fall behind with payments, the policy continues, but you may not be able to claim for treatment you received while you were in arrears. Policies for several years are priced by each insurer for your exact dates — they are not simply the 12-month price multiplied by the number of years — so get the quote for your visa dates on the insurer's website. Once your student visa ends, you can no longer hold OSHC and need other cover, such as Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC).