nib OSHC

OSHC is Overseas Student Health Cover for students studying in Australia. Your student visa requires you to have adequate health insurance in case you are ill or injured while in Australia and OSHC is the cover you need.

Why nib OSHC?

nib is one of Australia’s biggest health insurers. They have more than a million members in Australia and New Zealand and provide health insurance cover for over 130,000 international students and workers.

nib OSHC meets the Department of Immigration student visa requirements and provides Australia-wide cover for medical and hospital treatment plus emergency ambulance transport.

Who is it for?

nib OSHC is for students studying in Australia on a Student Visa (subclass 500). If you have a spouse and dependent children under 18 staying with you in Australia, they must also have health cover while they are here.

nib OSHC covers singles (just you), couples (you and your partner) and families (if listed on your Student Visa). However, it does not cover extended family such as uncles, aunts, cousins or grandparents.

Cover options

nib OSHC provides the following types of health cover;

• Doctors and specialists – pays 100% of the MBS (government recommended) fee for visits to a GP or 85% of the MBS fee for treatment by a specialist such as a radiologist or pathologist. To minimise the amount you pay, be sure to visit a nib Preferred Provider.
• Hospital – pays 100% of the recommended state rate for hospital treatment and accommodation in a public hospital and 100% of the agreed rate in a private hospital. To minimise the amount you pay, be sure to visit a nib Preferred Private Hospital.
• Emergency ambulance – pays 100% of medically necessary ambulance transport by a recognised ambulance service.
• Prescription medication – pays up to $50 per item for medications listed on the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) after you have paid the PBS patient contribution. A limit of $300 per year for singles and $600 for families.
• Prostheses – pays 100% for government approved no-gap prostheses and the minimum benefit for gap-permitted prostheses.

What about dental?

OSHC does not cover ancillary treatments such as dental. If you want cover for this while you are in Australia, you can take out Extras cover with nib, which will cover you for general treatments such as dental, optical and physiotherapy.

What if I fall pregnant?

If you require treatment for pregnancy during your stay in Australia, nib OSHC will cover 85% of the MBS fee for outpatient obstetrics services (outside of hospital) and 100% of inpatient obstetrics (in hospital). You will need to plan ahead though, as there is a 12-month waiting period on cover for pregnancy and birth-related services.

How do I find a doctor?

nib International Visitors First Choice Providers are doctors, specialists and medical centres who have agreements with nib. Using a First Choice Provider will ensure you minimise the amount that you pay.

Use the search tool on nib’s Find a Doctor page to locate a service provider near you and remember to take your nib Customer Card with you to your appointment.

How do I find a hospital?

nib has agreements with most of the private hospitals in Australia and attending one of these will help you to minimise the out-of-pocket expenses you might have to pay.

To find the nearest nib Agreement Private Hospital for your procedure, use the search tool on nib’s Find a Hospital page. Or give nib a call if you are unsure about whether you are covered.

How do I make a claim?

If you attended an nib Agreement Private Hospital where your procedure is covered and your doctors agree to participate in nib MediGap, you may not receive any bills from the hospital. But if you do for any reason, there are two ways to claim;

• Two-way claim - complete a Medicare claim form and two-way claim form and submit to Medicare with the bill. Medicare will pay 75% of the MBS fee and advise nib, who will then pay the other 25% (any extra will need to be paid by you).
• nib claim form with a Medicare Statement of Benefits - if you’ve already submitted your claim to Medicare, send the Statement of Benefits and any receipts or invoices to nib, who will then pay the remaining 25% of the MBS fee (again, any gap will need to be paid by you).

Can I get a refund on my nib OSHC?

If you have to cancel your OSHC policy, nib will provide you with a pro rata refund of your premium in the following circumstances;

• If you do not come to Australia to study as you had planned to do
• If you pay for an extended stay and your visa is not extended
• If you have to cancel your studies and go home for reasons beyond your control
• If you have been granted permanent residency or another Australian visa
• If you did not remain in Australia for at least 3 months while holding your student visa.

Should I get nib OSHC?

Reasons to choose nib OSHC include:

Written by

Tim Bennett

Insurance expert

Tim Bennett is a Finder insurance & utilities expert. For over 10 years he's reported on news, politics, finance and other topics as a journalist and radio presenter. Tim's roles have included radio news reader and breakfast at the ABC, news producer for SBS and producer for Fairfax Media. Tim regularly appears as a health insurance expert on programs like Sunrise and SBS news, as well as in the Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and more. See full bio

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Tim has written 119 Finder guides across topics including:

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