Canstar reveals the winners of its Overseas Student and Working Visa Health Cover Awards

Canstar has named the winners of its annual Overseas Student and Working Visa Health Cover Awards.

International border closures have had a massive impact on the number of overseas students and workers coming to Australia. But with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine now underway, some are calling for international students and skilled workers to be prioritised when travel opens up.

Canstar’s Outstanding Value – Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) and Working Visa Health Cover (WVHC) Awards recognise the insurers that provide outstanding value to these kinds of customers. The Awards are based on Canstar’s Star Ratings, which use a sophisticated and unique rating methodology to compare health insurance policies offered to international residents who are in Australia to study or are on a working visa (such as a 457 visa).

Each policy considered has been assessed and rated based on both price and features. To determine the price score for each policy, Canstar has considered the premiums and other relevant costs. To determine the feature score, Canstar looked at factors such as the hospital and medical cover offered. Other factors considered included the application and claiming processes.

These policies were considered for their hospital cover for in-hospital benefits, and medical cover for out-of-hospital benefits such as prescription medicines and going to a general practitioner.

For more information on how the Awards are determined, read the OSHC methodology and the WVHC methodology.

2021 Overseas Student Health Cover Awards

In alphabetical order, the winners of Canstar’s Outstanding Value – OSHC Award are:

Bupa

Bupa has received an Award for its OSHC offering. Bupa offers a high level of cover at a competitive price, according to Canstar Research. It consistently offers some of the most competitive premiums in the market, including 100% back on eligible specialist, radiology and pathology services.

nib

nib continued its strong performance in 2021 and has retained its OSHC Award for its third year. nib maintained its premiums year on year, Canstar Research said. It also continues to offer high levels of hospital and medical cover.

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2021 Working Visa Health Cover Awards

The winner of Canstar’s Outstanding Value – Working Visa Health Cover Award is:

nib

nib also retained its Working Visa Health Cover Award in 2021 for the sixth year running. nib offers two Working Visa products which are designed with different consumer needs in mind. nib’s Budget policy is an option for people looking for high levels of hospital cover who do not require medical cover (such as for prescription medicine or GP visits), Canstar Research said.

nib’s Basic policy is designed for consumers looking for both hospital and medical cover. Canstar Research noted that the policy offers no pharmacy (PBS listed only) out-of-pocket costs up to $500 per person per policy each year, and comes at a competitive price. A waiting period may apply.

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