Overseas Visitors Health Cover
When sending original documents by mail, we recommend that you keep a copy for your own records.
Note that the benefits we pay are based on what a Medicare patient would get back when they go to the doctor. If you visit a doctor who charges more than the standard Medicare rate, you will incur out of pocket costs.
Some of our Overseas Visitors Covers provide benefits for visits to your General Practitioner (GP) doctor.
Not sure whether you can claim for GP doctor visits?
Log in to your account to find out what’s included for your cover.
Some of our Overseas Visitors Covers provide benefits for out-of-hospital medical tests and visits to specialists.
Note that if you are referred for tests or specialist visits, ask your referring doctor to complete a Medical Authority Form. This can help to significantly speed up payment of your claim.
Not sure whether you can claim for specialist visits or medical tests?
Log in to your account to find out what’s included for your cover.
If this is the first time you've visited the specialist or had tests conducted, you should also include a Medical Authority Form with your claim. This needs to be completed by the first doctor you consulted about your condition.
Not sure whether you can claim on emergency ambulance?
Log in to your account to view details about your health cover.
Once your claim is approved, the money will be credited to your nominated Australian bank or credit union account and you’ll receive an SMS to let you know when payment has been made.
The hospital procedures (including day surgeries) that you can claim on will vary depending on your level of cover.
Not sure which hospital procedures you can claim on?
Log in to your account to view details about your health cover.
If possible, contact Australian Unity before you go to hospital to get pre-approval for your procedure. This is important for two reasons:
If you’d like to get someone else to contact us on your behalf, make sure you’ve given us permission to speak to that person on your behalf by completing a Delegated Authority Form.
Most private hospitals and day facilities have an agreement with Australian Unity, which guarantees that you’ll be covered for some (or all) of the accommodation costs and most other services like theatre fees (up to your yearly limit).
Search the list of agreement hospitals
If you’ve got pre-approval, the hospital will bill Australian Unity directly, and all you’ll need to pay is any excess that applies to your cover.
If you weren’t able to arrange pre-approval, the hospital may ask you to pay a deposit before they admit you:
The hospital will contact us directly to find out about your level of cover.
If your claim is approved, the hospital will bill Australian Unity directly. (They bill us at a special agreed rate, which is usually much lower than their standard rates.)
The hospital will then issue you with a refund of any amount owing.
The way you claim the bills from your surgeons and other doctors will vary depending on the arrangements you make with them.
Pay the doctors up front, and then claim money back from us, OR
Submit any unpaid accounts to Australian Unity, and we’ll issue you with cheques that you can forward to your doctors.
You may also need to include a Medical Authority Form with your claim (if you haven’t already provided one to Australian Unity). This form needs to be completed by the first doctor you consulted about your condition.
Note that there may be some out-of-pocket expenses for medical costs, depending on your level of cover and whether any restrictions or exclusions apply. If you have any out-of-pocket expenses, your doctor should have informed you of these costs before your admission.