OSHC vs Travel insurance: What international student in Australia must know?

Posted on: Jul 28, 2025 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

OSHC vs Travel insurance: What international student in Australia must know?

One of the most crucial things to do before boarding a plane if you're a student travelling to Australia is to obtain your insurance. To obtain a student visa as an overseas student, you must have Overseas Student Health Coverage (OSHC). When you live in Australia, OSHC takes care of your fundamental medical needs. However, a lot of students are unaware that international and student travel insurance can provide additional protection against things like lost luggage, trip cancellations, and transportation mishaps. OSHC does not cover these. Therefore, travel insurance helps you both before and during the trip, while OSHC takes care of your health while you're there. You will learn the true difference and what is best for you from this article.

What is OSHC? What does it cover and not cover?

Overseas Student Health Coverage is known as OSHC. This particular kind of health insurance was created especially for overseas students like you who intend to study in Australia. It's a must to obtain and maintain the validity of your student visa. You won't be able to fulfil visa requirements without it. When you're away from home, consider OSHC to be your safety net. In Australia, medical care can be highly costly. This coverage makes sure you don't have to pay a lot of money out of pocket for routine medical treatment or emergencies. Its purpose is to free you from worrying about unforeseen medical bills so you may concentrate on your education.

The following are what the majority of basic OSHC plans include. Remember that depending on the supplier you select, the extent of coverage may differ slightly.

1. Hospital Treatment:

Your OSHC may pay for some outpatient and inpatient services if you need to be admitted to the hospital. Medicare-approved treatments and accommodations in a shared ward in a public hospital are included in this (Australia's public healthcare system).

2. Doctor Visits (GP Consultations):

If you're feeling ill, you can see a general practitioner (GP), and OSHC will typically help pay for the appointment, either entirely or in part.

3. Ambulance Services:

Your OSHC will typically pay for ambulance transportation to a hospital in an emergency.

4. Certain Prosthetic Devices:

Based on medical need, OSHC may offer limited coverage for certain medical devices, such as surgical aids or artificial limbs.

5. Prescription Drugs:

Your doctor's prescription drugs are partially covered by OSHC. Typically, there is a maximum on the overall amount you can claim in a year, as well as a limit per prescription.

6. Private Hospital or Day Surgery:

Depending on the type of policy, certain OSHC policies provide access to private hospitals or day surgeries.

Exclusions to look out for:

Even while OSHC provides for a lot of fundamental medical requirements, several services are excluded:

1. Physiotherapy and Others:

Standard OSHC policies typically do not cover services like physiotherapy, chiropractic consultations, or acupuncture.

2. Dental Procedures:

Additional private insurance is typically required if you need a filling, cleaning, or root canal. It is not covered by OSHC.

3. Optical (eye) treatments:

Unless you have private supplemental coverage, glasses, contact lenses, or eye exams are not covered.

Many students additionally look at student travel insurance or international travel insurance to cover these additional areas, particularly if they want more comprehensive protection for their entire trip, not just for health, but also for things like accidents before or after arriving in Australia, lost luggage, and travel delays.

Why do you need Travel insurance along with OSHC?

It's fantastic that international students are researching insurance in advance of their trip to Australia. Overseas Student Health Coverage (OSHC) is required for your student visa, as you may already be aware. However, many students are unaware of this until it is too late: OSHC is insufficient on its own. To be fully safe, you must also have travel insurance. Here's why it's crucial to have both OSHC and Student Travel Insurance, and how they complement one another to cover various facets of your trip and stay.

1. Only medical care within Australia is covered by OSHC.

Once you're in Australia, your OSHC is particularly made to cover basic medical treatment. Medical expenses like doctor visits, hospital stays, and emergency ambulance transportation are covered. Therefore, OSHC will assist if you become ill or experience a medical emergency after arriving.

However, what about before you arrived in Australia? Or what happens if you have a bad flight? OSHC will not assist there. This is the point at which international travel insurance becomes relevant.

2. It includes lost or stolen property.

What if your wallet, phone, or laptop is taken while you're in Australia or even during your stopover? Since it's not a medical problem, OSHC won't intervene. However, a lot of international travel insurance plans cover things like devices and crucial documents that are lost, stolen, or destroyed.

Your possessions have likely cost you a lot of money, and replacing them abroad can be costly. You can rest easy knowing that you won't be responsible for the entire cost of your trip if you have travel insurance.

3. You are protected both before and during your trip with travel insurance.

Even before the departure of your flight, Student Travel Insurance begins to operate. Suppose your passport disappears during a layover, your luggage is missing, or your flight is cancelled. These are travel issues rather than medical crises. OSHC has no coverage for them. You may promptly seek assistance and handle these expenses with the help of travel insurance. Similar to a travel companion, it takes care of everything OSHC doesn't.

4. Dental and optical coverage is included in some travel insurance plans.

You might be shocked to learn how frequently students require assistance with eye or dental care. The majority of dental, optical, and physiotherapy services are not covered by OSHC unless you purchase an additional policy.

The good news is that some Student Travel Insurance policies do provide limited coverage for urgent eye care or dental emergencies. Therefore, you might be covered if you unexpectedly need new spectacles or a dental examination.

5. You'll Have Greater Financial Security

In reality, crises and mishaps don't only occur in medical situations. When travelling, missed flights, lost luggage, and cancelled reservations are all frequent occurrences. You will have a safety net that will assist you during your trip and beyond Australia if you get the proper travel insurance.

6. Pre-existing condition coverage and additional medical expenses

Pre-existing medical issues are not covered by all OSHC policies. If you already have a medical issue, a flare-up could put you in a challenging situation. In situations where OSHC is insufficient, several international travel insurance plans provide the option to cover pre-existing conditions.

Don't forget to take advantage of our helpful Tips to Follow When Buying Travel Insurance for Australia so that you can choose a plan that best suits your needs as a student.

Conclusion

Ultimately, overseas students travelling to Australia need more than just OSHC. OSHC does not cover you against travel-related problems like trip cancellations, lost luggage, or stolen property, even while it does cover your essential medical requirements while you are there. This is the point at which international or Student Travel Insurance becomes crucial. You can be completely safe from the time you leave home until the end of your time in Australia if you have both. Consider travel insurance as your all-around travel shield and OSHC as your medical safety net. When combined, they help you relax and concentrate on your academics.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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