Waiting periods - OVHC

Waiting periods for pre-existing conditions apply to some OVHC policies.

A waiting period is the amount of time you need to wait before you can make a claim through your OVHC.

Waiting periods for OVHC are the amount of time that you must have an active, fully-paid policy prior to being able to make a claim for any medical treatment. If you require medical treatment during the waiting period, you are not covered by your OVHC policy. This means that you will need to pay for all expenses for the treatment.

You cannot claim for costs for medical treatment that occurred during the applicable waiting period, if the costs are from a pre-existing or a pregnancy related condition.

If a waiting period applies, it will start from:

• the date you arrived in Australia, or
• the date your visa was granted (whichever is later).

The 12-month waiting period commences from whichever of these dates is the most recent.

Pre-existing conditions

A pre-existing condition is an aliment, injury or illness where the signs or symptoms existed at any time in the last 6 months. This includes conditions, illnesses or injuries that were not diagnosed by a medical practitioner at the time of your arrival in Australia, or the date your visa was granted, whichever is the most recent date.

Depending on your cover you may need to wait 12 months before claiming money back for any medical costs associated with a pre-existing condition.

If you have a pre-existing psychiatric condition, you’ll only need to wait 2 months.

Pregnancy

You’ll need to wait 12 months before claiming any pregnancy-related services.

Extras cover waiting periods

If you have Extras cover, additional waiting periods also apply:

• 2 months waiting period for general dental, physiotherapy, chiropractic, podiatry, psychology, speech therapy, health aids, Chinese medicine consultations and complementary therapies.
• 6 months waiting period for optical and health management programs
• 12 months waiting period for major dental
• 24 months waiting period for laser eye surgery and hearing aids

Transferring from another OVHC provider

We may take your period of cover from your previous provider into account when assessing your waiting periods if:

• you transfer to Allianz Global Assistance from a similar policy held with another provider
• there has not been a gap in your coverage of more than 30 days.

To transfer your OVHC, you’ll need to provide us with a clearance certificate from your current Fund.

To arrange your transfer to Allianz Global Assistance, email ovhc@allianz-assistance.com.au or call us on 1300 727 193.

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