Compare OSHC Providers in Australia

The Five Insurers Currently Selling OSHC

As at this article's writing, the insurers approved and actively selling new OSHC policies are Allianz Care Australia, ahm, Bupa, Medibank and nib. CBHS International Health was historically one of the approved OSHC insurers but stopped selling new OSHC and OVHC policies from 31 October 2025, moving existing policyholders into a run-off arrangement rather than an abrupt cancellation — see our dedicated article on the CBHS closure if you're a current CBHS member wondering what happens next. If you come across older content, a comparison table or a university's OSHC page still listing CBHS as an option to buy today, treat that as out of date.

What Every Policy Has to Cover, by Law

All five current insurers sell OSHC under the government's Deed for the Provision of Overseas Student Health Cover, which sets the minimum benefits every policy must include regardless of which insurer you choose: in-hospital treatment, out-of-hospital GP and specialist visits, pharmaceutical benefits (capped per item and per year), and medically necessary ambulance transport. Dental, optical and physiotherapy sit outside OSHC at every insurer — they're an extras add-on everywhere, not a gap unique to one provider.

This matters for how you should actually compare: if a comparison anywhere implies one insurer's basic OSHC 'covers more' than another's at the baseline, that claim doesn't match how the Deed works. The floor is genuinely identical.

A Cap You Might Not Know Exists

A detail worth knowing if you're comparing quotes through an agent, broker or comparison site: the current OSHC Deed caps payments to third-party agents at a set percentage of the total premium a student pays for their policy. It's a real, if easy-to-miss, consumer protection built into how the category is regulated — it limits how much of your premium can go toward distribution rather than your actual cover. This cap applies specifically to OSHC; OVHC, the equivalent product for non-student visa holders, sits outside the Deed's scope and isn't subject to the same cap or minimum-benefit structure, even when sold by the same insurer.

Where the Five Insurers Actually Differ

Direct-billing networks and claiming apps are where the real, checkable differences sit. Some insurers publish a specific network-size figure; others describe their network in general terms without a comparable number. A specific published figure is more checkable than a general size claim, but neither tells you whether your own regular GP or preferred clinic is actually in a given insurer's network for your suburb — using each insurer's own provider-finder tool for your specific location is the only way to get a real answer.

Waiting periods are the other genuine point of difference. Pregnancy and obstetrics cover, and general pre-existing-condition waits, are broadly standard across all five insurers, with some waiving the pregnancy wait on longer policies. Psychiatric-condition waiting periods vary more between insurers — some report a standard short wait, others report no wait at all for certain in-hospital psychiatric treatment. Because insurers describe these terms as current policy rather than a fixed permanent guarantee, read the current Cover Summary or policy document from each insurer you're considering rather than relying on a secondary summary, including this one.

Product structure also differs: some insurers sell two named OSHC tiers, others sell a single product. All five also sell Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) for non-student visa holders — a related but separate product with its own terms.

Individual Insurer Reviews

For a closer look at each insurer specifically, see our reviews of Allianz OSHC, Bupa OSHC, Medibank OSHC, nib OSHC and ahm OSHC. If you're weighing up two directly, our head-to-head comparisons cover Bupa vs Medibank, Allianz vs Bupa, nib vs Allianz, Medibank vs nib and ahm vs nib. And if you're a current CBHS policyholder specifically, see what the CBHS closure means for you.

A Simple Way to Actually Compare

Because the baseline is identical by law, a practical comparison order is: first, check whether your regular GP, preferred clinic or campus health service is in each insurer's direct-billing network for your specific location; second, if a particular waiting period matters to your situation — psychiatric or pregnancy-related cover are the two that come up most — read the current terms from each insurer directly; third, decide whether you want a tiered product with more choice or a single simpler product; and finally, get a live quote from your shortlist for your actual cover dates, since none of the five insurers publish a general public rate card and every quote tool asks for your specific start and end dates.

Our guide on how to choose an OSHC provider walks through this framework in more depth if you want the full reasoning before you get quotes. Migratio's own OSHC comparison tool lets you compare the five insurers side by side using the same approach.

How We Wrote This Article

Cover requirements are set by the government OSHC Deed, so minimum cover is similar across insurers by design — differences are in service, networks and specific policy terms, not the underlying guarantee. This is general information, not financial advice; check each insurer's current policy documents before buying. Migratio may earn a commission if you take out cover through links on this site; that never changes how providers are presented here.

Which OSHC providers can I actually buy from today?

Five: Allianz Care Australia, ahm, Bupa, Medibank and nib. CBHS International Health stopped selling new OSHC and OVHC policies from 31 October 2025, so it's no longer an option for a new purchase, even though it may still appear in older comparison content.

Is one OSHC insurer's basic cover actually better than another's?

No. Minimum benefits are set by the government's OSHC Deed and are identical across all five currently-approved insurers. Any real difference sits above that floor, in service, networks and specific policy wording.

What does ahm's OSHC actually cover compared to the others?

The same government-mandated minimum as every other approved insurer — hospital and medical treatment, pharmaceutical benefits and ambulance cover. Above that floor, ahm's specific direct-billing network and app are worth checking against your own location the same way you'd check any of the five.

Is Bupa or Allianz better for OSHC?

Both meet the same Deed-mandated minimum cover. The genuine differences are in direct-billing network reach for your specific area, the claims app, and specific waiting-period wording — worth comparing directly on each insurer's current site rather than assuming either is broadly 'better'.

Can I still buy CBHS OSHC?

No. CBHS stopped selling new OSHC and OVHC policies from 31 October 2025. Existing CBHS policyholders continue to be serviced until their current policy expires, but new cover has to come from one of the five currently-selling insurers.

Where can I compare all five OSHC insurers at once?

Migratio's OSHC comparison tool sets out the five current insurers side by side. A live quote from your shortlist for your actual cover dates is the only way to see current pricing, since none of the five publishes a general public rate card.