Below is current information about health, life and travel insurance for people living with HIV. You will find links and resources to information about available insurance cover in Australia to assist people living with HIV with an understanding of our rights and obligations when applying for insurance.
If you are living with HIV, this is known to be a ‘pre-existing medical condition’. Pre-existing conditions are any medical conditions that occur before the commencement of your insurance policy and can include health conditions like diabetes, asthma, heart disease or HIV. Be aware that the language used to identify a ‘pre-existing condition’ varies from insurer to insurer.
Health Insurance
Health insurance covers all or part of your risk of incurring medical expenses. People living with HIV are eligible for health insurance in Australia.
International students living with HIV are still eligible for Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) to meet the costs of medical and hospital care they may need while in Australia. OSHC also includes ambulance cover and limited pharmaceuticals.
Life Insurance
Life insurance covers a sum of money to be paid to a designated beneficiary upon the death of the person insured.
The Australian Federal 1992 Disability Discrimination Act regulates discrimination of people by life insurance companies in Australia. The Act makes it unlawful for life insurance companies to discriminate against people with disability, including people living with HIV. In the light of highly effective anti-retroviral treatments (ART), HIV is now regarded as a chronic manageable condition and we can now expect a life span similar to our peers who are HIV-negative.
If you have a pre-existing condition in your medical or family history, there are insurers who specialise in particular conditions and they will be able to assess your risk factors in a detailed way to offer you the best value life insurance coverage.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance covers all or part of your risk of incurring expenses covering unforeseen losses while travelling, either domestically or internationally. There are a range of different travel insurance premiums as well as travel insurance that offers insurance for particular conditions.
Australia has a ‘Reciprocal Health Care Agreement‘ with some countries. That means coming from Australia, you are already covered for some health care in those countries that Australia has an agreement with. Find out which countries are covered by the agreement.
If you are on effective anti-retroviral treatments and discussed your travel with your doctor then it is unlikely you will develop any HIV-related problems. In Australia you must declare your HIV status, but this does not exclude you from getting insurance. In Australia, it is illegal to discriminate against someone due to their HIV status.
