Refund for unused private health policy

Geraldine* purchased a year of Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) from Allianz, underwritten by Peoplecare, ahead of her studies in Australia from March 2020 to March 2021. However, her flight to Australia was cancelled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and she was unable to enter Australia for the entirety of her OSHC cover period.

After travel restrictions were lifted in 2022, Geraldine arrived in Australia and contacted Allianz to request a refund of her unused policy. Allianz asked her to complete a refund form and provide supporting documentation. Geraldine provided the form and documentation to Allianz on the same day but did not receive a response or acknowledgement from Allianz. She followed up with Allianz by email on 3 occasions but did not receive a response.

Geraldine subsequently lodged a complaint with the Office as the PHIO. We referred the complaint directly to Allianz for further resolution. Under the Office’s assisted referral process, the insurer should contact the person within 3 working days to give them an update on the case and respond to us when this is completed.

Following our referral, Allianz contacted Geraldine and provided her with a refund of $529 for her unused policy.

*This case study has been de-identified to protect the identity of the complainant.

Posted February 2024