IMAN is a subsidiary of nib that is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange under NHF and has over 1,000,000 Australian health insurance policy holders. Only IMAN and Frank Australia are specialist brands that only provide overseas visitor health insurance.
All of IMAN’s policies are compliant with the Department Of Immigration and Boarder Patrol to meet condition 8501 (for any working visa such as the subclass 457 visa & subclass 485 visa).
IMAN has the cheapest overseas visitor health insurance from the funds compared for singles. The table below highlights that their budget cover starts from $74.54, Frank has the second cheapest overseas visitor health cover product ‘Minimum Working Visa Cover‘ that is $0.46 more per month.
As shown above, IMAN’s starting price is the cheapest overseas visitor health cover of the major health funds although you need to get a quote to make sure you qualify for this price.
1) Cheap Prices
IMAN is generally competitive for all policies including Singles, Couples & Families.
They also have a popular top visitor cover option that includes extras cover such as optical and dental (eg seeing a dentist).
2) Low Waiting Periods
There is no waiting period for any hospital treatment as a result of accidental injury while Rehabilitation, palliative care services and rehabilitation has a 2 month waiting period. All other waiting periods when a pre-existing ailment/condition exists is 12 months.
3) No Hospital Excess
There is no hospital excess on IMAN’s cover for overnight and same day stays. Operating theatre and intensive ward fees are also covered with no excess.
4) Credit For Time Away
IMAN provide a unique ‘credit for time away’ policy where if you leave Australia for between 4 - 10 weeks you can put your policy on hold and will resume when you come back.
5) Over 40+ Years Experience In The Overseas Visitor Health Insurance sector
IMAN was one of the pioneers in Australia to offer overseas visitor health cover and now as a subsidiary of nib is backed by one of the biggest Australian health funds.
1) Price Competitiveness is mixed
IMAN has the cheapest 457 visa health insurance budget policy as shown from the list above. That said, their premium and family policies are priced higher and in some cases, are not priced as competitive so further review of their policies should be completed.
2) Mixed Reviews
The independent review website product review live widget below shows how there are some recent mixed reviews for IMAN with the overall score of 3.4/5 from 26 reviews. The top rating fund as of March 2016 is Frank with 4.8/5 from 140 reviews.
3) Premium For Family Policies
Most health funds charge the same for Couples and Family policies except for IMAN which charges more when children are part of the policy.
4) Minimal Policy Flexibility
Unlike HIF that allows policy holders to mix and match hospital and extras cover (eg dental cover) IMAN only includes extras on it’s top cover. For those on a budget and want to be covered for new glasses or a trip to the dentist then this fund may not be for you.
5) Customer Service
While IMAN has a skilled customer service team, they are only open from Monday to Friday 8:30am – 6pm (AEST/AEDT). They also don’t have live chat or Skype available which can be an issue for those offshore. They are options though to e-mail the team with excellent response rates.
IMAN are a good choice for those looking to deal with a specialist brand that they can trust. With over 40 years they can help guide you through meeting your visa requirement such as condition 8501. They have some ‘sharp’ prices at the budget end while their premium policies have some excellent benefits and those looking to have a baby in the future should receive these. If you become a permanent resident you can also transfer your health insurance to the parent company ‘nib’.
IMAN is rated 2.7 stars by 24 customers.