What's the point?
Public hospitals are free, so why would you pay to go to a private hospital? For one thing, waiting. A lot of people use the public system, so you can be waiting months (or longer) to get the treatment you need, especially if it’s not urgent.
With private cover, you can choose your doctor and get your treatment as soon as you need it. Not only that, but you could get a room all to yourself (this depends on the hospital).
More reasons we think it’s worth it
How does it work?
There are two parts to private health cover – hospital and extras cover.
- Hospital cover
Cover for things like accommodation, theatre and doctors’ fees in hospital.
Hospital cover is what many people need to avoid two government charges: Lifetime Health Cover loading (LHC) and Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS).
There is also a government incentive to take out Hospital cover, called an age-based discount. If you take out our Basic Plus or Bronze Plus Hospital cover before you turn 30 you can access the age-based discount. The discount ranges from 2% to 10%, depending on your age. - Extras cover
Extras cover helps with things you generally don't get for free from the public health system in Australia such as dental, optical and physio.
Our covers:
Hospital
We've got 6 levels of hospital cover, and they're as simple as they sound.
- Basic Accident Hospital (with a $750 excess)
Basic Accident Hospital is an affordable option for those seeking essential cover in case of an accident. Basic Accident Hospital is only available in combination with a Simple, Flex Essentials, Mid or Flex Up Extras product.
Plus, you can get the age-based discount on this cover! - Basic Plus Hospital (with a $500 or $750 excess)
Basic Plus Hospital is our affordable hospital cover that packs a punch with 6 useful hospital services including dental surgery.
Plus, you can get the age-based discount on this cover! - Bronze Plus Hospital (with a $500 or $750 excess)
Bronze Plus Hospital delivers 26 of 38 clinical hospital categories available for private health insurance in Australia. It is called ‘Plus’ because it adds more categories than the 20 required by Bronze tier hospital covers.
Plus, you can get the age-based discount on this cover! - Silver Plus Essentials Hospital (with a $500 or $750 excess)
Silver Plus Essentials Hospital is ideal for those looking for an affordable yet comprehensive level of hospital cover.
Plus, you can get the age-based discount on this cover! - Silver Plus Hospital (with a $500 or $750 excess)
Massive 34 inclusions such as joint replacements, kidney dialysis, cataracts, insulin pumps & pain mgmt. - Silver Plus Grow (with a $500 or $750 excess)
Our Silver Plus Grow includes pregnancy hospital cover so that you can have your little bundle of joy at a private hospital with the obstetrician of your choice (or even at a public hospital with your choice of obstetrician). Silver Plus Grow is only sold in combination with an extras product.
Extras
We’ve got 6 levels of extras cover:
- Simple Extras
Essentials package to get you started on extras. - Flex Essentials Extras
Designed for those seeking flexibility within their Extras cover, Flex Essentials Extras offers the ability to choose how you allocate your benefits within a set flexible single limit. - Mid Extras
Value for money along with a broad range of benefits including remedial massage, dental, optical and physio. - Flex Up Extras
Flex Up Extras is ideal for singles, couples and families looking for more flexibility and choice within their Extras cover. - High Extras
Benefits with major inclusions like orthodontics, laser eye surgery, hearing aids, health aids & wellness. - Premium Extras
All our extras inclusions with the highest benefit rates and generous annual limits.
Combined Hospital and Extras cover
You can mix & match all of our hospital and extras covers to find your perfect fit. Plus, you’ll get 10% off your extras.
Ambulance cover
Full ambulance cover is included with all of our levels of cover.
Make it cheaper
Receive the Government Rebate
Depending on your income, the Government offers a rebate to help with the cost of private health cover.
Raise your excess
The higher your excess, the less you pay in premiums. Tell me more
Important information
Waiting periods
If you take out your own cover within 30 days of coming off your parents’ cover, you’ll be able to claim straight away for the things you were already covered for with them (as long as they’ve served their waits). The only thing you can’t do is claim for services you have in the days between coming off your parents’ cover and taking out your own (if you didn’t get cover straight away).
If you one-up your parents and take out a higher level of cover, you’ll have some waiting periods.
Cooling-off period
Changed your mind about your cover? No worries! Just let us know within 30 days of joining or upgrading your cover and you'll get a full refund of any premiums paid (as long as you haven't made any claims in that time).
Helpful links
There are a few other things you should know about before you take out cover. They are:
- Our Privacy Policy
- Our Complaints Handling Policy
- The Medicare Levy Surcharge
- Lifetime Health Cover loading
- Code of Conduct
Before you make up your mind
This is just a quick overview of our covers and what private health cover is all about. Before you choose your cover, you should check out our full brochure and our help me choose tool to find the right cover for you.
Otherwise, give us a call on 1800 808 704 and we’ll talk you through it.