What cheap extras health insurance cover can benefit both your health, and your wallet?
The great thing about cheap extras health insurance cover is you don’t have to compromise on services. If you want only some extras, there are policies for that. If you want lots, there are also options. We have made it easy for you by offering two cheap extras health insurance covers we reckon will suit you down to the ground.
* The price shown is per week and applies to a {LIFESTAGE} living in VIC with a $500 excess. It excludes LHC loading and includes a Base Tier Government Rebate
| Extras services (when included on cover) |
|---|
| All extras benefits except as specified below. Waiting Period: 2 Months |
| Optical, home and domestic aids and medical aids. Waiting Period: 6 months |
| Major dental services (including full & partial dentures, orthodontics, crown & bridgework, endodontic services such as root canal, gold fillings, indirect restorations, surgical extractions of a tooth/teeth including wisdom teeth). Waiting Period: 12 Months |
| Health appliances including nebuliser pump, blood glucose monitor, pressure garments, sleep apnoea monitor, extremity pump, hearing aids, orthopaedic appliances (GMHBA approved), prostheses (GMHBA approved non-surgical), tens monitor, podiatry surgical procedures and orthotic appliances (foot). Waiting Period: 12 Months |
| Hospital services (when included on cover) |
|---|
| Accidents - bodily injuries resulting from accidents which occur after the date of joining GMHBA or upgrading to a higher cover. Waiting Period: No |
| Obstetrics and maternity. Waiting Period: 12 months |
| Pre-existing ailment, illness or condition (other than psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care). Waiting Period: 12 months |
| Any other benefit for hospital (or hospital substitution) treatment. Waiting Period: 2 months |
A pre-existing condition is one where signs or symptoms of your ailment, illness or condition, in the opinion of a medical practitioner appointed by GMHBA (not your own doctor), existed at any time during the six months preceding the day on which you purchased your hospital insurance or upgraded to a higher level of hospital cover and/or benefit entitlement.
A special waiting period applies to obtain benefits for hospital treatment for new members who have pre-existing conditions. The waiting period also applies to existing members who have recently upgraded their level of hospital cover. If the ailment, illness or condition is considered pre-existing:
New members
New members must wait 12 months for any hospital benefits (other than psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care).
Existing members (transferring or upgrading)
Members transferring/upgrading to a higher hospital cover must wait 12 months to get the higher hospital benefits (other than psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care).
Existing members (with at least 12 months membership)
Existing members with at least 12 months membership in total across their old and new cover are entitled to the lower benefits on their old cover.
During your first 24 months of cover - after the standard hospital waiting periods have been served – Best Hospital and Best Hospital (no pregnancy) covers have benefit limitations on selected services.
This means that the benefits payable on these services are limited to the minimum shared room rate under the Private Health Insurance Act for private hospital admissions during the 24 month benefit limitation period.
Once the waiting period and benefit limitation period has been served you will have access to the benefits applicable on your level of cover.
Silver Hospital cover provides the same single room coverage as Gold Hospital, but co-payments of $100 per day up to a maximum of $700 per admission apply. Co-payments are not the same as hospital excess. Please note: Some private hospitals only have single rooms and co-payments will apply.
Co-payments do not apply.
What is included in the different levels of cover?
While hospital policies can cover you for accidents and hospital admissions, extras cover can help make some of that outside-hospital care a bit cheaper. Hospital cover usually won’t cover them for you, and the services on extras plans are not covered by Medicare either.
Health funds usually have at least two types of extras cover, sometimes more. Cheap extras health insurance cover could be used to cover you for things like travel vaccinations, physiotherapy, dental, optical (glasses) and chiropractic, as well as a heap of other stuff you might not need straight away, but it’s better to have it in your back pocket ready to go. They could also cover you for things like psychology and medicines that aren’t on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Usually, you get what you pay for when it comes to cheap extras health insurance cover. If you want more services covers, you will generally pay more for it. If you don’t think you will need half the things on the expensive option, look for a cheaper one.
The good thing is having cheap extras health insurance cover doesn’t mean you have to miss out if you don’t want to.
Some health funds can throw a lot of very attractive offers around. Make sure you have a close look at it before signing up. Health funds like Frank, which are online only, can make finding all that stuff out even easier.
Why do I need extras cover?
So injuries and illness are things that happen to other people, right? Wrong. We know you are pretty fit now and think you’re indestructible, but sooner or later you will realise you’re not, and that’s where we come in.
Cheap extras health insurance cover could protect you against any unwanted financial surprises that follow things like sporting injuries or stair mishaps. Cheap extras health insurance cover can also come into its own if you are a regular visitor to some of the services it covers.
Since the special dentist caravan came to your primary school you have been told to go to the dentist twice a year. Dentists are not cheap. Paying for fillings or teeth extractions aren’t usually things you think about when preparing your monthly or weekly budget, so having cheap extras health insurance cover allows you to recover some of those costs.
If you’ve had a dodgy shoulder or are even a regular remedial massage visitor, having cheap extras health insurance cover is a good way to offset those costs.
What else do I need to know?
Before you claim anything with cheap extras health insurance cover, be aware there are usually waiting periods for most services. There are also different levels, or percentages, you can claim back on treatments. If you pay more for your cheap extras health insurance cover, then usually you can claim back more. There may also be yearly limits to how much you can claim. All that needs to be looked at before you buy, so make sure you do your homework.
Also do your homework to assess your life to think about where you will be in a few years. No, that’s not the Year 12 Careers Counsellor talking. There is no need to shell out money for extras you won’t need for years. Work out what you do now, both inside and outside the house, and try and think about what could happen to you. If you’re a netballer or a cricketer, extras care for physio, dental or chiro could come in handy. However, if you have no idea what a naturopath or homeopath is, then it’s unlikely you’ll be looking to use one in the immediate future. If you wear glasses, then optical cover is clearly a no-brainer.
Just like life, cheap extras health insurance cover can be tricky, but working out what’s what and what you do, don’t or might need can save you a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of stuffing around.
Also, if you are currently seeing someone (a medical person not a partner) for an extras service, then check whether the fund you’re looking at will let you claim on services with your provider (and for how much). At Frank, we’re into telling you what to do – that’s what your parents are for – so you can use any registered practitioner that you want under our cheap extras health insurance cover options and we’ll pay the percentage back that’s part of your cover up to your annual limits.