Step 8 - Some important information

Be informed, have someone act on your behalf and understand medical costs.

Going to hospital and your policy

Don’t get caught with out of pockets, make sure you understand your Frank cover and if you need any more information, we’re here to help you.

Informed financial consent

Your specialist should provide you with an estimate of fees prior to any hospital admission. This is known as Informed Financial Consent.

Your estimate will include details of any out of pocket or ‘gap’ you may have. A Medical Gap is the difference between what your doctor charges and what’s covered by Medicare and your hospital insurance cover.

All of Frank's hospital covers come with. Access Gap Cover through our partnership with The Australian Health Service Alliance (AHSA).

Providing you choose a doctor that participates in the Access Gap Cover program you can reduce or even eliminate any gap for medical fees when treated as an inpatient in hospital.

Power of Attorney

A medical power of attorney allows you to appoint someone to make decisions about your medical treatment if you become mentally or physically incapable of deciding for yourself.  

An Enduring Power of Attorney is a legal document where you select and appoint a person you trust to manage your affairs if you are unable to due to illness, accident or in your absence.

Choosing to be admitted as a Private Patient in a Public Hospital

As someone who holds private hospital cover in Australia, when visiting a public hospital, it’s your choice if you want to be seen as a private or public patient.

To be a private patient, you’ll be asked to complete an Admitted Patient Election Form during admission. 

Every Australian has access to public hospitals through Medicare. And even if you hold private health cover, you can select to be treated as a public patient. It’s important to understand that as a private patient in a public hospital Frank may not cover all hospital costs and you may face out of pocket medical gaps. Please contact Frank to check what is covered prior to admission as a private patient in a public hospital.