What is Hospital Cover?

Hospital cover is exactly what it sounds like: insurance that helps to cover your costs in hospital. With hospital cover you’re covered for things like treatment, accommodation and nursing care.

How much of your expenses are paid depends on your level of cover, the procedure or care given, and the hospital you choose to stay in.

Hospital cover doesn't cover you for services received outside of a hospital like a visit to your GP, dentist or new glasses. Things like x-rays, where you aren't admitted as an inpatient to hospital (even if they're done in a hospital building) also aren’t covered.

What Hospital Cover is best for me?

Before taking out hospital cover, work out exactly why you want it. Are you looking for entry level cover and happy to exclude services to keep the price down or do you want peace of mind knowing that you’re covered for whatever life might throw at you?

Frank has a range of hospital covers across different price levels. If one cover is cheaper than another, it’s because it excludes treatments or services that cost more than others. Always check the exclusion list on a product and decide how important the treatment or service is to you.

Compare Frank hospital covers below

Legend

Service or treatment type is covered in a private hospital or in a public hospital as a private patient

Service or treatment type is partially covered

Service or treatment type is excluded

Additional important product information

Basic Hospital
More info		Basic Hospital
+ some private
More info		Better Hospital
(no Co-Payment)
More info		Best Hospital
More info
Hospital expenses covered
Public hospital accommodation
Private hospital accommodation
Shared room
Private room
Doctors' expenses covered
All medically necessary inpatient services are covered unless listed as an exclusion below
Eye surgery
Cosmetic surgery
Dental implants
Insulin pumps
Joint replacement
Pregnancy Optional
Reproductive services Optional
Dialysis
Weight loss surgery
Spinal surgery
Neurostimulators
Psychiatric

Do I have to pay an excess?

Yes. If you are admitted to hospital, you will have to pay an excess directly to the hospital upon admission.

The most you will have to pay in excess per year is $500 for a single and $500 per person up to a maximum of $1,000 per policy per year. For example if you are admitted to hospital and pay the $500 excess and are re-admitted later in the year, you won’t need to pay it again.

Can I get more information about fees?

Of course. There is more information about hospital fees, doctors’ fees, gap and all the nitty gritty if you’re admitted to hospital. Find out more about fees and how they work here.

Will I have to wait before I claim?

Yes, particularly if you’re new to health insurance. With our covers (and most other health insurers) you have to wait a specific amount of time between signing up and making your first claim. This is called a waiting period.

On some procedures, there is a period after the waiting period during which insurers will pay benefits at a lower rate. This is called a benefit limitation period. It’s pretty confusing though, so if you’re unsure, call us.

Waiting periods and benefit limitations periods may not apply if you are switching from another fund.

The following table shows the waiting periods and benefit limitation periods that apply.

Frank's Hospital cover waiting periods and benefit limitation periods
24 months Benefit Limitation Periods apply to gastric banding and all obesity surgeries, psychiatric or renal dialysis (that means you're covered but for public hospital benefits in a shared room after your other waiting periods have been served)
12 months Pregnancy and pre-existing conditions (except psychiatric, rehab or palliative care)
2 months Psychiatric, rehab or palliative care and any other hospital treatment
1 day Accidents (bodily injuries that happen the day after you join or upgrade to a higher level of cover)

Find out more about waiting periods and benefit limitation periods.

Are there services Frank won’t pay on?

Yes there are. It might make us sound mean, but if you have a read, you'll see they're fair. Read the full list of things Frank won’t pay on.

Important

The cover information on this page should be read and retained.

 

Franks Covers