Author: Trudie McConnochie

It’s a question we’re asked often at healthslips.com.au: what’s the cheapest health insurer in Australia? There is no definitive answer because everyone’s health and insurance needs are different. But if you’re trying to save money on health insurance, here are some tips to help you find the most affordable insurer for your unique needs.  1. Focus on policies, not insurers When you’re looking for the cheapest health insurance, instead of focusing on insurer brand, focus on...

If you’ve got Extras Cover, you might be covered for the cost of vaccinations, but the type of shots you can claim and the amount can be wildly different.  Let’s look more closely at cover for vaccinations on health insurance. Are vaccinations covered by Medicare? Yes, if a vaccination is recommended for your age group or circumstances, the cost is free under Medicare....

If you’re looking for a new Hospital Cover policy or upgrading your current policy, you’ll need to decide what private health insurance tier you need. There are 4 tiers of Hospital Cover: Here are the 3 steps to choose your Hospital Cover tier.  1. Decide on your healthcare needs Make a list of the hospital services, (known as clinical categories), you might need in the near future – especially if you want the option of being treated privately for those procedures. Take into...

If you’ve found yourself googling ‘How much do dentures cost?’, you’ll know that dentures in Australia are not cheap. Fortunately, you can use health insurance for denture costs, although there are some conditions. Here’s what you need to know about claiming dentures on private health insurance. How much do dentures cost? The cost of dentures in Australia depends on your dentist, the process required, the material used and the type of...

Waiting for hernia surgery can be a long, and potentially painful, process. The latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that the median wait time for hernia surgery was 77 days (around 2.5 months). But that’s only an average – around 6% of people waited more than a year for their surgery. With waits like these in the public system, you might be wondering whether it’s worth...

There are literally thousands of health insurance policies available in Australia (64,252 open policies as at 2 December 2025, to be exact). So if you think your health cover isn’t quite hitting the mark, you have tonnes of alternatives. Staying with a policy that isn’t right for you means you’re throwing money down the drain, and potentially leaving yourself without sufficient cover when you need to claim for health treatments. So, how do you know if you’ve got the...

If you’re likely to need surgery this year, you could be in for a long wait. Although your surgery will be free under Medicare in the public health system, there may be a lengthy wait for non-urgent procedures. Of course, if you have health insurance, you can be seen quicker as a private patient, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your surgery will be free. Depending on your policy, and the doctors...

If you wear glasses or use contact lenses, you’ll know Extras Cover can be a handy way to bring down those costs. And even if you don’t need glasses right now, having optical cover can be useful as you age. Optometry Australia says our eyes lose the ability to focus on near objects from around...