New data from the Australian Tax Office shows that the number of people being charged the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) has almost quadrupled over 6 years. Data found 768,537 Aussies paid the MLS in the 2022-23 financial year, up from 196,807 in 2017. An article in The Australian says the increase is due to rising...
Australians treated with natural therapies may soon be able to claim rebates on Extras Cover. Following a review completed last year, the government has reinstated 7 of the 16 natural therapies that were removed from private health insurance cover in 2019. The health insurance industry is now developing framework to cover: Private Healthcare Australia, the...
Bupa members who had Hospital Cover claims rejected between 1 May 2018 and 31 August 2023 may be entitled to compensation. The health insurer has announced it incorrectly rejected “mixed coverage” claims – claims for 2 or more treatments at a time – and certain other types of claims during this period. Bupa has apologised...
Members of Teachers Health and TUH are about to become part of the sixth largest health insurer in Australia. The two not-for-profit insurers have announced they will merge next week on 1 July, forming a combined insurer that will cover 500,000 people, Teachers Health said. TUH said the merger will bring some small benefits to...
Australians uncertain about whether or not to get health insurance could find the decision a little easier next week, as of 1 July. Those who don’t have Hospital Cover and earn over a certain income threshold get charged the Medicare Levy Surcharge at tax time – a levy of between 1% and 1.5%. For some...
Australians are claiming on private health insurance more than ever, new data shows. The latest figures from APRA (Australian Prudential Regulation Authority), which regulates the health insurance industry, show that insurers paid $18.9 billion in Hospital Cover claims for the 12 months ending 31 March 2025 – an increase of 6.9%. For Extras Cover claims,...
Healthscope private hospitals remain open for surgeries and treatments, despite the organisation going into receivership this week. Some Australians with Hospital Cover were concerned that private hospital treatment could be harder to access in the wake of the Healthscope collapse, but the organisation said its hospitals will remain open for treatments. Healthscope – which operates...
The government has announced it will investigate health insurers for using a loophole to raise their prices. In December last year, Minister of Health Mark Butler warned health insurers to stop ‘phoenixing’ policies after a Commonwealth Ombudsman report brought the practice to light. By law, health insurers can only raise prices once a year, but...
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If you need a colonoscopy in Australia, you could face a long wait. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, people waited between 133 and 197 days for a non-urgent colonoscopy in a public hospital in 2022 (between 4 and 6 months). For faster treatment, you might be wondering if you can go...
If you’re using Hospital Cover to pay for surgery or a hospital procedure as a private patient, you probably assume your insurer will pick up the bill. But unfortunately health insurance doesn’t always cover 100% of the private hospital costs – sometimes there will be out-of-pocket costs, also known as Gaps. So what is a...
Most people don’t think about their kidneys much, but for the 246,200 Australians who are living with kidney disease, this pair of essential organs is very much front and centre. Living with kidney disease means your day-to-day life is organised around a lot of medical appointments and lifestyle adjustments. If you’re looking for health insurance...
If you’re a young and healthy Australian, do you really need health insurance, since you can get public hospital treatment for free under Medicare? And if you’re an older Australian, is it worth getting health insurance, even though it might cost you more? There’s no best age to get health insurance, but there are lots...
For the 440,000+ Australians living with the impact of stroke, recovery can be a long journey. Rehabilitation after stroke is different for everyone, depending on how your brain is affected and how severe the stroke was. Here’s how private health insurance can help with the costs of recovery after a stroke. Your initial treatment will...
If you’re a new migrant, we hope you’re enjoying life in Australia. One of the things you’ll need to think about as you adjust to life as an Aussie is our healthcare system. While many treatments and services are covered by Medicare, there are some advantages to taking out Private Health Insurance. In some cases,...
If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease, your doctors have probably given you lots of information about how to manage your condition. The good news is that some of the lifestyle changes to manage heart disease, and many heart disease treatments, are covered by private health insurance. There are 2 main types of health insurance...
It’s the most common elective procedure performed in Australia, but cataract surgery has a long waiting list in public hospitals. According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data, more than 90% of people who had their cataracts done in 2022-23 had to wait more than a year. If you have Private Health Insurance, you...