Money

If you hear the word ‘grommets’ you might think of surf lifesaving, but for many Australian families, the word means surgery. Around one in 15 kids in Australia need surgery for grommets, where a tiny tube is inserted into the eardrum to help reduce middle ear infections and glue ear. Although this procedure (known clinically...

If you’re having a baby, or thinking about starting a family in the next couple of years, one of the bigger decisions to weight up is whether it’s worth having health insurance so you can deliver your baby in private care. There’s lots of confusion about what health cover for pregnancy includes and what it...

Losing your job is an incredibly difficult experience that can leave you reeling emotionally – especially if it was unexpected. On a practical level, it also means a lot of decisions and adjustments to make, particularly around your finances. You may need to reassess your expenses until you land a new job. When it comes...

Of the 48 insurers selling health insurance in Australia right now, 22 of them are not-for-profit, which means they aren’t focused on making and returning a profit to shareholders. So, does that mean policies from these insurers are cheaper? Here, we explore whether you’ll save money on health insurance by buying a policy from a...

Unlike Hospital Cover, Extras Cover is the form of health insurance that won’t help you avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge, so it might not be a big priority for some people. But if you want to save money on health maintenance costs, such as dental treatments and physiotherapy, Extras Cover can be a good investment....

According to recent data from the ATO, record numbers of Australians are now paying the Medicare Levy Surcharge at tax time. If that’s you – or you think you might be at risk of being charged it next year – here’s what you need to know. Do I have to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge? First things...

It’s one of the most common mistakes we hear about at healthslips.com.au – people taking out the cheapest health insurance to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS), but not checking what the policy includes. As a result, they end up with a ‘junk policy’ – one that provides so little cover it’s ineffective. The good...

Lifetime Health Cover Loading (LHCL) is one of the most misunderstood areas of health insurance. It’s a penalty the government created to encourage Aussies to take out Hospital Cover before the age of 31. After that age, if you’re starting Hospital Cover you’ll pay an extra 2% on Hospital Cover for every year over 30...