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...
Most Australians will pay more for health insurance next week due to a reduction in a rebate designed to make health cover cheaper. Cuts to the Private Health Insurance Rebate take effect on April 1 at the same time as most policies are increasing in price by an average of 3.7% – which adds up...
Out-of-pocket payments for Private Health Insurance claims continue to rise, putting more pressure on Australian households during the cost-of-living crisis. New data from Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), which regulates the health insurance industry, found a 7% increase in Gaps paid for Hospital Cover claims for the quarter finishing December 2024, compared with the same...
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If you have both Hospital and Extras Cover with the same insurer, your insurer may process these as one combined policy or as 2 separate policies (also called ‘split policies’, ‘second policies’ or ‘standalone policies’ by some insurers). Some Hospital Cover policies can only be purchased with an Extras Cover policy, and some insurers offer...
There are 3 scenarios when you may have to pay out-of-pocket fees for treatments outside of hospital: What are the out-of-pocket fees for medical tests outside hospital? If Medicare covers your diagnostic test outside a hospital, such as blood tests and radiology services, it will pay 85% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Fee. If the...
No, you do not need to serve waiting periods again for Hospital Cover if you change insurers and take out a new policy at the same level of cover as your existing policy. However if you are changing to a higher tier of cover, waiting periods will apply for the new services and treatments (known...
No. You cannot add your parents to your health insurance policy. They will need their own Private Health Insurance cover.
The cost of health insurance depends on factors such as the insurer and your level of cover, and there is a wide variation in prices and inclusions, so it is important to look for the best-priced policy that suits your health needs. To do this, use the healthslips.com.au Calculator to find your cheapest health insurance...
There are 2 incentives and one penalty provided by the government to encourage you to take out Private Health Insurance. The incentives for health insurance may reduce the price you ultimately pay. The incentives are: Government Rebate Also known as the Private Health Insurance Rebate, the Government Rebate reduces your health insurance premium. The Rebate...
These are the factors which do not impact on your health insurance premium and the price you will ultimately pay: Your age does not affect your health insurance premium. However your age may make you eligible for an Age-based Discount, which will reduce the price you pay for your policy if you are under 30,...
These are the factors which impact your health insurance price you will ultimately pay. You will pay more for a policy that covers 2 or more adults than you would for a policy that only covers you. However you have the option to stay on your own policy even if you are in a relationship...