Private Health Insurance

Australian government private health insurance surcharges The Australian government imposes 2 private health insurance surcharges:These are designed to encourage you to take out private health insurance.Medicare Levy Surcharge The Medicare Levy Surcharge is a levy you have to pay if you do not have Hospital Cover and earn above a certain income.The surcharge covers you and your...

Australian government private health insurance incentives The Australian government offers 2 incentives to encourage Australians to take out private health insurance:Private Health Insurance Rebate The Private Health Insurance Rebate is a rebate from the Australian government to help you pay for private health insurance.The rebate applies to Hospital Cover, Extras Cover and Ambulance Only Cover.The Private Health...

In Australia, you do not have to take out private health insurance.If you have a Medicare Card, you can receive treatment as a public patient in a public hospital.If you do not take out private health insurance, you will not receive help from an insurer to pay for:Alternatively, you can pay to be treated as...

If you have private health insurance, you may in certain situations receive treatment more quickly than someone without private health insurance.Receiving treatment at a private hospital can be very expensive.Most people who elect to go to a private hospital for surgery have Hospital Cover. This insurance helps them pay for the cost of being treated in...

Why don’t private health insurers cover the cost of appointments with my GP or specialist? In Australia, Medicare covers some or all of the cost of appointments with your General Practitioner (GP) or specialist.GPs and specialists have the legal right to run their practices as private businesses. This means they can charge whatever fees they feel...

How to decide whether you need private health insuranceWhen deciding whether you need private health insurance, consider the advantages and disadvantages to make the best decision for your situation.If you buy Hospital Cover, the main benefit is that it helps you pay for the cost of being treated as a private patient in hospital. If you...

Private health insurance works on the basis that you take out a policy and pay an insurer a monthly premium. In return, the insurer provides you with health cover.Depending on the policy you take out, private health insurance helps you pay for:If you want both Hospital Cover and Extras Cover, you can take out Combined Hospital...

In Australia, private health insurance is community rated not risk rated.Community rated means a private health insurer must offer its policies at the same price irrespective of an individual’s risk factors, such as: