Compare Health Insurance

Most people compare the market and purchase health insurance to avoid out-of-pocket expenses for services that are either aren’t covered or are only partially covered by Medicare. You also get reduced waiting times for hospital treatment, the ability to choose your hospital and doctor, access to a shared or private room in a private hospital and exemptions from government-imposed tax penalties and premium loadings.

Different policies will have different limits on the benefits you can claim in the year. Most of the time this means a maximum dollar amount you get back for a specific kind of treatment. Each time you pay for a particular service you’ll also have a set dollar amount you can receive as a benefit. For example your policy may have a maximum benefit limit of $300 a year for physiotherapy, and each time you go you receive $35 back as a benefit. If the service cost $50 you’d pay $15 out of pocket, and once you exceeded your benefit limit you would have to pay the full $50. However some policies offer a combined limit that gives you a total benefit amount to use for all your extras.

After purchasing your private health insurance you have a 30 day ‘cooling-off’ period that entitles you to a refund for any premiums you’ve paid, as long as you haven’t made any claims.

In Australia, basic healthcare is made affordable for everyone through Centrelink. A health care card allows Australians to access free or discounted health care if their income is below a set amount or they are currently receiving a payment from Centrelink. The Department of Human Services website has detailed information on eligibility for a range of affordability schemes, and instructions on how to apply for a health care card.