Medicare Teen Dental Plan
With Medicare not providing much help with dental care for most people, many families struggle to afford dental cover. This can be worrying for parents, as it may mean that youngsters struggle to maintain good oral health later on as they have not got into the habit. The Australian government has recognised this concern, and introduced the Medicare ...
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
As you get older, you may worry about how you will be able to carry on funding your health care. For many seniors, your health needs may be changing at a time when your income is decreasing. If you already have private health insurance, you may worry about how to afford to maintain enough cover for your needs. If you don’t already have health insur ...
Health Cover for a Disability
Health insurance provides security for times when one is unable to work and support one’s basic needs. Health insurance packages vary, though. This is why it is very important to always perform a health insurance comparison prior to obtaining a policy. Disability Benefits under Private Health Insurance No disability coverage is as varied as the one ...
Private Health Fund Problems? Contact the Ombudsman!
If you’re experiencing problems with your private health fund, you may feel you have exhausted all your options. You’ve talked to representatives of the private health fund, gathered and produced necessary documents to state your case, and still feel that your questions are unanswered or that your problem is unresolved. The good news is, there’s a ...
Feeling Tired All the Time? What Your Health Insurance Covers
Are you feeling tired a lot or struggling with other worrying health issues? You’ll want to get it looked into. Many people are reluctant to consult their doctor out of fear for what it may cost. You may be aware that Medicare will cover GP consultations, but what happens beyond that? If your tiredness symptoms need further investigation, you’ll wa ...
What Medications Does Health Insurance Cover?
Australians can get cheaper medications through Medicare, courtesy of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). The PBS covers a lot of medicines, but not all. Fortunately, health insurance extras may cover non-PBS medicines. Here are some things to consider if you are not sure how medicines are covered by your health insurance. What is the Pharmac ...
Hospital Cover: Health Insurance for Inpatients vs Outpatients
If you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of hospital cover, you might assume that it doesn’t matter whether you’re in hospital as an in-patient or as an out-patient. Private hospital insurance normally covers you as an inpatient only, so anything beyond that may not be covered. Read your private health insurance policy for the full details. Wit ...
Compare Health Insurance for the Whole Family
When you’re looking to compare private health insurance for the whole family, it may often be the case that a Family policy may provide the best value for money. Within this, there will be things to think about when you’re looking to compare private health cover that will benefit everyone. How long can children remain on a family policy? For most, ...
Will Private Health Insurance Cover Everything?
When you do a simple health insurance comparison between public (Medicare) and private health insurance, it’s easy to see how the latter can supplement the former in terms of coverage. Private health insurance encompasses the benefits provided by the Medicare system, but can offer more as well. Of course, there’s no such thing as an insurance that ...
Private Health Insurance Comparison for Beginners
Through policies like the Private Health Insurance Rebate and Lifetime Health Cover, the Australian government has made private health insurance both an advantageous and appealing option. Doing a comparison of the various products offered by private health funds is the typical way to find a suitable policy for your needs. There are of course a coup ...
Private Health Fund Problems? Contact the Ombudsman!
If you’re experiencing problems with your private health fund, you may feel you have exhausted all your options. You’ve talked to representatives of the private health fund, gathered and produced necessary documents to state your case, and still feel that your questions are unanswered or that your problem is unresolved. The good news is, there’s a third party who can help you when you deal with your private health fund — the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman.
Who Is the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman?
The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman is the name for an Australian Government agency that deals with consumer concerns about their private health funds. However, the Ombudsman acts independently of the Government.
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What Does the Ombudsman Do?
The stated purpose of the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman is to “protect the interests of people who are covered by private health insurance.”
The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman office handles consumer inquiries and complaints regarding all aspects of private health insurance, but the Ombudsman also works with the government and the private health insurance industry, offering advice to them, and publishing independent reports about the performance of the health insurance industry.
Publications that inform consumers about private health insurance funds, making complex aspects of the industry clearer to the general public, and helping the public to understand their responsibility as members of private health funds, are available from the Ombudsman.
How Can the Ombudsman Help Me?
When you encounter problems with your private health fund that cannot be resolved by contacting the health fund directly, the Ombudsman can take your complaint and assist you in reaching a resolution.
If your complaint stems from a misunderstanding of your benefits, the Ombudsman’s staff will help you to understand how your benefits work and what you can do to use them effectively in the future. However, if your complaint is not due to a misunderstanding, the Ombudsman will initiate contact with your health fund or third parties with whom you have experienced difficulty using your health fund, and obtain more information and suggestions for resolving the problem.
In cases of complaints that are complex, the Ombudsman will seek additional information about the problem from the health fund or other organization, and in some cases, recommend a certain course of action to resolve the problem.
How Do I Make a Complaint to the Ombudsman?
You can make a complaint to the Ombudsman by contacting them through the following channels:
Mail: Suite 2, Level 22, 580 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
Complaints Hotline: 1800 640 695 (free from anywhere in Australia, though mobile phone charges may apply)
Telephone: (02) 8235 8777
Fax: (02) 8235 8778
Email: info@phio.org.au
While your complaint is being investigated, Ombudsman staff will keep you regularly informed about the status of your complaint, usually by telephoning you.
Keeping Healthy for Life
Even if you have excellent health insurance, getting sick may still be expensive. What’s more, chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure may take years off your life and money out of your pocket. Doing a few simple things to keep yourself healthy won’t just help you to live longer, and with a higher quality of life — it may save you money in the long run.
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Eat Right and Get Regular Exercise
By now, we all know that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, low fat proteins and fibre is the best way to maintain our health and our weight. But that doesn’t stop us from relying at times on a diet of takeout foods, unhealthy junk foods, and sugary soft drinks and snacks.
Changing the way we eat — and the impact of our diets on our health — is easier said than done, but making small changes, slowly, can help you to get on the right track to better eating and better health. Just trading out full-fat dairy products for low-fat or no-fat options, replacing fried meats for baked, broiled or grilled dishes, saving soft drinks for special occasions and watching the salt and sugar you add to foods are small, manageable changes that can set you on the path to better health without totally overhauling your diet.
Adding some regular exercise to your routine will also help. Getting regular exercise, even if it’s just 20 to 30 minutes, three or four times a week, may help you lower your body fat, cholesterol, blood pressure and risk for diabetes. What’s more, it will help build bone and muscle that can keep you strong.
The right diet and exercise won’t just improve your well-being and reduce your weight – it may also help you save money on prescription medications, medical care and health insurance excesses or co-payments. A poor diet and lack of exercise may catch up with you one day in financial, as well as health, terms.
Get Regular Checkups
We often think we’re too busy or strapped for cash to have regular checkups, but in truth, going without is something neither your budget nor your health can afford. Waiting until you’re in seriously poor health to see a doctor is like waiting until it starts raining before you close the windows — by then, some of the damage is already done.
The importance of seeing your physician regularly for a checkup can’t be overstated; seeing a physician at least once a year may help you to catch some health conditions early, and may help to prevent others altogether. Medicare and most health insurance plans allow for yearly checkups that can help you to keep healthy without spending a lot of money.
Take Care of Your Teeth
Having a mouth full of pearly whites won’t guarantee good health for life, but simply taking better care of your oral health can help you to avoid some health problems. Poor flossing habits have been linked to everything from oral cancers to heart disease, and failing to brush regularly can result in painful and expensive dental clinic visits. Even if your private health fund doesn’t include cover for dental care, you can do a lot to contribute to your health by brushing and flossing every day.
Making an effort to keep yourself healthy is not just the key to a longer life — it’s the key to avoiding expensive medical conditions. And if you have only public or basic level private health insurance cover, it’s the best way to avoid letting a small health problem snowball into a huge one that you can ill afford.
Health Insurance and Lifetime Health Cover
If the only thing that you dread more than the prospect of being hospitalised is the idea of private health insurance comparison, you’re not alone. While we can all agree that health insurance cover may be a valuable investment should we ever be in need of extensive medical treatment, it’s nevertheless an expensive investment to make.
However, putting off purchasing hospital insurance can make securing private health insurance even more expensive. The government’s Lifetime Health Cover initiative rewards you for taking out hospital insurance earlier in life, and adds a financial loading charge should you procrastinate.
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The Lifetime Health Cover Initiative
Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) is an Australian Federal Government initiative that began in 2000 as a way to reward citizens for taking out hospital insurance at a younger age, and for maintaining their hospital cover throughout their lifetime.
Australians who purchase hospital cover before they turn 31 pay the lowest premiums, while those who wait until after age 31 will pay a higher premium, one that grows the longer you delay coverage.
Avoid the LHC Loading
The only way to avoid paying some amount of LHC loading is to purchase hospital cover by the 1st July following your 31st birthday. Those who wait until after this date to purchase hospital insurance may be required to pay the LHC loading fee.
LHC loading fees can add up the longer you delay purchasing hospital cover. The loading starts at 2% for each year you are over 30. A citizen who waits until age 40 to purchase cover could end up paying an extra 20% for his hospital cover. Wait until age 50, and you could be stuck paying 40% more for your cover. The maximum loading is 70%. Those born before 1934 are exempt from LHC loading.
If unforeseen circumstances such as unemployment or an overseas move make it impossible or illogical for you to pay for your hospital cover, you need not fear being bumped up to LHC loading when you resume payment for your cover. The government allows you to suspend hospital cover for a total of three years (or 1,094 days) during your lifetime without affecting your Lifetime Health Cover loading status. However, If you drop your hospital cover for longer than the three years or 1,094 days, you will most likely incur an LHC loading when you purchase hospital cover again.
In certain circumstances, the 1,094 day period can be extended. For instance, if you’ve lived out of the country continuously for more than 12 months and have made visits back home of less than 90 consecutive days at a time, or if your health fund has agreed to a period of suspension, such as during a time of unemployment or inability to work, you may not be assessed an LHC loading when you pick up hospital cover again.
New to Australia?
Those over age 31 who are migrating to Australia need to obtain hospital cover within 12 months of registering for Medicare benefits, or risk incurring loading charges. Delay purchasing cover more than 12 months, and you will pay 2% more for each year you are over age 30 when you do purchase your hospital cover.
Reap the Rewards of Continuous Cover
Even if you do put off purchasing your hospital cover so long that you are forced to pay LHC loading, there is good news. Any LHC loading assessed to your hospital cover premium will be removed after you have continuously had cover for 10 years. If you have breaks in your hospital cover after the loading has been removed, you may become liable to pay a LHC loading again in the future.
Are You Making the Most of Government Private Health Insurance Initiatives?
It’s no secret that private health insurance may be expensive. Regardless of whether you are purchasing a comprehensive policy in addition to your Medicare coverage, or just want hospital cover or ancillary cover, the bottom line is that purchasing private health insurance is going to cost you money.
However, there are government programs that may help you reduce the overall cost of your private health insurance. The Private Health Insurance Rebate is available to all Australian citizens, regardless of your age, income level, or whether your employer has paid your health insurance premiums for you. Additionally, other schemes to encourage taking out private health insurance cover may save you money over time.
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How To Get The Private Health Insurance Rebate
The easiest way to save money on your private health insurance is by taking advantage of the government-sponsored Private Health Insurance Rebate. You can get your Rebate in one of three ways:
- By asking your registered health fund to give you your Rebate as a premium reduction
- By contacting your local Medicare office to receive your Rebate as a direct payment from the Government.
- By using a statement provided by your health fund at the end of the year to claim your Rebate on your tax return.
Again, even if your employer has paid for your health cover as part of a benefits package, you are still entitled to the Private Health Insurance Rebate, and can claim it in either of the three ways listed above.
How Much Private Health Insurance Rebate Will You Get?
The amount of the Rebate you are eligible for will depend upon your age. The government Private Health Insurance Rebate schedule in 2011 entitles you to:
- a 30% Rebate if you are under 65,
- a 35% Rebate if you are aged 65-69,
- a 40% Rebate if you are 70 or over.
Other Ways to Save on Private Health Insurance
You can save even more on hospital cover by taking out a policy prior to your 31st birthday. Lifetime Health Cover (LHC), a Government initiative intended to reward people for taking out and maintaining hospital cover earlier in life, can save you money as long as you take out cover before your 31st birthday. After your 31st birthday, you’ll pay the 2% loading the Government assesses on top of your premium for every year you are over age 30.
Keeping the premiums paid for your private health insurance is encouraged, as well; even if you wait until after your 31st birthday to obtain cover, after you have paid the LHC loading on your cover for 10 years continuously, you are no longer responsible for the loading as long as you retain the hospital cover.
Although private health insurance cover may be expensive, taking advantage of Government programs that encourage purchasing cover may reduce the cost of your private health insurance, both initially and over time.