Choosing a health insurance plan is really simple for those who are young and single because their main health concern is normally accidents or emergencies.  Fortunately, the majority of health funds have put together health insurance policies that are geared towards singles on a budget.

If you are young and single, please consider these 5 tips before taking out health insurance:

1.   To lock in the lowest rate for life, be sure to start early.  By starting early, you can lock in the lowest health insurance premium rate for as long as you continue to hold Hospital cover.  Keep in mind that in order for this to be possible, you will need to take out hospital cover by July 1 following your 31^st birthday.  If you take out health insurance after your LHC base date, you’ll be hit with an age loading of 2% for each year you delayed past the age of 30.

2.   Take out health insurance and stop paying extra tax.  If you do not currently have Hospital cover and your yearly salary is $80,000+, you are paying extra tax that you can avoid.  This in the form of the Medicare Levy Surcharge, and if you take out Hospital cover, you will not have to pay this tax – as long as you choose an excess that is no more than $500.

This calculator will tell you what your levy is based on your income

Medicare Levy Surcharge Calculator

The Medicare Levy surcharge is an additional fee paid on top of the 2% Medicare Levy Surcharge that most Australian taxpayers pay. You can avoid the surcharge if you have Private Health Insurance (Hospital Cover).

The exact surcharge level you'll need to pay depends on your income level and relationship/family status. Use the slider and dropdown menu below to determine what surcharge you're liable for if you don't have private hospital cover.

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Step 1: Select Your Annual Income $

Step 2: Select Your Life Stage StatusSingleFamilySingle Parent FamilyCouple

Calculate

Your Medicare Levy Surcharge is 0.00% of your income, or $0.00

Singles	≤ $90,000	$90,001 - 105,000	$105,001 - 140,000	≥ $140,001
Families	≤ $180,000	$180,001 - 210,000	$210,001 - 280,000	≥ $280,001
Medicare Levy Surcharge
	Standard	Tier 1	Tier 2	Tier 3
All Ages	0.0%	1.0%	1.25%	1.5%

3.  Benefit from health insurance even when you are not sick.  In addition to your hospital cover, you take out Extras cover.  Extras cover only costs a fraction of Hospital cover.  With Extras cover you will get great benefits including non-hospital services that you may use, such as physiotherapy, dental, optical and chiropractic.  Some health funds will even offer a gym membership rebate.  These services will help keep you fit and healthy.

What types of medical care are most people getting

4.   Save money on health insurance.  One of the best ways to save money on health insurance is to select a policy that fits your lifestyle.  Most health funds have a policy that is perfect for singles because the policy will only cover the things that are usually needed and will cut out things that are not needed at a young age, such as having a hip joint replaced or cataract surgery.  Choosing a policy like this will help keep your costs down.

5.   Health insurance will give you peace of mind.  You can feel good knowing that if the worst should ever happen, the procedure will be covered by your health fund.  If the worst should ever happen and you do not currently have health insurance, chances are you will most likely be placed at the end of the long waiting list in the public health care system.  To avoid this, do a health insurance comparison to find a policy that fits your lifestyle.  As always, the sooner you do this, the better.  And remember, it is always better to have health insurance and not need it than to need it and not have it.

See how long you could have to wait without private cover

 

Public Hospital Waiting List Calculator

Our Public Hospital Waiting List Calculator gives you an idea of how long you'll need to wait to have a procedure done through the public healthcare system. Data is sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Step 1: Select Type of Procedure ProcedureCataract extractionCholecystectomyCoronary artery bypass graftCystoscopyHaemorrhoidectomyHysterectomyInguinal herniorrhaphyMyringoplastyMyringotomyProstatectomySeptoplastyTonsillectomyTotal hip replacementTotal knee replacementVaricose veins stripping and ligationOther proceduresCardio-thoracic surgeryEar, nose and throat surgeryGeneral surgeryGynaecologyNeurosurgeryOphthalmologyOrthopaedic surgeryPlastic surgeryUrologyVascular surgeryOther

Step 2: Select Your State StateNSWVICQLDWASATASACTNT

Calculate

Admissions The number of people admitted to hospital for Cystoscopy in QLD in 2013.	4855
Days waited at 50th percentile The 'median' number of days waited for this procedure to be carried out. In other words, out of 100 people, 50 people will wait more days for this procedure, and 50 people will wait fewer days.	23
Days waited at 90th percentile 90% of people will have their procedure complete in this number of days or fewer.	98
Per cent waited more than 365 days The percentage of people waiting over a year for their procedure.	0.9