When health.com.au established their “online only” health fund in 2012, they were the first new private health insurer in the Australian market since 1976. In 2015, they were acquired by GMHBA.
Thousands of Australians are currently covered by health.com.au’s hospital and extra policies. Their 24/7 chat function saw them win the ServiceRage Happy Customers Award for two years straight in 2014 and 2015.
Nobody chooses to go to hospital. But when you do, appropriate hospital cover will help you get the treatment you need, where and when you want it. It also helps to pay the bills, as fees for hospital rooms and specialists can add up.
Think about what services you’re likely to need, in line with your budget. If you earn over $90,000 individually or $180,000 as a couple, you could avoid paying the Medicare Levy Surcharge.
Health.com.au offers four hospital policies, ranging from no-frills Entry Hospital cover to comprehensive Core Plus Silver cover.
All hospital policies include:
Every health.com.au policy includes emergency ambulance cover, meaning you are covered when you could not have been transported to hospital any other way.
You may also receive additional cover depending on which state or territory you live in. For example, in NSW and the ACT you are covered for all ambulance services, whilst in VIC, SA, WA and the NT, you are only automatically covered for emergency ambulance transport.
Read our ambulance cover guide for a state-by-state breakdown of how ambulance services work across Australia.
From dental, to optical, to chiro and more, extras insurance helps cover the bills for routine treatments that aren’t covered by Medicare.
While we’ve summarised the key points of each plan below, it’s always worth digging a little deeper into any gap fees, how much you can claim back, and whether your preferred healthcare provider, such as your local dentist, is recognised by the health fund.
Take the time to work out what you need and what you’re prepared to pay. If this feels a bit overwhelming, you can speak to one of our experts.
With the health.com.au extras plan, you have the freedom to choose your own provider and still receive the same benefit. Health.com.au currently has one open extras plan, which we’ve detailed below, and the Pulse 50, Pulse 60 and Active 60 extras plans. At the time of writing, these are all closed to new customers.
Waiting periods are there to stop people from signing up, claiming and then cancelling their cover. It means once you take out a new plan, you may have to wait a certain amount of time before receiving your benefit.
When you switch to health.com.au from another provider, you won’t have to re-serve your waiting periods, unless you have upgraded to a higher level of cover.
Hospital
Simply tell the hospital you are a member of a health.com.au policy. Your hospital account will be sent directly to health.com.au for them to assess on your behalf.
However, health.com.au members might be sent invoices for any specialist services such as anaesthetists or assisting surgeons. These services have a separate claims process.
Extras
You can swipe your membership card to claim directly on the spot with your provider’s HICAPS or iSOFT terminal.
You can also receive a copy of the invoice and claim online through your member portal. Usually, you can do this without having to take a photo or scan your invoice.
Health.com.au has agreements with most hospital and day surgery providers across Australia.
When comparing policies, it’s worth checking if your preferred local hospitals and clinics are covered. Our specialists at Health Insurance Comparison can do this for you.
According to privatehealth.gov.au, this fund had 1.8% of complaints from a 0.6% market share, suggesting that health.com.au’s customer service may be below average.
Health.com.au is an open fund, so anyone aged 16 or over can apply.
Health.com.au is not on our panel of insurers, so you’ll need to contact them directly to switch.
If you’re still interested in exploring your options, it’s free to compare a range of funds with Health Insurance Comparison and we’re confident we can get you a great deal.
Yes, you can modify your cover with health.com.au directly.
If you’re thinking of switching to a new provider, Health Insurance Comparison can compare quotes for you and take care of the entire process, free of charge.
For every dollar of private health insurance premiums, the Australian Government provides eligible Australians with a rebate of up to 33.4% (depending on your age and income). To learn what you’re entitled to, use our rebate calculator.
The easiest way to claim the rebate is to ask health.com.au to provide you with a premium reduction. You could also claim the rebate at tax time.
Perhaps – but you can avoid the LHC if you take out eligible private health insurance hospital cover before your 31st birthday.
Health.com.au which is owned by GMHBA.
Health.com.au isn’t on our panel but we’re confident we can get you a great deal on your health insurance. Click on your life stage to get started.
Our experts can provide you with free personal advice. Let us call you.