nib’s health fund was first established in 1952 in Newcastle, and now services the needs of over one million people in Australia and New Zealand.
The fund also provides cover to more than 130,000 international students and workers in Australia. Plus, nib owns World Nomads Group, one of the top providers of travel insurance in Australia.
The fund offers a wide range of hospital and extras policies to suit different life stages and budgets.
Members have access to the nib Rewards program, with discounts and offers at over 150 retailers, as well as fitness programs that encourage healthy living.
Nobody chooses to go to hospital. But when you do, 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.
nib offers five hospital plans that are suitable for a variety of life stages and budgets. Each level of cover, from Basic to Gold, builds on the level before it.
All nib hospital cover options include emergency ambulance transportation with no annual limits (QLD and TAS residents are covered by their state schemes).
Extras cover helps you with bills for routine out-of-hospital treatments such as dental, optical, chiro and physio, and can come with rebates of up to 100%. Simply work out what you need and what you’re prepared to pay.
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, has an agreement with the health fund.
If this feels a bit overwhelming, you can speak to one of our experts who can talk you through what’s included in each extras policy.
nib offers a number of extras cover tiers to suit a range of needs. The fund allows you to combine different tiers to make a policy suited to your particular needs. You can purchase extras on its own or combine it with hospital cover. Shown below are several of nib’s extras options.
To stop people signing up, claiming, then cancelling their health insurance, all insurers apply waiting periods. Generally, the more expensive the treatment, the longer you’ll wait. But keep an eye out for special deals with waiting periods reduced or waived.
All nib members have access to:
Generally, you’ll be able to make a claim on the spot at a provider. Otherwise, you can claim online, using the nib App or mailing in a claim form.
nib has agreements with an extensive network of private hospitals and day clinics across Australia. When comparing policies, it’s worth checking if your local hospitals and clinics are covered. Our specialists at Health Insurance Comparison can do this for you.
nib Health received 69 complaints from 1 January to 30 March 2020. That’s 8.1% of complaints vs 8.6% market share, indicating customer service is a little above average.
Dependent children, adult dependants and student dependants of policy holders must be unmarried and not in a defacto relationship. To claim, all those listed on the policy must be Australian citizens, permanent residents or registered for Medicare.
Unless otherwise approved by nib, a person under 16 years of age is not eligible to be a policy holder.
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