Private health insurance – What is covered for you
Your health is your biggest asset. You do everything to keep your body fit and free form any ailment. Health insurance is also an integral part of your life that helps you to keep your pledge of good health to your body. In addition to the federal plans and government initiatives, you can also invest in private health insurance. A community-rated system is used for managing Private health insurance in Australia. The insurers provide services to everyone. They also provide the same level of cover for the same charges. This means, even if you are at a higher risk or more likely to claim the cover, you will be charged the same amount. The benefits provided by different plans are of course different. In general, the private health insurance plans cover, hospital, general treatment, and ambulance cover. Here we intend to give you an insight into the three types of covers to assist you to choose the best plan to meet your needs and expectations.
- Hospital cover
Hospital cover gives full liberty to choose the doctor for your treatment and the hospital he attends. You can pick either a public or private hospital. If you are a private patient and choose a private hospital, you can also decide on your admission date to the hospital. However, for the public hospital, the admission is allowed based on the waiting list even if you are private patients.
Private health insurance services are offered at different levels. The levels are determined by the amount you pay and the cover you get. Expensive plans cover more and low-priced plans cover less. In the recent future, these plans will get four definite levels and would be named gold, silver, bronze, and basic. If you opt for a co-pay option you can further reduce the cost.
- General treatment cover
General treatment cover is also called the ancillary or extra cover. This ensures all or some of the costs of your treatment. General costs include dental treatment, chiropractic treatment, home nursing, podiatry, glasses and contact lens, etc. You also get cover for prostheses like hearing aid and therapies like physio, speech, eye, and occupational therapy. What you will be covered for depends on the insurance plan you choose. Every plan insures the services in limits. While some services are covered with yearly, lifetime, or per service limits, some may be completely excluded.
- Ambulance cover
An ambulance is generally considered an additional and emergency service. You can get a standalone insurance plan to cover ambulance services or can get it as a part general treatment cover or hospital cover. These options depend on the territory of your residence.
- Broader health cover
Based on your cover level and eligibility, your insurer can optionally provide you a broader health cover. These covers include your care and treatment in community healthcare clinics or at your home. This also includes special programs that help you to manage your chronic medical conditions. Like diabetes management, heart and cardiovascular diseases, and risks related to chronic diseases. You can also get support for hospital substitute treatments including wound care, IV therapy, etc.
