Aussies! Are you willing to share which health fund you belong to, what your level of cover is, and what you pay? I thought it would be interesting to compare notes as I begin my long-overdue quotes process to increase my level of cover.
3 Likes
I’ll go first:
Fund: Defence Health
Hospital Cover: Gold
Extras: Value Extras
Cost: $420/month
Comments: Very happy with them. Prompt payment of claims and they don’t dispute anything that is legit. $500 hospital excess per person per year. You do need to be a former member of the defence force (I am) or the direct relative of one.
We might lower the hospital cover after kid 2 (if or when that happens).
Edit: I know it’s insurance which is meant for just in case and not intended for you to break even or get ahead - but with the c-section for baby PDM and my knee reconstruction we’re well ahead.
Edit 2: I’m pretty sure $420 is after rebates etc (ie we don’t claim them at tax time).
3 Likes
BUPA Family cover
Gold with Classic Extras
Top Hospital
$250 Excess (once per person per year, no excess for children)
$459.20 per month
I haven’t had any issues with them but don’t make many claims.
We don’t pay the bill though so I haven’t got any reason to look at other choices.
Edit: this is after the 25.x% base tier rebate as we have a family income under $180k. Also “classic extras” is a retired product and no longer sold.
Edit 2: the provider’s name might help?
2 Likes
I’m with HBF. Family cover (2 adults + dependents).
Smart Package Basic Plus; $800 Gapsaver; Ambulance. It says it’s “closed to new members” so I don’t know what the current equivalents are.
Excess is $250/person, or $500/year for the family.
$483.70/month (we pay annually though; also this is before rebates etc). Some of that is the $800/year for the Gapsaver thingy.
I kind of realise I don’t really know what that means any more and need to go talk to someone to find out what we should probably be covered for. Musing that I need to upgrade to have psychologists covered because I’m probably using more than 10/year medicare sessions over the next few years.
2 Likes
My turn, Melbourne apparently costs more.
BUPA
Gold level with Maternity (should cut that out, no more kids planned)
Top Hospital - $500 excess
$249.10/fortnight
1 Like
We’re with HBF. With all the changes in covers husband and I are now both on Bronze Hospital Plus Cover with Basic Extras/ambulance (which ended up being roughly the same to have the extras cover as it would be to cover our normal dental costs per year so we’ve kept it). $750 excess at the moment, we may look at decreasing this. $1001.80/year (I think husband may have a different extras option so his is a tiny bit more a year). We are going public for this upcoming birth at least, so we haven’t included maternity in our cover.
ETA: That cost is ~$1000/year each, so just over $2k a year. Baby will be free on our cover.
2 Likes
I was looking at the current options from my health insurer and it looks like everyone has levels arranged by metal names (bronze, silver, gold) and apparently Gold is the only one with maternity cover now. Verra verra pricey.
2 Likes
I hadn’t checked my cover since the name changed from “Top Hospital” to “Gold”. I just had a mild panic seeing GJT is also with BUPA but has a “Gold with maternity” cover and mine is just “Gold” when I’m booked in to give birth at a private hospital.
All good, apparently in QLD they don’t list maternity separately but it’s still there 
Still, we are going to be out of pocket into thousands for outpatient appointments, scans and tests 
3 Likes
We’re with Medibank and have Gold Top Hospital with the highest excess we could get ($500) and Basic extras. Premiums are $416 a month. There are only two of us covered now - the premium didn’t reduce (!) when our son and daughter were no longer eligible to be covered.
Claims process etc fine.
Not sure we get value for money for extras.
We didn’t have extras cover until my husband started working there and was able to get a massive discount. When he left we reduced the level of cover but didn’t get rid of it completely because at that stage I was seeing a physio a couple of times a week with my dodgy knee.
Looking at alternative Health Funds is on my to do list and has been for ages.
1 Like
Or… I saw this on Ozbargains tonight:
My answer won’t be much help as my work subsidises the cost of my private health insurance (but I can probably find the full cost when I get to work)
But $32 a month, lowest level hospital and extras with medibank
1 Like
Update my private health insurance without work subsidy is $155.45, claims process is easy and I get good value from the extras, havent had to use the hospital cover yet,
2 Likes
Okay, long past time for me to answer my own questions.
I’m with HBF, I have Smart Package Basic Plus which seems to be somewhere around the bronze level of cover. We pay $4150 annually for that, with ~8% rebate applied, $250 excess. It’s not enough cover for us - it doesn’t include several things I am more likely than average to need (joint replacement, dialysis).
I think we will upgrade to gold hospital cover and standard extras cover, from HBF, with $750 excess for $4498. I’ll be covered for up to $400 of OT which I should reach, so the upgrade will pretty much pay for itself. Not too worried about the increased excess as there’s no excess charged on dependents, and it’s capped at $750 per person per calendar year or $1500 total, so we are only worse off than having a $250 excess (and $500 increase in annual cost of cover!!) if we BOTH get admitted to hospital this year, and then it’ll only be $750 we’re out. I’m willing to bet $750 that won’t happen 
3 Likes
For the small price difference between what you’re on now and the gold, it looks like it is definitely worth it for your family.
2 Likes