Many Australians have private health insurance cover. There are two kinds of cover:
• Hospital Cover for some (or all) of the costs of hospital treatment as a private patient.
• General Treatment (‘ancillary’ or ‘extras’) Cover for some non-medical health services not covered by Medicare — such as dental, physiotherapy and optical services.
Some people with private health insurance have either hospital cover or extras cover, and some people have both.
The Australian Government provides a means-tested rebate to help you with the cost of your private health insurance.
In Australia, private health insurance allows you to be treated in a hospital as a private patient and can be designed to “fill the gaps” in Medicare’s coverage and give you more choice about where you can be treated.
Joining private health insurance is a popular choice for many Australians who want help in avoiding the long wait times of the public health system and want to be treated by a doctor of their choice sooner.
To get more information on advice about the Australian Health Insurance Industry and the wide range of service providers click here.
