Australians with health insurance are being reminded to shop around following a long-awaited rise in premiums this month.
Health insurance may be the ultimate “grudge” purchase. Many people think they will not need it and those who have it usually wince at paying the price.
The Sydneysider is majorly out of pocket for her medical expenses, as only so much is covered by Medicare. That is particularly the case with the costs incurred by seeing physiotherapists and psychologists, among others. Kate Browne, head of research at comparison site Compare Club, says: “We get fixated on our premiums going up, but it is often the value – what you are covered for and for how much – that’s more important.”
“It’s astonishing to see that people can be with the same provider yet older, loyal customers are getting half the value back because they are on old and out-of-date policies,” Browne says. You will usually be better off with a policy where the rebate is a percentage of the cost rather than a fixed dollar amount, as it better protects against inflation, she says.says most will not have a waiting a period for the benefits you had on your previous policy, but you should always check before switching, including extras cover.
One way to save on hospital cover is to switch to a lower tier of coverage if your circumstances have changed, such as you no longer need pregnancy cover. You could also consider opting for a higher excess on hospital cover, Bennett says.
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