When you start to look at health cover options, you'll see there are three choices of cover:
Hospital
Extras
Combined Hospital and Extras
Your budget, life stage, and personal circumstances will help determine whether you need one or both types of coverage.
Hospital and Extras cover can help reduce out-of-pocket costs. These are completely separate forms of coverage: Hospital cover addresses in-hospital expenses, while Extras cover handles services considered "additional" to basic medical care. Within each category, you can select coverage based on the services you may need now or in the future, ranging from basic to comprehensive cover.
Many health funds offer combined Hospital and Extras policies. We'll explore the key features of these different coverage types to help you decide whether combining them is right for you.
Hospital cover
Hospital cover helps pay for costs associated with in-hospital services such as surgery, anaesthesia, private rooms, and surgery fees. Your out-of-pocket expenses will vary depending on your chosen Hospital excess, health fund, required medical professionals, and the specific procedure involved. Generally, if you're young and healthy, basic Hospital cover may be sufficient. However, if you're reaching a life stage where health issues are becoming more common or chronic conditions are emerging, you may want to consider more comprehensive coverage. Should you ever require hospitalisation, Hospital cover allows you to choose a private hospital and select your preferred doctor.
Hospital tiers and categories
Hospital cover across all health funds is categorised into four tiers: Basic, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. To qualify for a specific tier, each Hospital product must cover a minimum set of services as defined by the Government. These hospital services have been standardised across the entire industry and are called "clinical categories." This standardisation makes it easier for you to identify, compare, and choose health cover that suits your needs.
Health insurers may include additional services beyond the minimum required clinical categories to create "Plus" products, such as "Bronze Plus." The different levels include the following types of services:
Basic - All Basic covers must include Hospital Rehabilitation, Hospital Psychiatric Services and Palliative Care on a restricted basis as a minimum requirement.
Bronze - Have the same required inclusions as Basic. In addition, Bronze covers include 18 further hospital services, such as brain and nervous system, joint reconstructions, as well as ear, nose and throat.
Silver - Have the same required inclusions as Bronze, and include an additional 8 groupings of hospital services, such as heart and vascular system, dental surgery and lung and chest.
Gold - All Gold covers must not exclude or restrict any Medicare recognised hospital services, making Gold the most comprehensive cover.
Qantas Health Insurance offers the following range of Hospital cover.
Basic Hospital
Bronze Hospital Plus
Silver Plus Standard Hospital
Silver Plus Select Hospital
Silver Plus Advanced Hospital
Gold Top Hospital
If you want to learn more about our policies and get the best cover to suit your needs and budget, call our Qantas Health Insurance experts on 13 49 60 and they'll be happy to chat through options with you.
There are other things to consider if you're weighing up whether to take out Hospital cover:
If you earn a certain level of income and don't have private Hospital cover, you'll incur a Medicare Levy Surcharge. This is a tax applied by the government and is designed to take the burden off the Medicare system.
If you're aged 18–29, with some health funds, you could be eligible for up to 10 percent off your Hospital insurance premiums until you turn 41. From 41 years of age, the discount will be reduced by 2% each year until it reaches 0%.
If you don't have private Hospital cover by 1 July following the time you turn 31, a loading will be added to your premium when you do decide to take it out. The Lifetime Health Cover loading results in an additional 2% charged for every year you don't have Hospital cover, up to a max. of 70%. Once you obtain a Hospital insurance policy, the loading will be removed after 10 years of continuous coverage. Read more about LHC loading.
Extras cover
Extras cover (also known as "general treatment" or "ancillary" cover) is different from Hospital cover. This helps pay for services that are "additional" to in-hospital care and are often not covered by Medicare, such as dental, physiotherapy, optical services, remedial massage, and more. The key difference is that you don't need to be ill or injured to use Extras cover, unlike Hospital cover, which is typically claimed during illness or injury. Much the same as Hospital cover, there are different levels to opt into depending on your needs and life stage. For instance, if you think you're going to need extensive dental work in the next few years, or you might need injury rehabilitation, you may opt for a higher level of Extras cover.
Extras cover may include limitations on how many times you can claim and the total value of those claims each year. The good news is that most funds clearly outline these restrictions. View our Qantas Health Insurance cover options here to see the inclusions and limits of our Extras covers, or refer to our Policy booklet for more detailed information.
There may also be waiting periods for your Extras cover, typically ranging from 2 to 12 months. However, if you're switching between funds, your new fund will usually recognise waiting periods you've already served for comparable services—meaning you could start claiming immediately for those Extras services.
Need help deciding which cover is right for you? Call our Qantas Health Insurance experts on 13 49 60 Monday to Friday, 9am - 7pm. They'll be happy to chat through options with you and help you get the best cover to suit your needs and budget. Alternatively, click here to get a quick Qantas Health Insurance quote today.
