Private health insurance in Australia

kremitz · September 2014

Whats the pros and cons of getting a private health insurance?gano ba kalaki yung 2% na health loading na babayaran pag dika kumuha ng private insurance before turning 31?

atchino · September 2014

Going back to this topic, I'm wondering if anyone here knows if Medicare or what PHI covers routine annual physical check ups? My partner and I would like to continue to undergo annual physical checkup especially with an ob-gyne just to make sure our lady parts are healthy. Or just in general, when it comes to preventive physical maintenance, so to speak. Hindi kasi clear (or maybe I just don't know that that is already what's being referred to) about the Extras stuff or if this kind of medical activity is covered by the Hospital part of PHI.

Hindi cover ng Medicare ang OB. OB is considered specialist.
Pero hindi ka pwedeng dumiretso sa Specialist ng walang recommendation ng GP.
Kailangan mo palagi mag daan sa GP. GP mag detremine kung kailangan mo mag consult sa specialist.

Hindi rin lahat ng private health insurance covered ang OB/pregnancy. Kung balak mo mag buntis, make sure ng ma meet mo ung number of months para maging eligible. Better kuha ka ng kasama na OB/pregnancy 1 yr bago mo balak mag buntis.

OB/pregnancy fee sa doctor lang is around 2500-7000 aud kahit may private health insurance ka pero hindi covered ang pregnancy.

May ibang private health na nag cover ng OB/pregnancy depende sa kukunin mo level.

Pwede mo request sa GP ang general checkup.
- usually blood test lang. Hindi lahat ng pathology nag bulk bill.
- may narinig ako yng iba general checkup na may kasamang check kung heart kung siguro may history ka ng problem sa heart or lungs isasama nila sa general checkup.

atchino · September 2014

Whats the pros and cons of getting a private health insurance?gano ba kalaki yung 2% na health loading na babayaran pag dika kumuha ng private insurance before turning 31?

Kung regular ka nag papa dentist / optical pwede mo mabawi yung ibang binayad mo

* Sample dental expenses:
http://yzzymae.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/dental-fee-examples-in-australia.html
http://yzzymae.blogspot.com.au/2009/12/cost-of-dental-cleaning-in-sydney.html
http://yzzymae.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/dental-expenses-in-australia.html
http://yzzymae.blogspot.com.au/search?q=dental

* optical check up - covered ng medicare
- eyeglass nasa 150+ depende kung may anti glare / anti scratch at kung ano anong pang anti....
- around 100+ frame depende sa brand

Depende pa rin sa health cover mo kung may extra coverd ng dental at optical at kung ilan percent ang covered.

Dental cleaning pa lang pwede ka na abutin ng $200 per visit.
- kung 3 kayo sa family around 600+ na siguro yun per visit sa dentist / cleaning
- initial visit mo sa dentist... rerequest ka na mag xray para makita condisyon ng ngipin mo.

Kung kailangan nyo prescription eyeglasses mag asawa, aroound $250 per prescription eyeglass eh di nasa 500 na kayong dalawa.

Kung gusto mo sa public dentist pwede rin naman kaya lang mahaba daw ang pila or pa schedule. Kung masakit ngipin mo - kaya mo ba intayin or tiisin.

Kaya malkas ang kita ng optometrist at dentist dito... covered kasi ng mga healthfund.
At par ama maximize yung health fund kailangan mo pumunta sa kanila at gamitin yearly.

Minsan kasama rin sa extra cover ng private health insurance yung massage (remedial) or accupuncture

Meron din hospital cover. Mapakinabangan mo lang naman yung hospital cover kung mag private hospital.

Another important cguro is yung ambulance.

Di mo massabi kung kailan mo kailangan or kailan may emergency.
Fees: http://www.ambulance.nsw.gov.au/Accounts--Fees/Frequently-Asked-Questions.html

TTam · October 2014

@atchino hi question po, Let say ang status is PR, usually po ba hindi part ng employment benefits yung insurance - like health, dental, life, etc? Or kahit papano po ba may percentage/coverage na binibigay ang employers? Or hindi po ito required bilang benefits sa mga companies in AU? Thank you po in advance!

lock_code2004 · October 2014

@atchino hi question po, Let say ang status is PR, usually po ba hindi part ng employment benefits yung insurance - like health, dental, life, etc? Or kahit papano po ba may percentage/coverage na binibigay ang employers? Or hindi po ito required bilang benefits sa mga companies in AU? Thank you po in advance!

it really depends on the company.. may mga company na may benefit na private health insurance... meron naman na wala..

hindi required ang private health insurance, dahil for PRs meron naman public health (Medicare)...

TTam · October 2014

@lock_code2004 Thank you for the prompt response!

laking tulong din po kasi pag may sagot si company, hehe! Salamat po ulit!

TasBurrfoot · October 2014

@atchino hi question po, Let say ang status is PR, usually po ba hindi part ng employment benefits yung insurance - like health, dental, life, etc? Or kahit papano po ba may percentage/coverage na binibigay ang employers? Or hindi po ito required bilang benefits sa mga companies in AU? Thank you po in advance!

mate, sad to say private health insurance as a benefit from companies are rare here in Australia.

atchino · October 2014

@atchino hi question po, Let say ang status is PR, usually po ba hindi part ng employment benefits yung insurance - like health, dental, life, etc? Or kahit papano po ba may percentage/coverage na binibigay ang employers? Or hindi po ito required bilang benefits sa mga companies in AU? Thank you po in advance!

Hindi mandatory na mag provide ng private health insurance ang mga company.

May ilan lang nag provide ng private health at iba ibang ang condition:

- Some provide FULL cover of private health insurance tied up with the company.
Speciic na private health na tied up sa company.

- Some provide subsidy for the private health insurance cost
May specific na private health yung company na pinili para sa lahatng employee pero hidi nila sagot lahat ng cost. Kailangan mo mag dagdag ng sarili mong contribution.

- Some will give you the money and it is up to select your own private health insurance.
ibang company bibigyan kang fixed amount like eample eto 2k AUD... ikaw na mag hanap ng gusto mong private health kung mas mura man or mas mahal ang bayad ikaw na bahala.

cholle · November 2014

Looking into taking private health cover fairly soon.

Was just wondering what your experiences are with HCF / Medibank / Bupa. I'd like to hear from people who have actually made claims for various medical treatments or check-ups or basically anything (was customer service good, how much was covered, any out-of-pocket payments, etc?) and whether you would recommend them.

Also, for those working in the health care industry, baka you have more stories to share about your patients' experience with these insurers.

mhej · November 2014

Looking into taking private health cover fairly soon.

Was just wondering what your experiences are with HCF / Medibank / Bupa. I'd like to hear from people who have actually made claims for various medical treatments or check-ups or basically anything (was customer service good, how much was covered, any out-of-pocket payments, etc?) and whether you would recommend them.

Also, for those working in the health care industry, baka you have more stories to share about your patients' experience with these insurers.

Hi Cholle -

Well, naka BUPA kami. 127.77 for couple fortnightly. First claim namin was last week for Medical Ambulance. Which was easy breezy process so far. We got the bill for ambulance last week (my GOD! 400 AUD!! and that was just for a short trip to the hospital). Dinala namin yung bill sa BUPA. The BUPA rep we spoke with was Filipino so I guess nakadali yun sa pag process. We just gave him the bill and he said they will take care of it. That simple.

One thing na napansin ko dito, maraming services are built around integrity and trust system na lang. Like that for example. Inabot lang namin yung bill. Pero wala kaming natanggap na resibo or anything to confirm na ipprocess nila yung ambulance claim. Basta ang sabi, ok na raw yun. So in the future, if balikan kami ng ambulance company at sabihing hindi kami nagbayad, wala kaming proof na nagbayad nga kami except to say na finorward namin sa BUPA yung bill and they should have paid for it.

I suggest you visit the office of the private health insurance of your choice as they may be able to give you a better package as opposed to applying online.

Good luck!

multitasking · November 2014

@cholle .. hi if you are planning to have a private insurance this year.. i suggest na i claim mo na yung pwede mong i claim before the year ends.. .. in our case kasi.. ang start kami ng private insurance somewhere October of last year.. akala namin yung 1 year na pwede namin ubusin yung extras limit (dental, eye, etc) namin ay from Oct 2013 to Oct 2014.. yun pala.. calendar year.. so Oct - Dec 2013... then panibago na naman limit starting Jan 2014..

so ayon di namin na maximize yung extras namin for prescription glasses last year kasi di kami nakapag claim bago mag end yung 2013..... nasayang lang..

cholle · November 2014

@multitasking @mhej Thanks for the tips! Initially planned to get Medibank pero nabasa ko somewhere na mas maganda raw hospital cover ng HCF. Sa extras sige sulitin ko yan, punta na ako agad ng dentista as soon as covered na at wala nang waiting period hehe.

atchino · November 2014

@multitasking @mhej Thanks for the tips! Initially planned to get Medibank pero nabasa ko somewhere na mas maganda raw hospital cover ng HCF. Sa extras sige sulitin ko yan, punta na ako agad ng dentista as soon as covered na at wala nang waiting period hehe.

Check out this link -- > Sample Dental Fees if you want to have an idea about dental fees na babayran mo specially kung wala kang health fund.

atchino · November 2014

@cholle .. hi if you are planning to have a private insurance this year.. i suggest na i claim mo na yung pwede mong i claim before the year ends.. .. in our case kasi.. ang start kami ng private insurance somewhere October of last year.. akala namin yung 1 year na pwede namin ubusin yung extras limit (dental, eye, etc) namin ay from Oct 2013 to Oct 2014.. yun pala.. calendar year.. so Oct - Dec 2013... then panibago na naman limit starting Jan 2014..

so ayon di namin na maximize yung extras namin for prescription glasses last year kasi di kami nakapag claim bago mag end yung 2013..... nasayang lang..

Depende cguro sa health fund yung period. Samin star is Nov.

Check nyo sa health fund para sigurado at kung kailan ang tapos ng waiting period.

peach17 · November 2014

@cholle .. hi if you are planning to have a private insurance this year.. i suggest na i claim mo na yung pwede mong i claim before the year ends.. .. in our case kasi.. ang start kami ng private insurance somewhere October of last year.. akala namin yung 1 year na pwede namin ubusin yung extras limit (dental, eye, etc) namin ay from Oct 2013 to Oct 2014.. yun pala.. calendar year.. so Oct - Dec 2013... then panibago na naman limit starting Jan 2014..

so ayon di namin na maximize yung extras namin for prescription glasses last year kasi di kami nakapag claim bago mag end yung 2013..... nasayang lang..

wow, thanks for this @multitasking...
buti nabasa ko itong post mo..

application ba ito sa lahat ba ito ng Health Card?

peach17 · November 2014

@multitasking ano pala ang inyong private health insurance?

multitasking · November 2014

@multitasking ano pala ang inyong private health insurance?

NIB ang private insurance namin...

atchino · November 2014

@cholle .. hi if you are planning to have a private insurance this year.. i suggest na i claim mo na yung pwede mong i claim before the year ends.. .. in our case kasi.. ang start kami ng private insurance somewhere October of last year.. akala namin yung 1 year na pwede namin ubusin yung extras limit (dental, eye, etc) namin ay from Oct 2013 to Oct 2014.. yun pala.. calendar year.. so Oct - Dec 2013... then panibago na naman limit starting Jan 2014..

so ayon di namin na maximize yung extras namin for prescription glasses last year kasi di kami nakapag claim bago mag end yung 2013..... nasayang lang..
wow, thanks for this @multitasking...
buti nabasa ko itong post mo..

application ba ito sa lahat ba ito ng Health Card?

Yung karamihan ng pwede ma claim may cooling off period like 2month muna bago pwede lcaim.

Check mo kung ano yung cooing off period bago maka pag claim.

Hindi rin lahat ng health fund Jan-Dec and coverage.

For dental: try to negotiate mo sa dentist kung pwedeng hindi ka na mag bayad ng GAP. Peor depende din kung ilang percent ang cover ng health fund kung papayag yung dentist.

cholle · November 2014

^You mean waiting period (not cooling off).

Anyone here on HCF? I know Medibank is pretty popular so I was considering them too but HCF have pretty okay plans rin pala, just want to know what their customer service is like.

atchino · November 2014

^You mean waiting period (not cooling off).

Anyone here on HCF? I know Medibank is pretty popular so I was considering them too but HCF have pretty okay plans rin pala, just want to know what their customer service is like.

oo nga waiting period. hindi ko kasip maisip yung tamang word.

May alam ako na health fund na hinid jan ang renew. Kung kailan ka nag join dun ang renew.

Andoy31 · March 2015

question guys:
kailangan ba tlaga ng private health insurance with hospital coverage?

- kse may medicare nman and if ok lang syo maghintay ng tawag/appointment -- should be sufficient na diba?

- benefits ng private health insurance is pwede kang mamili ng doctor and date kung kelan mo gusto magpa gamot?

- if hindi super comprehensive an private insurance mo-- may babayaran ka prin na $$$ on top of certain % ng bill mo.

- if critical /life-threatening nman ang sakit mo - uunahin ka parin nman ng public hospital diba?

reason for asking -- kinuha lng kase nmin uing extras (uing mga hindi sagot ng medicare) unless may hindi ako nakikitang super benefits

muffles127 · March 2015

@Andoy31 yung iba kase nageexceed sa threshold ng medicare levy surcharge kaya kumukuha sila ng private insurance. Depende sa income mo and civil status pwede ka magbayad up to 1.25% ng taxable income mo. So yung iba parang ang nangyayari lang instead na yung surcharge ang bayaran nila yung private health insurance nalang since halos pareho lang ang babayaran nila

Tapos kelangan mo din iconsider yung lifetime health cover loading kung darating yung time na maisipan mong biglang kukuha ka pala ng private insurance.

Yung iba naman kumukuha dahil mas may peace of mind sila

Andoy31 · March 2015

@Andoy31 yung iba kase nageexceed sa threshold ng medicare levy surcharge kaya kumukuha sila ng private insurance. Depende sa income mo and civil status pwede ka magbayad up to 1.25% ng taxable income mo. So yung iba parang ang nangyayari lang instead na yung surcharge ang bayaran nila yung private health insurance nalang since halos pareho lang ang babayaran nila

Tapos kelangan mo din iconsider yung lifetime health cover loading kung darating yung time na maisipan mong biglang kukuha ka pala ng private insurance.

Yung iba naman kumukuha dahil mas may peace of mind sila

got it.-- for the medicare levy surcharge if lumagpas uing single/family earning bracket...

thanks

Misyel · May 2015

Hello paano po mag under oshc medibank private at wala pang 6 months mag shift na kami sa visa 457, ma dissolve ba yung previous oshc then magbabayad na naman for 457 medicare? Thanks po

engr_boy · September 2015

ok ba hcf? malapit na ako abutan ng 1-year sa lifetime health cover loading. dapat ayusin na ang private health insurance.

paano nga pala i-prove sa kanila (i.e. bupa, hcf, etc.) na less than 1 year ka pa lang may medicare as a new migrant at exempted ka pa sa loading?

Davidx23 · September 2015

question guys:
kailangan ba tlaga ng private health insurance with hospital coverage?

- kse may medicare nman and if ok lang syo maghintay ng tawag/appointment -- should be sufficient na diba?

- benefits ng private health insurance is pwede kang mamili ng doctor and date kung kelan mo gusto magpa gamot?

- if hindi super comprehensive an private insurance mo-- may babayaran ka prin na $$$ on top of certain % ng bill mo.

- if critical /life-threatening nman ang sakit mo - uunahin ka parin nman ng public hospital diba?

reason for asking -- kinuha lng kase nmin uing extras (uing mga hindi sagot ng medicare) unless may hindi ako nakikitang super benefits

Depende 'to sa risk appetite mu. Nung kumuha ako ng private health kinuha ko yung second highest coverage. A few years ago, nagpa surgery ako to remove my gallbladder gawa ng stones, wala naman akong nararamdaman during that time, just decided what the heck. Sabi ng surgeon pwde na akong operahan bukas na bukas din pero nagpasched ako in a few weeks time. Yes, may babayaran ka pa rin, I paid 700 pero total cost the surgery w/o insurance is above 12K. Delay lang ng 1 hour yung surgery ko kasi na trapik ata yung doctor pero very smooth yung experience ko. Inoperahan ako ng tanghali, nasa bahay na ako ng midnight. Yung plan ko hindi % ng bill kungdi, 500 ang cash out, yung 200 eh meds (which is PBS, mani-mani lang), taxi, & other expenses.

A friend of mine was also diagnosed with gallstones a few months ago, nagkataon pa na kalilipat lang nila ng private health. So ang nangyari nasa public system sila. My friend was in agony for almost 1 month kasi pabalik balik sa public doctor for consultation, and ilang araw delayed yung surgery kasi pila system dun. Twice syang inoperahan kasi palpak equipment at yung doctor.

Yung isang friend ko naman na surgery sa appendix. Ganun din, sinugod sa hospital nung first night pero ilang araw pa sya naghintay ma-operahan kasi nakapila. Yung plan nya is semi-private, public yung doctor pero private yung room.

Nung nasa ER ako a few years ago sa public hospital for a non life threatening incident, nakita ko yung mga sinugod sa ER nag walk out kasi ilang oras na silang naghihintay at wala pa ring tumitingin sa kanila. I was treated for my injuries after 9 hours nung na admit ako sa ER, kaya never again ako sa public.

Tama yung sinabi mu, kung life threatening, on the brink ka na, i-prioritise ka naman ng public health care system. Kung hindi, tiis-tiis na lang. Or you can be lucky na minimum lang yung coverage mu and never get an emergency treatment.

poloy · November 2015

Hello, meron po ba ditong Australian Unity ang health insurance? okay po ba?

arleneaparaiso · November 2015

Ask ko lang din po if between Allianz and BUPA alin ang mas maganda ang coverage at budget friendly?

danyan2001us · November 2015

Wifey just had her total thyroidectomy last monday at austin hospital heidelberg, stayed for 2 nights at the hospital..... Everything was covered by medibank including the medicine