paul2542 Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Has anyone got any recommendations for health funds? I have looked at quite a few but seeing I am new to this I am unsure what to look for. I have just had a course of treatment at the dentist and bill was a hell of a shock. We had always planned on getting private health care cover but now I want to do it as soon as possible so I don't get stuck with another bill like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob dc Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Went with hfc or is it hcf ?, could not get through to customer service, constantly on hold, cancelled and joined medibank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawwa Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 We use Bupa. They have been faultless to date *touch wood*. Customer services are really helpful and their list of providers is easy to negotiate when trying to locate a service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest km75 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 What is the general consensus re: private health these days? When we lived in Australia (2003-08) the threshold for medicare levy was $50k and HC premiums were cheaper, so it was well worth us having private health insurance, with the rebate and the surcharge. We have suspended our BUPA cover while back in the UK and was planning on restarting it upon our return in Jan next year, however, I see now the surcharge is $168k for families (plus an extra $1500 per child) which will increase next year to $176k. As my husband & I will be earning less than this we will not get charged the medicare levy - so I am not sure healthcare is worth it, as the basic family (with the 30% rebate) is over $2,000. Would really appreciate others thoughts on whether you think private health is worth it? Thanks, Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 What is the general consensus re: private health these days? When we lived in Australia (2003-08) the threshold for medicare levy was $50k and HC premiums were cheaper, so it was well worth us having private health insurance, with the rebate and the surcharge. We have suspended our BUPA cover while back in the UK and was planning on restarting it upon our return in Jan next year, however, I see now the surcharge is $168k for families (plus an extra $1500 per child) which will increase next year to $176k. As my husband & I will be earning less than this we will not get charged the medicare levy - so I am not sure healthcare is worth it, as the basic family (with the 30% rebate) is over $2,000. Would really appreciate others thoughts on whether you think private health is worth it? Thanks, Kat Personally, yes but it's one of those gamble things. For me it was worth every cent not to have to wait 18 months (at the time) to get my gall bladder out and a subsequent "elective" procedure which might never have got to the top of the queue was arranged within 2 weeks and, when completed, was deemed by the surgeon to have been very necessary. Up to you really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 What is the general consensus re: private health these days? When we lived in Australia (2003-08) the threshold for medicare levy was $50k and HC premiums were cheaper, so it was well worth us having private health insurance, with the rebate and the surcharge. We have suspended our BUPA cover while back in the UK and was planning on restarting it upon our return in Jan next year, however, I see now the surcharge is $168k for families (plus an extra $1500 per child) which will increase next year to $176k. As my husband & I will be earning less than this we will not get charged the medicare levy - so I am not sure healthcare is worth it, as the basic family (with the 30% rebate) is over $2,000. Would really appreciate others thoughts on whether you think private health is worth it? Thanks, Kat You will get charged the 1.5% Medicare Levy. Everyone (except the truly low-paid) pays that. It's the Medicare Levy Surcharge (the additional 1%-1.5%) you will avoid by earning less than $176k. One disadvantage of not having any private hospital insurance is that if you do decide to take it out later on (when you get older and sicker) you'll have to pay increased premiums for each year you're above 30. Other than that - there's probably not much advantage for you. Might be worth having some sort of dental cover if you have children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest92098 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Personally, yes but it's one of those gamble things. For me it was worth every cent not to have to wait 18 months (at the time) to get my gall bladder out and a subsequent "elective" procedure which might never have got to the top of the queue was arranged within 2 weeks and, when completed, was deemed by the surgeon to have been very necessary. Up to you really! Oh my goodness I can't imagine waiting 18 months to have your gall bladder out that's one pain no one should have to live with! I'm so glad we have Bupa it's certainly worth the piece of mind it gives you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy1 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Over 50 and heading to Oz. Was there 23 years ago and had medicare as a PR. Still a PR and have our Medicare numbers but might need to get Private Health cover. Is this advisable and do we get allowance if we have private health cover here or will we get stuck with increased premiums due to age. Any advice welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest92098 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Over 50 and heading to Oz. Was there 23 years ago and had medicare as a PR. Still a PR and have our Medicare numbers but might need to get Private Health cover. Is this advisable and do we get allowance if we have private health cover here or will we get stuck with increased premiums due to age. Any advice welcome Im in pretty sure you pay a premium for every year after you're 30 although I'm not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Oh my goodness I can't imagine waiting 18 months to have your gall bladder out that's one pain no one should have to live with!I'm so glad we have Bupa it's certainly worth the piece of mind it gives you. But I think that you have the option to go private for one off operations? I also know of someone whose child had a private operation and a public hospital and it brought the cost down from $4000 to $2000 or something similar. I know a fair few people with good private health cover but still have to pay gaps and the monthly fees are very high. I don't think one person has said they have got more out of it, than they put in. I guess that's the point though - most people won't "gain" from private insurance otherwise they wouldn't make huge profits. The ideal option is probably to put the same amount into a separate account each month and pay out if you need to do so. I am not sure about the "extras" though as there seems to be some good premiums around for dental etc. I need to look into that further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Has anyone got any recommendations for health funds? I have looked at quite a few but seeing I am new to this I am unsure what to look for. I have just had a course of treatment at the dentist and bill was a hell of a shock. We had always planned on getting private health care cover but now I want to do it as soon as possible so I don't get stuck with another bill like that. We took out private health insurance mainly because it was cheaper than the additional medicare levy and perhaps for a time if we are ever in need of an operation and there is a long waiting list. I don't think we would use it for anything else because it seems like you are worse off for having it than for not having it. Very funny system of private health insurance here. I definitely opted out of the dental cover, if you need major work done, it will barely cover it anyway as most policies have quite low caps which are quite unaligned with the very high cost of dentists. Better to put some money in a jar under your bed with "emergency dental fund" written on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinjarvis Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 ICICI Lombard is also good....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Over 50 and heading to Oz. Was there 23 years ago and had medicare as a PR. Still a PR and have our Medicare numbers but might need to get Private Health cover. Is this advisable and do we get allowance if we have private health cover here or will we get stuck with increased premiums due to age. Any advice welcome I think that after a prolonged absence they give you 12 months to sign up before the age loaded premiums kick in - I asked just in case my son ever decided to return at some stage, now he's over 30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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