Peachy Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Hi I am looking into private healthcare and want to get dental and optical only, for 2 adults and 2 children. 3 of us wear glasses. We don't need ambulance because we are in Queensland. I have gone onto the government site to compare policies and there are hundreds of them!! In the UK I knew which were reputable firms but here I haven't a clue. Policies range from $108 a month for all of us to $300 + a month for comprehensive cover. Obviously I will need to research what they offer but it would be good to know what other people pay/ companies are good. Who are you with and are they are any good when it comes to paying out on the policy? Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 We're with medibank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 We're with Bupa and went for the Basic Hospital + Gold Extras, which focuses on providing a pretty good package with Optical and Dental. I'm not sure if you could just get the extras though. Medibank offer something very similar. I'd check the main ones and compare prices, but then also look on their websites to find the closest dentist and opticians to you that they give a 100% back from and direct bill to the private insurance company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 We used a compare website they are good can't remember which one but Compare the Meerkat is here now :wink:. We are with HIF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hi I have gone onto the government site to compare policies and there are hundreds of them!! I find this Canstar site is the best comparison site for everything: http://www.canstar.com.au/health-insurance/ If you enter the details relating to your personal situation it will give you results with star ratings. The 5 star rated ones will reduce the field considerably and will make it much easier to choose the best for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 We have a dental, optical and ambulance (because we are in WA) with Medibank. We shopped around recently and found that was the best deal. It is very hard to compare as they all have different policy exclusions and things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Thanks for all the suggestions. Have now spent ages looking over the different policies and not much further forward. Now that I have looked into the costs of things all seems a bit pointless - root canal cover under most of the policies is about $200 but the total cost could be nearer to $2000 and for orthodontics / braces the cover is about $800-$1000 but the real cost will be $3,000 - $5000. Tricky to know whether worth the cost of the policy. Dental treatment and glasses not cheap in UK so have to look at it that way - just not sure what level of cover to get - slightly unfortunate that 3 of us wear glasses and our 2 children may very well need braces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Done a little spreadsheet to work out the costs v rebate to us - I am struggling to see how we would save costs with getting the cover. If we get hospital (basic - to avoid the levy) + decent optical and dental, which are the two areas where we will incur costs, cost for the policy of the course of a year is about $3,500. Unless we have a dental disaster, I just can't see how we will get the money back - I am not sure that a policy even gives peace of mind because of the cap on overall claims. Hmm I am even less clear what to do now. Anyone else worked out the costs v rebate and it comes out in your favour or are you going for monthly cost v big bill! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I am as confused as you @Peachy. :swoon: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 You only get $200 back for general dental, but I know our policy gives $1000 back for major dental - which a root canal comes under. Major and general are treated separately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Most policies seem to allocate amounts within the major dental so $150 for prep for root canal and $150 say for the actual root canal so getting $1000 would take some doing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Thanks for all the suggestions. Have now spent ages looking over the different policies and not much further forward. Now that I have looked into the costs of things all seems a bit pointless - root canal cover under most of the policies is about $200 but the total cost could be nearer to $2000 and for orthodontics / braces the cover is about $800-$1000 but the real cost will be $3,000 - $5000. Tricky to know whether worth the cost of the policy. Dental treatment and glasses not cheap in UK so have to look at it that way - just not sure what level of cover to get - slightly unfortunate that 3 of us wear glasses and our 2 children may very well need braces! I think it depends how long you expect to be in Australia. Most companies increase the limits on dental over time - so you may not get much back in your first year but by the time you get to your third or fourth year, you're getting decent returns. I don't like those comparison sites because obviously, they only compare the ones that are paying to be part of their scheme - but frankly, medical insurance is SO complicated, it's the only way to go. Try both iSelect and the meerkat and see what you get offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 I think you make a good point. If we start now and get a insurance history behind us will be worth it on the long run when we need joint replacements and the other big ticket items. Just seems a lot of money to pay out when we are all in good health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I think you make a good point. If we start now and get a insurance history behind us will be worth it on the long run when we need joint replacements and the other big ticket items. Just seems a lot of money to pay out when we are all in good health. Well, yes and no. I had a major spinal operation in 2014. Altogether it cost $35,000 of which I ended up paying about $10,000. I thought, thank goodness I had health insurance - then my friend's dad needed exactly the same op. He has no health insurance so we all thought, oh dear - he'll be waiting years in pain. As it turned out, he had his op within about six weeks and it didn't cost him a cent. That's just one of many examples over my 30 years in Australia. It does depend where you live, but in general you'll get perfectly good hospital treatment on the public system. And if you decide you want to go private, you can always pay for it - and if you put the money you would've paid on premiums into a savings account, you'll have the money to pay for it! My husband is a good example - he's never had health insurance and paid to have his cataracts done. It cost $6,000, but consider how much money he's saved by not paying health insurance all his adult life. However, that's not the whole point - you do have to look at how much you'll be slugged by the taxman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Just to clarify - if I have the private insurance do I have to use it should I need an op? Could I bypass it and go for the free option, say in the scenario that you mention above? (obviously taking the risk on the long waiting time v paying the 'gap' (if that is the correct terminology!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Just to clarify - if I have the private insurance do I have to use it should I need an op? Could I bypass it and go for the free option, say in the scenario that you mention above? (obviously taking the risk on the long waiting time v paying the 'gap' (if that is the correct terminology!) If it's an elective procedure (and you'd be surprised what's judged 'elective') - then no, you can't opt to be treated under Medicare if you've got private insurance. The other thing to look at is the health fund loading - if you delay getting health insurance till you're older, you'll pay a surcharge, which gets higher and higher as you get older. Even if my oh wanted to get health insurance now, he couldn't afford it - he would have to pay a surcharge of 66% on the premiums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 That is useful to know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgies2Oz Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Do you not need ambulance cover in Queensland then? The website for Medicare seems to suggest ambulance cover is needed separately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Do you not need ambulance cover in Queensland then? The website for Medicare seems to suggest ambulance cover is needed separately All Queensland residents receive free ambulance cover. It varies from state to state but I think that Tasmania is the only other one offering free ambulance services to its residents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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