Our verdict: Australian Unity health insurance is good if you want flexible cover options and help at home, but not if you just want a basic extras policy.
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Pros
Australian Unity is good if you want to tailor a policy to your needs – it has over 18 options to choose from.
Some policies come with a few perks that others aren't offering, like hospital care at home and rehabilitation at home.
It increases your cover if an injury or illness is caused by an accident.
Cons
At around $27 a month, Australian Unity's basic extras policy isn't market-leading; brands such as ahm, HCF, Frank and People Care are likely to cost you less.
Of Australia's 19 largest health funds, Australian Unity had the 3rd most ombudsman complaints compared to market share.
Australian Unity health insurance: Our verdict
Australian Unity is member-owned, so it invests in products and services that matter to its customers. It's been around for over 180 years and is Australia's 6th biggest health insurer by market share.
Generally, you will have to wait 12 months before you can get access to the services included in your hospital cover policy (or 2 months if it's not pre-existing). Most extras policies have between 2- and 12-month waiting periods.
Australian Unity offers 6 different hospital policies:
Simple Hospital (Basic Plus). Features include hospital cover for accidents and ambulance.
Standard Hospital (Bronze Plus). Cover includes the 22 clinical categories required for a Bronze rating as well as some added perks.
Intermediate Hospital (Silver Plus). This product covers the 30 clinical categories required for a Silver rating and more.
Classic Hospital (Silver Plus). This top level hospital cover only has 4 exclusions: assisted reproductive services, dialysis for chronic kidney failure, pregnancy and birth, and weight loss surgery. It's tailored to those who want comprehensive cover but don't want to pay extra for pregnancy services and other potentially expensive treatments they're unlikely to need.
Advanced Hospital (Silver Plus). Includes eye (not cataracts), joint replacements and pregnancy and birth.
Ultimate Hospital (Gold). This policy includes all 38 clinical categories required for a Gold rating.
Extras coverage
Australian Unity's standalone extras covers include Basic Extras, Standard Extras, Intermediate Extras, Comprehensive Extras, Classic Extras and Advanced 80%.
Base Extras. Covers up to $1,150 per year on extras including general and preventative dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropractic services, osteopathy, remedial massage, pharmacy and travel vaccinations. Basic cover including preventative and general dental, physio, optical, acupuncture and remedial massage.
Mid Extras. This policy provides up to $2,400 per year for the most common extras including general and preventative dental, physiotherapy, chiropractic services, osteopathy and remedial massage, and crowns, bridges and dentures.
Active Extras. This policy allows you to claim up to $5,750 per year for most extras services, including psychology and blood glucose and blood pressure monitors.
Prime Extras. This high level extras option covers you for a broad range of extras and will allow you to claim back up to $8,750 in the first year.
Combined coverage
Australian Unity health insurance offers a range of combined policies that include both hospital and extras cover packaged together. Some of these are simply 2 of the standalone policies brought together. Others include bespoke hospital and extras policies that differ slightly from the standalone types mentioned above. These are outlined below.
Care 'n' Repair (Basic Plus). This provides hospital cover for accidents and emergency ambulance, plus extras like preventative and general dental, physiotherapy and optical.
Starter Classic Combination (Bronze Plus). This mid-level cover includes joint reconstructions with no excess for accidents and extras such as dental, chiropractic services, physiotherapy and optical.
Starter Choice Combination (Bronze Plus). Another Starter Choice combination provides a little more than the previous package, including chiropractic services, physiotherapy, podiatry, orthotics, braces, splints and garments.
Advantage Classic Combination (Silver Plus). This Silver level policy cover includes all 26 clinical categories required for silver and extras cover including preventative, general and major dental, chiropractic services, physiotherapy and optical.
Advantage Choice Combination (Silver Plus). The second advantage choice policy includes all that silver policies cover plus no excess for accidents and more extras including podiatry, braces, splints and garments.
Top Choice (Silver Plus). For the top bespoke package available, you'll get cover for most hospital services except things like pregnancy. You'll also get extras cover for preventative, general and major dental, chiropractic services, physiotherapy, podiatry, braces, splints and garments.
Ambulance coverage
All Australian Unity hospital insurance policies include cover for emergency ambulance transportation unless you live in Queensland or Tasmania – it's already free in these states.
Australian Unity health insurance complaints
We looked at the 2020 Ombudsman health insurance complaints to see how Australian Unity performed.
It had the 3rd highest number of complaints compared to market share (of funds with at least a 0.5% market share).
Australian Unity has a smaller complaints ratio than Health.com.au and HIF.
This chart shows the weighted volume of complaints received by each health fund, according to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The lower the number, the better. Australian Unity is 17th overall in this ranking. The weighting ensures that funds are compared fairly; larger funds serve more customers so can potentially get more complaints.
Australian Unity frequently asked questions
Yes, Australian Unity is a not-for-profit health fund and is completely member-owned. It says it's Australia's oldest member-owned wellbeing company, having been established in 1840.
There are a range of offers and perks available for Australian Unity members including:
Up to 100% back on preventative dental with treatments including x-rays and custom mouthguards.
Unlike some health providers, with Australian Unity you can keep seeing your favourite providers, from your dentist to physiotherapist.
Many of Australian Unity's health covers offer Preventative Health Services to help you stay fit and healthy, including fitness training, weight loss and quit smoking programs.
The claims process for Australian Unity varies depending on the type of service you need to claim.
If you need to make an extras claim you can do so in the following ways:
On the spot. You can swipe your Australian Unity membership card on the spot by using your health care provider's HICAPS or CSC machine.
Via the Australian Unity app. Australian Unity's mobile claiming app allows you to upload photos of your receipts to claim up to $300 at a time. The app is available from the App Store and Google Play.
Online. You can log into your Australian Unity online account to submit your claim.
Over the phone. You can call Australian Unity on 1800 807 144 to get your claim processed over the phone.
By mail, email or fax. The final option is to download a health cover claim form from the Australian Unity website, complete the form, attach your receipts and send everything off to the postal address, email address or fax number listed on the form
Yes, Australian Unity offers overseas visitor and student health insurance if you need cover as part of your visa requirements.
Gary Hunter is a writer at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, health, travel, home and pet insurance for over three years, has pored over hundreds of product disclosure statements and written more than 500 insurance articles. Gary is passionate about helping Aussies understand their insurance policies so that they can get better value for their money.
I need an affordable health insurance for my husband who needs mini plates removed from his eye socket. Can’t have a long waiting period and he is a disability pensioner, what would you suggest.
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder! You can compare health providers for eye surgery. For in-hospital, major eye surgery is typically two months, while for extras corrective eye surgery it is usually about 12 months. There is no private health insurance policy offered by any Australian fund that does not have waiting periods as a standard feature. Regardless of whether you choose a hospital or extras cover, waiting periods usually apply to the benefits provided by your policy.
You can learn more on how you can waive waiting periods since health funds do offer special promotions where they will waive the waiting periods on extras services to attract new members. In these cases, you are able to claim relevant services as soon as your membership begins. These deals are especially common around the March switching period and during the lead-up to the end of the financial year.
As a friendly reminder, carefully review the Product Disclosure Statement of the product before applying. You may also contact the insurance provider should you have any questions about their policy.
I am staying at Perth under visa category Sub-class 489 (Family sponsor), Currently I am working as civil engineer in perth too. I am looking for couple health insurance to cover everything, Can you help me on this.
You have contacted finder.com.au, a comparison and information service and not actually Australian Unity Health Insurance.
Australian Unity does provide cover for 489 visas, in order to apply for a cover, you may need to get in touch with them directly. You can also read more about their services through our Australian Unity review page. Aside from that, please check other 489 visa health insurance policies featured on our website for more options.
Thanks for getting in touch. The LHC is a 2% loading applied to your premiums if you’ve not taken out cover by 1 July following your 31st birthday and this loading remains in affect until you’ve held hospital cover for 10 consecutive years. This 2% loading on your insurance premium increases for every year you are aged over 30 (e.g. at age 40 you will pay 20% more, at age 50 you’ll pay 40% more and so on). For more information, please consult our guide to the LHC.
Thanks for your question. finder.com.au is a comparison service and not an insurer. If you would like to speak with Australian Unity, you can do so by calling 13 29 39.
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I need an affordable health insurance for my husband who needs mini plates removed from his eye socket. Can’t have a long waiting period and he is a disability pensioner, what would you suggest.
Hi Charmaine,
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder! You can compare health providers for eye surgery. For in-hospital, major eye surgery is typically two months, while for extras corrective eye surgery it is usually about 12 months. There is no private health insurance policy offered by any Australian fund that does not have waiting periods as a standard feature. Regardless of whether you choose a hospital or extras cover, waiting periods usually apply to the benefits provided by your policy.
You can learn more on how you can waive waiting periods since health funds do offer special promotions where they will waive the waiting periods on extras services to attract new members. In these cases, you are able to claim relevant services as soon as your membership begins. These deals are especially common around the March switching period and during the lead-up to the end of the financial year.
As a friendly reminder, carefully review the Product Disclosure Statement of the product before applying. You may also contact the insurance provider should you have any questions about their policy.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Nikki
Hi there
I am staying at Perth under visa category Sub-class 489 (Family sponsor), Currently I am working as civil engineer in perth too. I am looking for couple health insurance to cover everything, Can you help me on this.
Regards
Muhammad
Hi Muhammad,
Thank you for your question.
You have contacted finder.com.au, a comparison and information service and not actually Australian Unity Health Insurance.
Australian Unity does provide cover for 489 visas, in order to apply for a cover, you may need to get in touch with them directly. You can also read more about their services through our Australian Unity review page. Aside from that, please check other 489 visa health insurance policies featured on our website for more options.
All the best,
Zubair
Is LHC paid monthly or just on joining
Hi Annette,
Thanks for getting in touch. The LHC is a 2% loading applied to your premiums if you’ve not taken out cover by 1 July following your 31st birthday and this loading remains in affect until you’ve held hospital cover for 10 consecutive years. This 2% loading on your insurance premium increases for every year you are aged over 30 (e.g. at age 40 you will pay 20% more, at age 50 you’ll pay 40% more and so on). For more information, please consult our guide to the LHC.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
does my extras cover podiatry
Hi Barry,
Thanks for getting in touch. It will depend on your extras policy.
Both Gold and Silver Extras from Australian Unity provide a $300 (excludes orthotics) and $350 benefit for podiatry respectively.
All the best,
Richard
can you please confirm that you will be continuing my 410 visa policy and that of my partner.
Thank you
Hi Derick,
Thanks for your question. finder.com.au is a comparison service and not an insurer. If you would like to speak with Australian Unity, you can do so by calling 13 29 39.
All the best,
Richard