Get exclusive healthy living offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
By signing up, you agree to the Finder
Privacy & Cookies Policy
and
Terms of Use, Disclaimer & Privacy Policy.
Types
Guides
Government Schemes
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
Extras cover helps pay for medical care that's not covered by Medicare. A basic policy costs around $13 a month and can knock money off your dental, physio, glasses and even hearing aids bill.
It's really easy to make your money back with extras health insurance – you can simply pay for the treatments that you know you'll need.
Compare extras only options
One of the great things about health insurance is you can take out 'extras only' policies. These can often be super cost-effective, and if you don't need hospital cover, can save you lots of cash.
Below we've pulled together some basic options from Finder partners. You can see they all offer ambulance cover, and offer an annual limit in the form of a rebate towards general dental and more.
*Quotes are based on single individual with less than $90,000 income and living in Sydney. Some treatments may come with a waiting period.
5 tips for using your extras:
Find extras cover from around $3 per week
Simply enter your details below to see side by side costs and inclusions from more Australian health funds.
How do you compare extras only?
Extras cover can include:
- General dental. Taking full advantage of the free preventative check-ups and benefits for simple procedures can save you from needing major dental treatments that may only be covered by more costly extras policies.
- Major dental. Usually found as a high-level inclusion, this can include root canals, tooth removal, dentures, endodontics and even cosmetic procedures. Its most significant benefit may come from covering orthodontics, especially if you have children.
- Healthy lifestyle. Now a common inclusion in most extras policies offered by funds, this can include a huge range of services like gym memberships, Pilates classes, quit smoking courses and general health checks.
- Travel vaccinations. Planning a trip to the tropics? Extras can pay towards the cost of vaccinations for diseases such as malaria, cholera, hepatitis A and B, meningococcal meningitis, yellow fever and rabies.
- Emergency ambulance transport. Accidents happen, and unless your a QLD or TAS resident, ambulance fees can be costly. This also protects you Australia wide, so it can still be useful even if the state you live in provides free ambulance services.
- Optical. If you need glasses or contact lenses, then this basic inclusion can be a great help. Keep an eye out for funds that offer no-gap optical as well, since you can get free frames and lenses if you visit an affiliated outlet.
- Physiotherapy. This could be beneficial if you lead an active life, play sports regularly or have certain conditions.
- Chiropractic. Many back conditions and other musculoskeletal disorders can be held at bay or treated with chiropractics.
- Non-PBS medication. If you regularly take prescribed non-PBS medication, you may be able to use this to its full limits.
- Health aids. This can include hearing aids, walkers, prosthetics and many other medical devices.
- Podiatry. This may be essential if you have any conditions affecting the foot or lower limb.
- Audiology. Hearing aids and speech processors aren't cheap, and the cover available with Medicare may fall short of your needs. If you are hearing impaired, this high-level cover type may be worth including.
- Psychology. This can include group or individual therapies, counselling and more. If you benefit from regular sessions, it can help defray the cost. It can also be worth having to help cover the cost of grief therapy or counselling following a loss.
- Dietetics. This can cover nutrition, diet and weight loss services. If you're struggling with weight issues, it can be useful to access these services at a lower cost, while people with specific dietary needs might also be referred to dieticians.
*The services listed here are a selection of example to give you an idea of what you can get cover for and is not a complete list. Depending on the fund and the policy you can find many other cover options to match your needs.
The impact unclaimed services and waiting periods can have on value
- Guaranteed value. Think about what services you'll definitely be claiming for and then work out how much money the extras policy will save you in a year. You might think of this as the "guaranteed value".
- Real cost. If this annual value is lower than the annual premiums, you might think of the difference as "the real cost" of the policy.
In other words, this "real cost" is the amount you're paying for all the other less certain, but still useful benefits, like emergency ambulance cover, physiotherapy, major dental and anything else that's included.
Remember to consider the waiting periods as well. To make it easier to calculate the cost, it may help to think of the period where you can't claim and have to pay out of your own pocket as a "one off fee" that you won't need to pay again afterwards.
As you get older you are more likely to develop health conditions, and it's good not to have to contend with waiting periods again. This peace of mind is one of the less tangible benefits of health cover, and it can be difficult to put a price on.
Extras benefits claimed for vs the overall policy cost
If you're breaking even in cost, but are going to the dentist and using more health services than before, you're coming out ahead in both health and cost. This is because preventative measures, such as dental cleaning, which is included in many extras policies mean you're less likely to need more expensive treatments later.
General dental cover, in particular, is one of the stars of any extras policy and shouldn't be underestimated. It's available with even the most inexpensive and basic plans, and some extras policies even cover 100% of the cost of up to three dental checks per year.
Children who have regular dental check-ups before the age of three tend to be at lower risk of oral disease by age six, and adults can also take advantage of regular checks and professional dental cleaning to help stave off more complex and expensive conditions. Health extras can start delivering benefits almost immediately, but much like other forms of insurance some of the advantages only pay off years later.
Who can't get any value out of extras only health insurance?
There are very few people who are simply unable to get value for money from any extras cover. This is because even the cheapest plans can have outstanding benefits, like covering 100% of all dental cleaning and check-up costs, even if other benefits are only 50% reimbursed.
With extras cover, you may also be more likely to go to the doctor and dentist, preventing much more expensive conditions from developing later. If this sounds like you, "value for money" might be breaking even or spending slightly more on health insurance than you typically do on check-ups.
Families with children can benefit from the "bulk discount" of family health cover. Medicare's dental benefits are strictly limited and will only cover preventative children's dentistry for families that are receiving other forms of government financial support.
What levels of cover do extras come in?
- Comprehensive extras. The highest level policy available and also the most expensive, it is designed to suit the needs of mature singles, couples, families and others with extensive health care needs. It covers the broadest range of non-hospital treatments and pays the highest benefits on claims.
- Medium extras. If you are middle-aged or have a growing family, this intermediate policy can be a good choice for balancing affordability and cover. It pays benefits for a broad range of services, has reasonable premiums and is typically suited to those with an average need for health care services.
- Basic extras. Designed for those who are young, fit and healthy and not in need of a high level of cover, this policy will pay benefits for a limited selection of essential services. While annual benefit limits will be smaller compared to medium or comprehensive extras policies, the cost of premiums for basic extras is also lower.
Set benefits, percentage benefits and benefit limits
Health funds use two methods to cover extras services. Set benefits apply a fixed amount to each service, such as $500 for general dental, while percentage benefits do what the name suggests and calculates the benefit as a percentage that covers all services, such as 50% back. Some pros and cons of each method are outlined below:
| Cover method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Set benefits |
|
|
| Percentage benefits |
|
|
These are the maximum amounts you can claim for specific treatments each calendar year. Many funds also break these down into the following types:
- Combined limits. This is where several different services are included in one shared limit, such as physiotherapy, chiropractic and remedial massage all falling under an overall physical therapy benefit.
- Sub-limits. These apply to specific treatments under a certain service, such as $500 for dentures and $800 for crowns, even though they fall under a major dental benefit.
- Lifetime limits. Fairly rare and generally only applied to orthodontics, this means that your limit does not renew each year, and is carried over even if you switch to a higher level of cover or switch funds.
When do your benefits reset?
What waiting periods apply to extras claims?
Just like hospital cover, you'll need to serve a waiting period before you are able to lodge a claim for extras services. While each fund is different, some typical waiting periods include:
- Two months. General dental, physiotherapy and most other extras services.
- Six months. Optical items such as glasses or contact lenses.
- 12 months. Major dental, psychological consultations and orthotic appliances.
- 12, 24 or 36 months. Orthodontics, hearing aids, assisted reproduction drugs.
One important point to keep in mind about extras health insurance is that each fund is free to set waiting periods of its choice. Therefore, keep an eye out for promotions which may waive waiting periods to attract new members, but also be more vigilant about checking the fine print before purchasing an extras policy.
Back to topLatest headlines
- Is 130,000 Velocity points worth changing your health insurance for?
- Medical expenses up 8.3% – how can you avoid being stung?
- Earn over $90K? You could save $900+ in tax with basic private health cover
- Health insurance costs rise from April 1: 5 ways to save
- Optical inclusion: Extras cover the top reason for taking out health insurance, survey finds
- 4.2 million Aussies are making a big health insurance mistake
Read more:
Pictures: GettyImages
More guides on Finder
-
Australian Unity Fixed Rate Home Loan Health Wealth Happiness Package
A review of Australian Unity’s fixed rate home loan. Discover the features and benefits.
-
Emergency Loans For Single Mothers
Emergency loans for single mothers are personal loans that are processed quicker than usual loans to give fast access to funds. Our guide explains the pros and cons of emergency short term loans.
-
Optical inclusion: Extras cover the top reason for taking out health insurance, survey finds
Extras cover is the number one drawcard for Australians who take out private health cover, new research from Finder, Australia’s most visited comparison site, reveals.
-
International money transfer services
Beat the banks, find the best exchange rates and avoid fees when you send money abroad from Australia.
-
Going up: 4.6 million health insurance customers are missing out on potential savings
Millions of Australians could be missing out on health insurance policy savings according to new Finder research.
-
Toyota RAV4 car loans
Compare car loans and discover prices and specs of the Toyota RAV4.
-
HSBC Platinum Credit Card
This card offers 0% interest on balance transfers for 36 months, a discounted $29 first year annual fee and platinum benefits including airport lounge passes and complimentary insurance covers.
-
4.1 million Australians may cut ties with their health insurance provider in 2021
Millions of Australians are shopping around for cheaper health insurance in the new year, according to new research by Finder.
-
How much do veneers cost in Australia?
Find out how much veneers cost in Australia and how you can avoid being hit with a big bill.
-
Cost of dentures
Find out how much dentures cost in Australia and how you can get cover with mid-level health insurance.
You might like these...
Compare health insurance in 5 clicks
Get cover to suit your budget and lifestyle.
Health insurance deals
Great offers, promos, and deals for today.
Do I need health insurance?
Hospital, extras, or neither? Find out in 1 minute.
Overseas Visitors Health Cover
Compare visa-compliant OVHC today.
Ask an Expert
