HCF health insurance

Australians have trusted HCF with their health insurance needs since 1932. Read on to discover if it's the right health fund for you.

Hospitals Contribution Fund (HCF) is one of the largest and most well-known private health insurance brands operating in Australia. As a not-for-profit provider, HCF has committed to re-investing its earnings back into the fund, allowing it to offer more competitive premium rates and additional savings to its members.

Compare HCF's policy range

HCF health insurance policies at a glance

HCF offers standalone hospital and extras policies in a range of cover levels to suit different needs and budgets. It also offers package policies designed for different life stages and events.

To learn more about what HCF has to offer, simply select the type of health insurance you are interested in:

• Hospital cover
• Extras cover
• Packaged cover

How do the HCF extras loyalty benefits work?

If you purchase HCF Gold Extras or Platinum Extras, you can enjoy a loyalty bonus which increases your annual benefit limits on certain services for each year that you maintain your cover. The benefit increase is applied whether Gold or Platinum Extras are taken out as standalone policies, paired with hospital cover or included in a package:

How many members does HCF service?

Servicing almost 1.5 million members, HCF is Australia’s largest nonprofit health fund. This gives it a market share of 10.3%.

Complaints

HCF accounts for:

• 10.3% of the Australian health insurance market
• 10.9% of all complaints about benefit payments
• 8.6% of all complaints about service
• 9.6% of all complaints that require investigation

^{_{Source: Private Health Insurance Ombudsman, State of the Health Fund Report 2016}}

How many hospital agreements does HCF have in my state and in total?

If you receive hospital treatment in Australia, there are two important factors that influence the benefit you will receive from your health fund:

• The level of cover you have in place
• Whether your health fund has an agreement with the hospital where you receive treatment

The table below features the number of hospital agreements HCF has in each state and territory around Australia compared to the maximum of any health fund across the industry:

What additional benefits does HCF offer?

• Discounts on other HCF products. Becoming an HCF member awards you with a 10% discount if you choose to take out HCF travel or pet insurance.
• Free comprehensive travel insurance. Enjoy complimentary travel insurance if you purchase Premium Hospital, Mid Plus Hospital or the Young Starter Package, if you're under 75.
• More at Home Community Care. Having HCF health insurance gets you a 10% discount on its More at Home scheme, which provides professional in-home care for seniors.
• Unemployment subsidy. HCF will pay your premium for up to 183 days if you become unemployed through no fault of your own. This is included in all HCF retail hospital products currently available for purchase. Eligibility criteria apply.

Find out more about discounts from HCF

Does HCF offer any excess options?

All HCF hospital cover policies have a selection of excess fees to choose from. This is an amount you nominate to pay if you are admitted to hospital, with the upside being that it reduces the premium cost of your policy. With HCF you are only required to pay one excess fee per year, regardless of the amount of treatment or care that you receive.

The Basic, Mid and Mid Plus Hospital policies allow you to select from either a $250 or $500 excess, while Premium Hospital gives you a choice between no excess, $250 or $500. When considering your options it can be helpful to think about whether you want to pay less or more over time, as the lower your excess the higher your premium

What are the general exclusions?

Below you can find examples of treatments, services and claims that HCF does not pay benefits for or accept. These are universal exclusions which apply to every policy offered by this health fund:

What affects the cost of my HCF health insurance?

The cost of your HCF health insurance premium depends on a number of factors:

• The number of people on the policy. A singles policy is going to be less expensive than a couples or family policy.
• How comprehensive the policy is. Top level hospital and extras policies are going to cost more than lower tiered ones.
• The excess amount chosen. Selecting a larger excess fee results in larger reductions on your premium.
• If government penalties are applied. If the Lifetime Health Cover loading is applied then the premium amount increases.

Paying your HCF health insurance premiums

You can pay your HCF health insurance premiums in the following ways:

1. Direct debit from your credit card or bank account
2. Payroll deduction via your employer (if your employer has an arrangement with HCF)
3. Phone 13 14 39 to pay by credit card
4. Visit hcf.com.au to pay by credit card online
5. Visit hcf.com.au/bpay
6. By credit card, cheque or money order at your nearest HCF branch

Premiums can be paid monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly.

How do I submit a claim?

If you need to make an extras claim with HCF, you can lodge your claim in the following ways:

• On the spot. You can swipe your HCF membership card when you visit your service provider to claim immediately.
• Via the HCF mobile app. You can take a photo of your receipt with your smartphone to submit your claim.
• Online. Online claims can be made through the HCF member services portal. You’ll need to post your original receipts to the health fund to complete your claim.
• At a branch. Claims can be lodged in an HCF branch by presenting your membership card and your original receipts.
• By post. You also have the option of downloading a claim form from the HCF website or phoning the health fund to request one. You can then send the completed claim form and your receipts to: HCF, GPO Box 4242, Sydney NSW 2001.

As for medical bills from your treating doctor, if you were treated under the HCF Medicover agreement the bills will go directly to HCF. If not, you can submit your health insurance claim at any HCFor Medicare branch.

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Final details about this health fund