HIF health insurance review

HIF is a not-for-profit health insurer. It offers 6 hospital policies and 6 extras policies and its surpluses go back to its members in the form of lower premiums, benefits and discounts. That means money off things like pet insurance, optical and competitively priced premiums.

What policies does HIF offer?

There are two major categories for health insurance: hospital cover and extras cover:

• HIF Hospital
• HIF Extras
• HIF Visitors and Corporate cover

How many members does HIF service?

HIF provides health insurance cover to more than 120,000 members. This gives it a total market share of 0.9%.

Is HIF nonprofit?

• Yes!

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

If you receive hospital treatment in Australia, the benefit paid by your health fund depends on two main factors:

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

The table below features a full list of the number of hospital agreements HIF has in place in each Australian state and territory. The industry maximum figure for all health funds is also included as a guide.

Does HIF receive a lot of complaints?

HIF accounts for:

• 0.8% of the Australian health insurance market
• 1.0% of all complaints about benefit payments
• 1.3% of all complaints about service
• 0.5% of all complaints that require investigation

^{_{Source: Private Health Insurance Ombudsman, State of the Health Fund Report 2017}}

What excesses are available on HIF policies?

Excesses vary between policies. With HIF, some policies come with a standard excess, while others give you the option to choose your own:

• Basic Plus Hospital cover. You can choose from either a $500 or $750 excess per person.
• Bronze Hospital cover. You can choose from $200, $500 and $750 excess options.
• Bronze Plus Hospital cover. You can choose from $200, $500 and $750 excess options.
• Silver Hospital cover. You can choose from $200, $500 and $750 excess options.
• Silver Plus Hospital cover. You can choose from $200, $500 and $750 excess options.
• Gold Star Hospital cover. If you do choose to apply an excess to reduce your Gold Star Hospital premium, you'll only have to pay it if you require an overnight admission. The choices available are::
  • $0 (no excess)
  • $200 per person to a max of $400 (single policy)
  • $500 per person to a max of $1000 (single policy)
  • $750 per person to a max of $1500 (single policy)

Paying your HIF health insurance premiums

There are several ways you can pay your HIF health insurance premiums:

• Direct debit. You can have your premiums automatically deducted from your bank account or credit card at a frequency that suits you. You can pay fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly (a discount of 2% applies) or yearly (a discount of 4% applies).
• Pay Online. If you need to make a one-off credit card payment at any stage (for example, if your contributions have fallen behind), you can do so within HIF's Online Member Centre.
• BPAY. HIF's Billpay code is 0639 and their BPAY code is 2543. Members can find their reference number noted within the BPAY section of their invoice. Alternatively, login to HIF's Online Member Centre and your reference number will be listed there.
• Payroll deduction. HIF has payroll deduction agreements in place with many employers around Australia.
• Manual invoice. If you want to be sent an invoice whenever your contribution is due, you can pay on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly basis.
• At your nearest Australia Post office.
• By phone using the POSTbillpay service.
• By mail if you detach the payment slip at the bottom of your membership renewal.

How can you claim on your HIF policy?

If you need to make an extras claim with HIF, there are several ways to submit your claim:

• On the spot. Healthcare providers with electronic claiming technology can settle your account with you on the spot. All you need to do is swipe your HIF membership card and pay the difference (if any).
• Online. HIF's Online Member Centre gives you access to a range of services to help manage your policy including lodging an Extras claim online. Even better, you'll instantly see the estimated benefit payable! Before you get started, you'll just need to ensure that your provider's fees are paid in full before uploading receipts.
• On your mobile. Submit Extras claims anytime, anywhere, with our easy-to-use mobile App. It's fast, free and reduces paper waste. HIF's Member App also allows Members to update their contact details, view their policy information and claims history, order replacement membership cards, contact HIF and more.
• By email or fax. For paid Extras accounts, simply email a scan of your completed HIF claim form and associated receipts to claims@hif.com.au. Alternatively, you can fax everything to (08) 9328 1685.
• By post. Complete an HIF claim form and post it to: HIF, GPO Box X2221, Perth WA 6847.

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What can't you claim on your HIF policy?

Some general exclusion for HIF insurance cover are:

• Cosmetic services. These services are excluded from all packages and have to be paid fully by members.
• Services not covered by Medicare. These services are also not covered by HIF.
• Level of cover. Only services which are included within a particular package are covered.
• Waiting period. Different treatments have different waiting periods, during which time claims will not be accepted for these services.

Still have questions about HIF?

• How do I pay my contributions?

  Contributions can be paid through a number of ways including direct debit, manual invoice and payroll deductions. A yearly payment provides 4% discount and half-yearly payment provides 2% discount.

• How long can my dependents remain on my membership?

  Dependents can stay on family membership until their 21st birthday. After this they can stay on the family membership longer if they are full time students and are not married or in a de-facto relationship.

• Is there an option for overseas visitors?

  Overseas visitors have a host of options. For hospital cover there are options like Basic Working Visa, Essential Working Visa, Intermediate Working Visa, Comprehensive Working Visa, Visitor Saver and Visitor Value. For Extras there are Saver, Special, Super, Premium options. Besides providing cover for health services they also cover repatriation expenses in some cases.

• Does HIF offer a loyalty benefit?

  The benefit structure of HIF rewards loyalty considerably. The total claimable amount rises substantially the longer the policy is held. Benefits of services like optical, physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy increase after five years. For services like chiropractic, osteopathic, complementary therapies and pharmacy, the limits increase after three years.

• Does HIF offer ambulance cover?

  Yes. Ambulance cover is included in all HIF extras policies. Emergency call-outs and transportation are 100% covered by HIF, while non-emergency call-outs and transportation attract a $50 co-payment.

• Can I get dental cover with HIF?

  Yes. All HIF extras policies include some level of dental cover.

• Can I get optical cover with HIF?

  Yes. HIF offers optical cover on its Saver Options, Special Options, Super Options and Premium Options extras policies.

• Can I get physio cover with HIF?

  Yes. All HIF extras policies include some level of physio cover.

• Can I get chiro cover with HIF?

  Yes. All HIF extras policies include some level of cover for chiropractic services.

• Can I get pharmacy cover with HIF?

  Yes. HIF offers pharmacy cover on its Saver Options, Special Options, Super Options and Premium Options extras policies.

• Can I get natural therapies cover with HIF?

  Yes. HIF offers natural therapies cover on its Saver Options, Special Options, Super Options and Premium Options extras policies.

• Can I get acupuncture cover with HIF?

  Yes. HIF offers cover for acupuncture on its Saver Options, Special Options, Super Options and Premium Options extras policies.

• Can I get psych/group therapy cover with HIF?

  Yes. Cover for psychology is included as part of HIF's Super Options and Premium Options policies.

• Can I get preventative cover with HIF?

  Yes. HIF offers cover for Healthy Lifestyle Services on its Saver Options, Special Options, Super Options and Premium Options extras policies. This includes cover for expenses such as gym memberships, weight loss programs, yoga and pilates classes, health assessments and skin cancer screenings.

• Can I get hearing aid cover with HIF?

  Yes. Cover for hearing aids is included as part of HIF's Super Options and Premium Options policies.

• Can I get HIF health insurance as an international student?

  No. HIF does not offer any overseas student health cover (OSHC) policies.

• Can I get overseas visitor health cover (OVHC) with HIF?

  Yes. HIF offers OVHC policies for working visa and non-working visa holders. Working visa holders can choose fromBasic Working Visa, Essential Working Visa, Intermediate Working Visa or Comprehensive Working Visa. Non-working visa holders can choose from Visitor Saver or Visitor Value cover.