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The Health Insurance Fund of Australia (HIF) offers its members access to over 1,300 private hospitals and cover for a range of services. Compare HIF hospital, extras and overseas visitors' health cover options online today.
finder.com.au does not currently have access to this health insurance brand. You may wish to compare options available on the health insurance homepage.
What policies does HIF offer?
There are two major categories for health insurance: hospital cover and extras cover:
Within Hospital cover there are various options, ranging from entry-level covers to top covers which have higher premiums but wider coverage. The levels of cover for HIF hospital insurance are:
Benefits
Basic Plus
Bronze
Bronze Plus
Silver
Silver Plus
Gold Star
Shared room - all stays
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Private room - maternity stays
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Private room - all stays
Yes
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Rehabilitation
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Yes
Yes
Hospital psychiatric services
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Yes
Palliative care
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Minimum Benefits Payable
Yes
Yes
Brain and nervous system
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Eye (not cataracts)
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Ear, nose and throat
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Tonsils, adenoids and grommets
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Bone, joint and muscle
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Joint reconstructions
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Kidney and bladder
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Male reproductive system
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Digestive system
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Hernia and appendix
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Gastrointestinal endoscopy
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Gynaecology
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy for cancer
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Pain management
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Skin
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Breast surgery (medically necessary)
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Diabetes management (excluding insulin pumps)
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Heart and vascular system
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lung and chest
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Blood
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Back, neck and spine
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Plastic and reconstructive surgery (medically necessary)
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dental surgery
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Podiatric surgery
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Implantation of hearing devices
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Cataracts
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Joint replacements
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Pregnancy and birth
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Assisted reproductive services
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Weight loss surgery
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Insulin pumps
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Pain management with device
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
Sleep studies
No cover
No cover
No cover
No cover
Yes
Yes
HIF Extras
Extras cover options provide cover for services such as general dental, endodontic and periodontal. The levels of cover for extras are:
Vital Options cover. It provides general dental, emergency ambulance and periodontal cover. Plus a 50% rebate for select services like chiropractic, osteopathic, ambulance and physiotherapy up to the limits of the policy.
Saver Options. Additional cover includes general dental, podiatry, physiotherapy, pharmacy and optical.
Special Options. Additional cover includes the above and major dental.
Super Options. Additional cover includes speech therapy, psychology, peak flow meter, orthoptics, orthotics, occupational therapy, hearing aids, medical appliances, diabetics education and auxiliary home nursing.
Premium Options. Additional cover includes a much higher benefit and no limits for several treatments. For customers who require regular extra services, this option is useful as it covers all treatment with highest benefits.
HIF Visitors and Corporate cover
HIF also have health insurance options for visitors to Australia, which provides non-Australian residents visa compliant cover and cover for businesses, which offers corporate health solutions and affordable prices.
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.
State
Private hospital agreements
Day hospital agreements
NSW
96
92
ACT
5
8
VIC
76
72
QLD
50
51
SA
25
27
WA
21
23
TAS
8
4
NT
2
1
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.
Get the HIF app
Fund
Android
iOS
HIF
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yes. All HIF extras policies include some level of dental cover.
Yes. HIF offers optical cover on its Saver Options, Special Options, Super Options and Premium Options extras policies.
Yes. All HIF extras policies include some level of physio cover.
Yes. All HIF extras policies include some level of cover for chiropractic services.
Yes. HIF offers pharmacy cover on its Saver Options, Special Options, Super Options and Premium Options extras policies.
Yes. HIF offers natural therapies cover on its Saver Options, Special Options, Super Options and Premium Options extras policies.
Yes. HIF offers cover for acupuncture on its Saver Options, Special Options, Super Options and Premium Options extras policies.
Yes. Cover for psychology is included as part of HIF’s Super Options and Premium Options policies.
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.
Yes. Cover for hearing aids is included as part of HIF’s Super Options and Premium Options policies.
No. HIF does not offer any overseas student health cover (OSHC) policies.
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.
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If you need to find out what your current coverage is with HIF, you may need to contact them directly to be assisted. You may also check on your insurance certificate to know more on what coverage policy you have taken with HIF. Please contact HIF from a landline by dialing 1300 134 060, or for mobile phones please phone (08) 9227 4200 (standard call charges will apply). HIF customer support is open Monday to Friday at the following times across the country: 6:30am – 5:30pm WA. Hope this helps!
I am a member of over 50 years and would like Bowen therapy added to the claim list as we do not use our physio allotment since having Bowen.
Has this question been asked before?
You have contacted finder.com.au, a comparison and information service and not actually HIF Health Insurance.
You will need to contact HIF Health insurance directly to see if they intend on adding cover for Bowen Technique in the near future. If not, the Bowen Association of Australia has a list on their website of all health funds that cover that treatment.
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I would like to know what my cover is so I can add my detail to the form to submit to Dr Simon Smith please. Cheers David
Hi David,
Thank you for leaving a question.
If you need to find out what your current coverage is with HIF, you may need to contact them directly to be assisted. You may also check on your insurance certificate to know more on what coverage policy you have taken with HIF. Please contact HIF from a landline by dialing 1300 134 060, or for mobile phones please phone (08) 9227 4200 (standard call charges will apply). HIF customer support is open Monday to Friday at the following times across the country: 6:30am – 5:30pm WA. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Reggie
I am a member of over 50 years and would like Bowen therapy added to the claim list as we do not use our physio allotment since having Bowen.
Has this question been asked before?
Hi Gary,
Thank you for your question.
You have contacted finder.com.au, a comparison and information service and not actually HIF Health Insurance.
You will need to contact HIF Health insurance directly to see if they intend on adding cover for Bowen Technique in the near future. If not, the Bowen Association of Australia has a list on their website of all health funds that cover that treatment.
All the best,
Zubair