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Hospital and extras cover
Compare hospital and extras cover. See your options for in and out of hospital services.
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Private health insurance is divided into two main areas: hospital and extras cover. A combined hospital and extras policy can protect you against a range of health-related costs.
What's included with hospital and extras?
Here you can find some options from Finder partners. These hospital and extras packages cover accidents, emergency ambulance, dental and more.
Compare more hospital and extras combined options
Use our free tool to see quotes from health funds, simply select 'Hospital + Extras' on your type of cover.
What is combined health insurance?
Do you want cover for treatments you receive both inside and outside of a hospital? While you might assume that health insurance covers you for everything related to your health, it's only when you have a combined hospital and extras package that you're covered for hospital treatments as well as general (extra) treatments such as dental or physio.
If this sounds like what you want, then hospital and extras is for you. You will need to decide whether you want to get a pre-packaged hospital and extras policy. Choose your own tiers of cover from each cover type from the same fund or get your hospital and extras cover from two different health insurers.
How are hospital and extras policies different?
Hospital and extras insurance are totally different forms of cover. Hospital cover is to help pay for treatment and accommodation in a hospital during an illness or injury, while extras is to help cover the costs of ancillary health services that we all may require, but which aren’t usually covered by Medicare. Personal circumstances will dictate whether one form of cover is more important to you than the other. If you are young and healthy, you may only require basic hospital cover and opt for more comprehensive extras such as dental and physio. If you are older and starting to develop chronic complaints that might require surgery, then hospital cover may be a higher priority for you than extras. Other important differences include the following:
- Not having sufficient hospital cover when your income is above a specified level attracts a Medicare Levy Surcharge, while extras does not.
- You are charged a Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading of 2% for every year you don’t take out hospital cover after you turn 31 years of age. Extras policies don't have this penalty applied.
What benefits does hospital policy cover?
Hospital cover pays for your treatment and accommodation in a public or private hospital. If you are a Medicare cardholder, you are entitled to hospital treatment under Medicare but many people take out private hospital cover because it offers several advantages over the public healthcare system. Private hospital cover offers the following benefits:
- Treatment as a private patient in a public or private hospital
- Treatment by your own doctor
- Little or no waiting lists
Most health funds offer different levels of hospital cover:
- Public hospital. This covers you for most treatments, but only as a private patient in a public hospital. You get to choose your own doctor, but you have to wait in the public queue for your treatment and you'll most likely have higher out-of-pocket expenses than you would if you were a public patient on Medicare.
- Basic cover (also known as Basic or Bronze). This plan covers treatment in a private or public hospital, but often excludes cover for cardiac-related services, non-cosmetic plastic surgery, rehab, psychiatric services, palliative care and others.
- Medium cover (also known as Silver). This plan often covers much of what basic cover doesn’t, but frequently excludes pregnancy and birth-related services, IVF, cataract procedures, joint replacements and dialysis.
- Top cover (also known as Gold). This plan generally covers every service where Medicare pays a benefit.
Top hospital cover will usually include the following:
- Treatment as a private patient in a private hospital
- Emergency ambulance treatment and transport
- Surgical procedures such as joint reconstructions and removal of appendix, tonsils, adenoids and wisdom teeth
- Colonoscopies
- Palliative care
- Psychiatric treatment
- Approved rehabilitation programs
- Major heart surgery
- Childbirth and inpatient pregnancy services
- Fertility treatments such as IVF
- Plastic and reconstructive surgery to repair an injury or congenital defects
- Major eye surgery
- Renal dialysis treatment.
Whether services and procedures such as IVF, heart surgery and psychiatric services are covered will depend on the fund, but typically most will not cover cosmetic surgery, alternative medicines and any surgery or hospital treatments for which Medicare does not offer a benefit.
What can you claim on your extras policy?
While hospital cover is insurance you only claim on if you become ill or injured and need to go to hospital, extras can reimburse you for general services that aren’t covered by Medicare. These can include:
- General dental care (eg, cleaning, fillings and extractions)
- Major dental care (eg, orthodontics, wisdom teeth, crowns, bridges, root canal work and dentures)
- Optical care (eg, prescription glasses and contact lenses)
- Chiropractic care
- Physiotherapy
- Osteopathy
- Podiatry
- Acupuncture
- Hearing aids
Starting in April 2019, insurers will no longer offer cover for certain natural therapies that the government has found to be ineffective. These include naturopathy, herbalism, Buteyko, Yoga and Tai Chi. Acupuncture, physio and chiropractic will not be affected.
Like hospital cover, extras are usually available in three levels of protection:
- Basic. This plan covers the main services, including dental (general only), optical, physio, chiro, osteo and often emergency ambulance transport.
- Medium. This plan generally covers everything the basic policy covers, but with more generous benefit levels, plus some major dental, podiatry, occupational therapy and, in some cases, travel vaccines and immunisations.
- Comprehensive. This plan usually covers everything the medium policy does and typically applies larger benefit levels. It also includes orthodontics, psychology, speech pathology and some prescription medicines not covered by the PBS.
Because people have different needs when it comes to ancillary services, many funds will allow you to mix and match your extras to suit your requirements (eg, optical and dental only if that is all you need), although benefit levels are usually restricted to an amount per person per year and waiting periods apply to most services.
Typical Packages
When funds create their own packaged cover, it's common for them to pair a hospital policy with an extras policy on a similar rung. For example, if you're getting basic hospital, a health fund will typically package that with its lowest extras option.
Funds will also package policies that they think are suited to someone's life stage. In many cases, these will be placed in categories such as young and singles, family cover, couples cover and seniors cover. While these policies won't have been designed specifically for people that fit into these groups, the fund is making a suggestion about the type of cover you need if you identify with one of these demographics.
While this is not always the case, your best bet to find the option that's right for you is to choose your own levels of hospital and extras benefits rather than going with a preselected option.
How to mix and match
Mixing and matching your hospital and extras options is the best way to get the most out of your benefits. Say for example you're young and healthy and don't need a high level of hospital cover but still want peace of mind knowing that you have hospital cover. Add to this that you like to get a remedial massage, need glasses and are fastidious about your teeth and see the dentist a couple of times a year. In this hypothetical situation, you can choose a basic tier hospital policy with comprehensive extras.
To go a step further, when you're comparison shopping, make sure you're looking beyond just one provider for both options. You might find a better deal by taking out your hospital with one fund and your extras with another.
Health insurance sign up deals for October 2020
ahm Deals
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Get 6 weeks free + any 2 & 6 month waits waived on extras
Offer applies to new joins on hospital & extras by October 29. Get 6 weeks free after first 60 days.
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Coupon code ends
Medibank Health Insurance Deals
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Get 6 weeks free + Waive 2 & 6 months waiting period on extras
Join eligible combined hospital & extras cover by 31 October 2020 for new members.
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Coupon code ends
PeopleCare Health Insurance Deals
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Get $100 gift card + 10% off on extras premium (with combined cover)
Join hospital only or combined hospital & extras cover for new members. T&Cs apply.
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Get deal
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PeopleCare Health Insurance Deals
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Get 6 weeks free + Waive 2 & 6 months waiting periods
Join hospital only or combined hospital & extras cover by 31st October 2020 for new members.
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Coupon code ends
Qantas Health Insurance Deals
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Get up to 120,000 Qantas Points when joining or switching to Qantas health insurance
Offer applies when joining with hospital and extras cover by 13 December 2020. T&Cs apply.
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Get deal
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Deal ends
Health.com.au deals
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Get 6 weeks free
Offer applies when joining selected combined cover. Get 6 weeks free after 90 days. T&Cs apply.
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Get deal
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CUA Health Deals
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Get a $250 digital pre-paid Mastercard
When signing up for combined hospital & extras cover. T&Cs apply.
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Get deal
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AAMI Health Insurance Deals
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Get 4 weeks free
Offer applies when joining hospital + extras cover before 31 October 2020.
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Get deal
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Deal ends
HCF Health Insurance deals
HCF members can get loyalty rewards and discounts across Australian stores
Health fund members can claim 10% off Rebel gift cards, 5% off Woolworths gift cards & more.
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Ask an Expert
Member 707447
Can I claim for hearing aids, please ?
If so, how much can be claimed. The answer to this has a bearing on what level of hearing aid I can afford.
Hi John,
Thank you for reaching out to finder.
We are a comparison website that assists users on our website. If you wish to inquire if your current insurance company covers hearing aids, you may check on your insurance contract with them for their contact details and call them directly. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Reggie
I am already insured with A.H.M.
I am interested in going with Qantas Assure option but am scared about moving from what seems to be ok. I do find claiming difficult though. Thankyou
Hi Daphne,
Thank you for reaching out to us.
Qantas Assure offers you Hospital and Extras Cover so you have the policy that will suit you even though you do not get sick most of the time. You may check this page for more information regarding each of their coverage, waiting periods and exclusions.
With regards to their claiming process, you may simply lodge the claim in their Member Portal at the Qantas Assure webpage. Though it will be best to reach out to them first through their contact number above to make sure that the procedure or treatment that you will be receiving is covered by your policy.
I hope this helps.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us again if you have additional questions.
Cheers,
Ash
We are a young family of 5 & have been with pupa for a good few years now. It just seems every year the prices go up but we’re not getting any extra out of them. Is there another mob that can do the same but for not so much coin?
Hi Darcy,
Thanks for getting in touch.
There are affordable health insurance in the market, all you need is to compare the benefits and check the level of cover you can get. If you fill out the panel found on this page and click on the orange “Search Policies” button, you’d be able to compare less expensive health insurance in the market. If you are getting an insurance for your whole family, you can select “family” to answer the question: “Who needs cover?”.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
May
I have held private health policies for more than 50yrs and am an aged pensioner under 70 and am looking for a combined hospital & extras cover that includes private hospital, heart surgery, hip & knee replacement, cataract surgery & optical, dental general & major, physiotherapy, podiatry – is there such a policy under $90 a fortnight?
Hi Babi,
Thanks for your question. Please note that you’ve reached finder, a comparison website and we don’t offer insurance ourselves.
The cost of a combined hospital and extras policy would actually differ between brands. To determine the premium cost, insurers would also factor in the level of cover you’ll choose and even your personal circumstance and health conditions. You can enter your details into the panel above to be able to search policies from different brands. I also suggest that you get in touch with the insurance company directly to discuss your options.
Cheers,
May
Im a 70 female. Im with NIB at the moment. What hospital and extra cover is right for me?
Hi Dallas,
Thank you for your inquiry.
If you like to get the combined hospital and extras cover from nib, you can fill out the form from this page to compare health insurance from nib and request a quote from a consultant.
You can also compare your options for hospital and extras cover offered by other insurers if you will fill out the form above and click on the orange “Search Policies” button.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
May
I am looking for Seniors Health but noticed you are asking if I am having a baby. I want a fund that is for seniors only.
Hi Lesley,
Thanks for reaching out to us.
You can check this page for helpful information and you may make use of the search filter from there and compare your options.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Rench
have been a member of MEDIBANK for 36 years now
cost to dear.my wife and myself are 70 years old.
look for new private hospital and extras policy.
Hi Ray,
Sorry to hear you’re having issues with the price rise. If you would like to compare your options in hopes of finding a more affordable option, you can do so by entering your details into the quote comparison tool at the top of the page.
Once you have done so you will be able to review quotes from every fund in Australia and sort these quotes by price or by the value of the policy. While we are able to provide quotes for every fund in Australia, you will only be able to apply for cover with the funds in our panel.
All the best,
Zubair
my husband and I are both over 60.
currently members of hcf -hospital advanced savings and multicover.
important to us :Dental, optical and ambulance.
is there a better option cost wise, other than HCF for us as we have only a moderate income.
thanks
Hi Renee,
Thanks for getting in touch. To review your options, please enter your details into the comparison tool above. Once you’ve done so you will be able to review policies from 30+ funds based on the value of the policy or simply on price.
All the best,
Richard
d
where do I get health cover to satisfy 410 visa please?
Hi Derick,
Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, none of the funds in our panel cover retirement visas. Bupa sill have it listed on its OVHC page as an option why selecting cover.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard