Health insurance for kidney dialysis
If you need kidney dialysis, private health insurance and Medicare can both help with the costs. Compare health funds.
What different scores mean
9+
Excellent
These products offer a balance between low pricing and more features.
7+
Great
Competitive products within their group.
5+
Standard
Usually these products would either have fewer treatments covered or higher pricing.
0+
Basic
Offering basic cover with limited features or higher pricing.
Key takeaways
- Gold and some Silver Plus hospital policies cover dialysis for chronic kidney failure.
- Private health insurance for dialysis starts around $175 per month.
- All policies for this treatment have a 12-month waiting period.
How much is private health insurance with cover for kidney dialysis?
Below you can find sample quotes from Finder partner funds. All policies include treatments for chronic kidney failure. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $101,000 income and living in Sydney.
Finder survey: Which conditions have Australians made hospital claims for?
| Response | Female |
|---|---|
| Dialysis for chronic kidney failure | 0.38% |
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023
Finder Score - Hospital cover health insurance
Each month we analyse our hospital insurance products and rate each one on price and features. What we end up with is a nice round number out of 10 that helps you compare hospital cover a bit faster.
Before we start scoring, we need to make sure we're comparing like-for-like. Just as it doesn't make sense to compare a bicycle with a Ferrari, it doesn't make sense to compare basic hospital policies to top-tier Gold policies. Each policy is given a price score and feature score. These are then combined to determine each policies's Finder Score.
What is a kidney dialysis?
A kidney dialysis is a type of treatment that's used when a patient develops end-stage kidney failure. Dialysis helps to return the body to balance by preventing waste, salt and water from building up in the body. It also helps to maintain a safe level of chemicals in your blood and helps to control blood pressure.
How can I cover the cost of chronic kidney disease and dialysis treatment?
There are a number of ways for you to potentially receive benefits for chronic kidney disease and dialysis, both through the public and private health systems.
- Medicare. The government-funded universal health system includes dialysis treatment in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS).
- Medicare Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDM). If you are suffering from kidney disease for six months or more and require ongoing, structured care, your GP may suggest a CDM plan, and you may be eligible for rebates to cover the ongoing cost of your treatment.
Below you can see the various types of dialysis treatment and surgical procedures covered by Medicare.:
- Dialysis for chronic renal failure
- Haemodialysis
- Haemofiltration
- Haemoperfusion
- Peritoneal dialysis
- Surgical procedures
- Explorative kidney surgery
- Private health insurance. The amount of cover you receive for kidney related treatments will depend on how comprehensive your hospital insurance is:
- Top hospital policies must pay a benefit for all procedures covered under the MBS, which includes dialysis.
- Medium hospital policies may include dialysis treatment and renal surgery but will only pay a restricted benefit.
- Basic hospital cover generally excluded dialysis treatment and renal surgery.
You can use the table below as a quick reference for seeing which levels of health insurance fully and partially cover, or exclude, kidney related treatments:
| Kidney treatment | Top hospital | Medium hospital | Basic hospital |
|---|---|---|---|
Dialysis for chronic renal failure:
|
|
|
|
Surgical procedures:
|
|
|
|
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