Navy Health Review

Navy Health insurance is a not-for-profit health fund for those who have served in the Navy, Army or Air Force and their families. Find out if Navy Health is right for you.

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Gary Ross Hunter

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Key takeaways

  • Navy Health is a restricted fund for the Defence community, including current and former ADF members and their families.
  • Serving ADF members or DVA card holders can receive a 10% premium discount.
  • The fund offers four levels of hospital cover and three levels of extras cover, including a popular Healthy Living Extras.
Navy Health: Top 3 features
  1. Not-for-profit organisation.
  2. Serving ADF members and their families, DVA cardholders and active reservists (SERCAT 3-5) get an ongoing 10% discount off their premiums.
  3. Good for Lifetime health cover loading, allowing you to pay lower premiums throughout your life compared to someone who joins when they're older.

Who is Navy Health?

Navy Health fund is a not-for-profit health insurance fund run for the benefit of its members, set up specifically to help those who have served in the Australian Defence Force. It also looks after their family members during and after service.

Who is eligible to join Navy Health?

Navy Health is a restricted fund for the Defence community. You can join if you're a current or former member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), including those who have served in the Army, Navy or Air Force. You are also eligible if you are a partner, sibling, parent, grandparent or grandchild of someone who has served. You may also be eligible if you work, or have worked, for the ADF or the Department of Defence in a civilian or contractor role, or for a company that supplies goods or services to the ADF.

What health insurance options are available?

Navy Health offers a range of hospital and extras cover:

Navy Health's 4 levels of Hospital cover:

  • Saver Bronze+ Hospital. This could be for you if you are young and healthy, providing full ambulance cover, dental surgery and knee reconstruction.
  • Core Silver+ Hospital. This policy includes shoulder, spinal and dental surgery to knee reconstruction and treatment after an accident.
  • Prime Silver+ Hospital. Extensive hospital cover that includes some treatments usually found in Gold cover, such as joint replacements, cataracts and dialysis for chronic kidney failure. It leaves out weight loss and some pregnancy and birth services to keep the premium lower.
  • Premium Gold Hospital. You get everything available on the Saver and Core policies as well as a host of other care including hospital psychiatric service and brain and nervous system.

Navy Health's 3 levels of Extras cover:

  • Premium Extras. This offers Navy Health's highest level of cover for a wide range of general treatments including dental, orthodontic, optical, laser eye surgery, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, chiropractic osteopathy, podiatry, natural therapies, psychology and more.
  • Healthy Living Extras. This is Navy Health's most popular form of extras cover and it offers money back on all of the health and medical services you use the most. It covers all the same treatments as a Premium Extras policy but to lower limits.
  • Budget Extras. As the name suggests, this policy provides cover for essential general treatment options. Providing cover for optical, dental, physio and chiro costs, it can be taken as standalone cover or combined with any of the hospital cover options.

    • Member offers

    There are a number of benefits you can receive if you are eligible for Navy Health insurance. Some of these include:

    • 10% discount for any serving ADF member as well as eligible reservists. If you have a DVA card you can receive the discount.
    • You can save money with Parent Family Cover policies if you are a DVA Gold Card holder.
    • You can make sure your dependents are still covered with health insurance while you are serving and cannot claim. This can also help lower your premiums.
    • Special policy options are also available for Northern Territory residents and for customers who would like to select a different excess.

    How to make a claim

    You can claim with Navy Health in a number of ways.

    • App. Members can claim using the Navy Health App. To download the App, go to the App Store or Google Play Store.
    • Electronic Claiming. In most cases, all you'll need is your Navy Health membership card to claim. After a consultation, swipe your card through the electronic claiming facility. Once the transaction has been authorised by Navy Health, you just need to pay the difference between the fee charged for the treatment and the amount paid by Navy Health.
    • Online Claim. You can make claims for extras services, except Orthodontic, Ambulance, Medically Prescribed Appliances and Pharmacy, through Navy Health's Online Member Services.
    • Post, email and fax. You can submit a Navy Health claim by post, email or fax. Every claim must be accompanied by a completed and signed claim form, which can be downloaded from the Navy Health website. Payment is then made by direct deposit into your nominated bank account.
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Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 522 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living
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