What is extras cover in health insurance?

Extras cover is a type of health insurance that covers treatment that happens outside of a hospital. It can include dental work, glasses and optical, physiotherapy, psychology and counseling and a lot more. Extras health insurance is one of two primary types of health insurance in Australia, the other one being hospital insurance .

Is extras cover worth it?

Not everyone needs extras cover, but extras health insurance is probably worth it for most people at some point in their lives. Even if all you do is go to the dentist a couple of times a year, an extras policy may be able to pay for itself, so long as you actually claim your benefits. As a bonus, most extras cover comes with emergency ambulance coverage as well - this is absolutely worth it, because ambulances are not covered by Medicare .

Can I claim immediately after switching extras cover?

If you're switching to a new extras policy, you should be able to get your new health fund to honour your already served waiting periods, under a few conditions. First, the level of cover on your new policy will need to be the same or less than the old policy. You'll also need to confirm with your new provider that they will do it, because while this is required by law for hospital policies, it's not required for extras. That said, most health funds will move you across with no repeat waiting periods, because they want your business!

How do I choose the best extras cover?

The best extras cover for you will be different from the best cover for someone else, so you will need to put a little time into comparing your options. This means filtering the available policies based on your health needs, setting a budget, then picking the best option out of what's available. Luckily, the comparison tool on this page will walk you through that process in minutes!

What's included in extras cover health insurance?

Extras health cover is health insurance that covers out-of-hospital treatments not covered by Medicare like dental, optical, physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture and psychology. However, extras can cover much more than that - health funds offer a really wide range of products. So to find the best extras cover for you and your family you'll need to compare extras policies from across the whole market.

Is extras health insurance tax deductible?

No, extras health insurance is not tax deductible. In fact, health insurance is never tax deductible in Australia. While there are some big tax benefits from hospital health insurance , namely avoiding the MLS, extras health insurance won't help you - you need a hospital policy.