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Single parent health insurance

Single parent health insurance is a type of private health policy that comes with equal cover for one or more of your kids. You pay the same rate regardless of how many dependants you have.

Single parent health insurance covers you and all your kids on the same convenient policy, helping you protect your children's health.

As your family grows, you can even add additional children onto your policy for free and it'll usually cover them up until the age of 21, or 25 if they're a full-time uni student.

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What you need to know

  • If you already have insurance, there will be a small bump in your premium for the first child and the rest are covered for free.
  • The kids are covered for what you are covered for and they will not usually have to serve waiting periods if you have already served them.
  • You can get single parent hospital cover, extras cover or both.

What is single parent health insurance?

Single parent health insurance refers to a singles health insurance policy that also includes equal cover for one or more dependants. It can help pay the bills for:

Hospital cover

Hospital treatment

As well as covering you for everything that Medicare includes, private hospital insurance can let you and your kids get treated for non-urgent conditions quicker, allow you to choose the doctor that treats them and give them access to a private room in a private hospital.

General dental

Extras treatment

Childhood is also the time for fixing crooked teeth and imperfect vision. Extras cover gives your kids a head start in both areas. Most extras policies will cover basic dental work, eye exams, glasses and even therapies like physio. Dreading the day your little one needs orthodontics? Higher level policies can help out there.

Ambulance cover

Ambulances

Unfortunately, ambulance services are not covered by Medicare in Australia (except in Queensland and Tasmania) so you'll need to take out health insurance if you want to avoid expensive fees for you or your child. Luckily, you can get covered for as little as $3 a week with a basic extras policy.

Does single parent health insurance cover pregnancy?

Yes, all gold tier policies are required to provide pregnancy cover. Keep in mind there's a 12-month waiting period before you can claim for pregnancy. That means you'll have to get pregnancy cover well before you start trying to conceiv, unless your previous policy also covered pregnancy.

If you don't plan to have more children, opt for a policy that excludes pregnancy cover since there's no point paying for a service you're unlikely to need.

What are the waiting periods on a single parent health insurance policy?

Waiting periods for single parent health insurance are generally as follows:

  • 2 months for most hospital treatments (except pregnancy which is 12 months) and extras services e.g. general dental, physio and chiro.
  • 12 months for pre-existing conditions and some more expensive extras treatments like major dental and orthodontics.

What does single parent health insurance not cover?

Even with comprehensive hospital and extras policies, there are a few services and treatments a single parent health policy will not cover. Some of these include:

  • Outpatient blood work and testing. Private hospital cover piggybacks off Medicare, which covers mainly inpatient treatments. Outpatient services like bloodwork and testing aren't typically covered on extras policies either.
  • GP and specialist visits. These are two types of outpatient services that Medicare will cover but your private health insurance won't.
  • Non-emergency ambulance rides. Most private health insurance policies cover ambulance rides but only for emergency situations. If paramedics or doctors say it's not an emergency, your insurance won't cover you.
  • Hospital treatments that Medicare doesn't cover. The Australian healthcare system is designed to get you the health care you really need but not necessarily services you merely want. So neither Medicare nor private health will cover you for many services that aren't medically necessary, like a face lift.

Best sign up deals for December 2023 from Finder Partners

Check the deals below before buying health insurance and you could save money on your premium - or get a reward for signing up.

1 - 8 of 8
Name Product

Get 6 weeks free on eligible combined Hospital and Extras cover

Domestic policies only. Terms and Conditions apply.


Get up to $200 cash card. PLUS 2-month waits on extras waived

Ends 31 January 2024

Offer applies for new joins on hospital and extras by 31 January. T&Cs apply.


Join and earn up to 100,000 Qantas Points

Ends 29 January 2024

Plus, get 60-75% back on Extras (up to your annual limit) for things like dental, physio and glasses costs. Eligibility criteria and T&Cs apply.


Get 6 weeks free after 60 days plus, 2 weeks free after 12 months

Ends 13 December 2023

For new joins on eligible hospital & extras by Dec 13. Find out how


Get 6 weeks free extras cover

Ends 13 December 2023

For new joins by Dec 13. Offer applied after 60 days on extras-only cover. Find out how.


Get up to $600 e-gift card

Ends 14 December 2023

Join AIA combined Hospital and Extras policy by 14 December. On eligible products. T&Cs apply.


Get up to $300 e-gift card

Ends 14 December 2023

Join AIA Hospital only policy by 14 December. On eligible products. T&Cs apply.


Get 6 weeks free + Waive 2&6 months waiting periods

Ends 31 December 2023

Join combined hospital & extras cover by 31 December 2023 for new members. T&Cs apply.

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