Not-for-profit, members owned TUH Health Fund offers four hospital policies and five extras options for union members.
After over 45 years providing affordable healthcare, TUH Health Fund now boasts teachers, nurses, firefighters and government employees amongst its members. TUH Health Fund is part of Members Own Health Funds, an alliance of nonprofit and mutual health funds that promotes funds that reward members rather than overseas owners or investors.
Top 3 features
- Good for current and former union members and their families.
- Good for premiums returning to you in the form of improved benefits.
- Beware if you're not a current or former union member or related to one, as you won't be eligible for cover.
Who is TUH Health Fund?
Founded in 1972 by the Queensland Teachers' Union, TUH Health Fund focuses on providing affordable healthcare for teachers in Queensland. Covering all current and former union members and their families Australia-wide, the not-for-profit fund ensures premiums are returned to members in the form of improved benefits. In the last year alone, TUH returned 90% to its members, as a members owned fund.
What health insurance options are available?
TUH offers four levels of hospital cover and you can choose to purchase the covers alone or combine them with an extras cover.
- Gold Hospital. Top hospital cover, with no excess to pay.
- Silver Plus Family Hospital. Comprehensive hospital cover, with a choice of either $400 or $750 excess, to reduce premium costs if you like. This policy covers pregnancy and birth-related costs.
- Silver Plus No Pregnancy Hospital. Comprehensive hospital cover, with a choice of either $400 or $750 excess, to reduce premium costs if you like. This policy covers everything from the Family Hospital option, except pregnancy and childbirth, assisted reproductive services and weight loss surgery.
- Bronze Plus Hospital. A policy that provides a decent level of cover for the digestive system, male reproductive system, gynaecology, cancer treatment, diabetes management and more. There's a $500 or $750 excess choice per adult on the policy, to reduce premium costs. Exclusions include cataracts, podiatric surgery, implantation of hearing devices, dialysis, joint replacements, pregnancy and childbirth, assisted reproductive services, weight loss surgery and insulin pumps.
- Comprehensive Extras. When you're not willing to compromise on looking after your health and well-being, this is the cover for you. Covering dental, optical, natural therapies, health and wellness programs, and much more, annual limits increase with years of membership.
- Family Extras. Designed with families in mind, this cover looks after parents and children alike, with affordable cover for everybody in your family. Services include optical, speech therapy, orthotics, many natural and alternative therapies, and limitless preventative dental.
- Healthy Options (60%) Extras. Tailored to young singles and couples, take the guesswork out of your extras cover and get 60% back on general and major dental, orthodontics, optical and other therapies up to your annual limits. Plus you'll receive a Health & Wellness benefit (provides up to 60% on health screenings and access to health management programs up to overall annual limit).
- Mid range Extras. A mid-range policy for access to benefits for general and major dental, optical, natural therapies, health and wellness programs, and more. Plus there's a Health & Wellness benefit (provides up to 80% on health screenings and access to health management programs for a specific chronic health or medical condition up to overall annual limit).
- Basic Extras. Affordable, no-frills cover including general dental and selected therapies (chiropractic, physiotherapy, homeopathy, massage therapy, naturopathy and osteopathy). This cover stands alone, or you can combine it with a hospital cover.
- Gold Ultimate Choice. Top hospital cover with no excess to pay and the highest and most comprehensive level of extras. Includes unlimited general dental, major dental (high benefit), optical, physiotherapy and other therapies, plus a bonus of $125 for singles and $250 for families towards extras out-of-pocket expenses. Limits increase with years of membership for selected services.
- Gold Easy Choice. Mid range hospital cover with an excess of $300 and a wide range of extras including dental and optical, plus other health care services such as physiotherapy, acupuncture and massage. Includes a bonus of $75 for singles or $150 for families to put towards your extras out-of-pocket expenses.
- Bronze Plus Young Choice. Budget hospital and basic extras cover with a $250 excess per adult.
Information on tiers
TUH Health Fund fully supports reducing the cost of health care, providing consumers with transparency and minimising waste in the health system. The private health insurance reforms and government tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic) that come into effect from 1 April 2019 have been reflected in TUH's hospital and package policies.
TUH offers Gold, Silver Plus and Bronze Plus Hospital policies, Gold and Bronze Plus packages so you can easily choose the level of cover that works for you.
Young people discount
TUH Health Fund offers the Bronze Plus Young Choice package as a good entry-level choice for young people. It provides budget hospital and basic extras cover with a $250 excess per adult.
The policy covers single dependants until age 21, and full-time student dependants up to age 25.
Member offers
As a not-for-profit health fund, TUH Health Fund provides value for money wherever possible for its members. The range of additional benefits includes:
- No excess for dependants
- An Active Health Bonus for extras on some products
- Access Gap Scheme
- Health management programs with some products
- A travel benefit for regional members to access healthcare on selected covers
- Discounts at OPSM, OPSM Direct, Laubman & Pank and Budget Eyewear
- Brisbane Health Hub offering members dental, optical and allied health services
- Cardiac and cardiac-related treatments covered in all hospital products
- A $100 EFTPOS gift card if you refer a friend or family member who joins TUH
How to make a claim
There are two separate processes for claiming on your TUH Hospital and Extras cover:
Hospital claims
If you receive a hospital account, send it to TUH with a completed claim form via one of the following methods:
- Email onlineclaims@tuh.com.au with copies of accounts/receipts attached.
- Upload to the TUH smart phone app with photos of accounts/receipts.
- Snail mail to TUH, PO Box 265, Fortitude Valley Q 4006, with the original accounts/receipts enclosed.
Extras claims
You can claim your Extras benefits in any of the following ways:
- Electronically. If your healthcare provider has an electronic terminal such as HICAPS or Health Point, simply swipe your membership card and your claim will be processed on the spot.
- Online. Log in to Member Services on the TUH website and follow the instructions to submit your claim (no need to include receipts).
- Smartphone app. Upload photos of your receipts and other documents and instantly submit them via the TUH smartphone app.
- Manually. Download, print out and complete a claim form and submit it manually with copies of your receipts via email or post.
In both instances, once received and processed, your claim will be paid directly into your bank account allowing up to two weeks for postage and processing.
I am a senior of 65.6 and find it hard to pay my full cover now that I have reduced my work, is there any changes that I can take
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for getting in touch! Sorry to hear you are having a difficult time paying for your health insurance. While we review TUH, note that we don’t work with them. It would be best to contact them directly to see your options for repayment.
Hope this helps. Feel free to reach back out for further assistance.
Best,
Nikki
What hospitals in Melbourne are contracted.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for getting in touch. If you head over to the TUH website, you can use their search tool to find the closest contracted hospital.
Cheers,
Richard