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.
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.
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 for all 38 clinical categories, with a $500 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.
- Basic Plus Hospital.As the name suggests, this covers you for the basics including tonsils, adenoids and grommets, joint reconstruction, hernia and appendix, and dental surgery.
- 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.
- Everyday Extras.Everyday extras comes with the most popular services, including dental, optical, massage therapy, physiotherapy and psychology. There is no annual limit with preventative and general dental care.
- 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.
- Bronze Plus Young Choice. TUH only offers one package policy that covers both in and out of hospital care. It's tailored to the young and covers you for services including skin, lung and chest, blood, ear nose and throat, as well extras services like dental, optical, physio and ambulance emergency transport.
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.
TUH offers a discount of up to 10% for people who join selected hospital covers before they turn 30. Here's a breakdown of how much you can get off.
| Under 26 | 10% |
| 26 | 8% |
| 27 | 6% |
| 28 | 4% |
| 29 | 2% |
The discount applies until you turn 41 as long as you have an eligible policy, then decreases by 2% per year.
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 Specsavers
- The Health Hub offering members dental, optical and allied health services
- A $100 EFTPOS gift card if you refer a friend or family member who joins TUH
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