Money Hack: Check this list to see if you can get exclusive health cover
Could you supercharge your health insurance?
Restricted health funds are restricted because not just anyone can join. These are non-profit health funds run for the benefit of their members, and some of them have exceptional benefits. Doctors Health Fund, for example, is designed by doctors for doctors, and its platinum hospital cover is as good as you'd expect.
However, you don't have to be a doctor to join. Maybe you're a psychologist or are studying to be an occupational therapist. Or maybe your aunt used to work as a receptionist in a GP practice. All of these could entitle you to join the health fund.
The hack
This money hack brings you a convenient list of every single restricted health fund in Australia and who can join. Often these health funds will deliver extremely competitive benefits.
This isn't to say you'll necessarily be better off joining a restricted fund, but it is worth comparing them alongside other options as well as comparing them next to your current cover to see if you might be able to do better.
Here's your list. If you're not 100% certain whether you can join, you can get more detailed info under "cover details", or you can contact the health fund and ask.
| The health fund | Who can join | Cover details |
|---|---|---|
| ACA Health Benefits Fund | Seventh Day Adventist company employees and their eligible family members. | Learn More |
| CBHS | Current or former employees of a CBA Group company or contractors that supply/supplied goods or services to a CBA Group company as well as eligible family members. | Learn More |
| Defence Health | Current or former members of the ADF and anyone who's ever worked for a defence supplier as well as eligible family members. | Learn More |
| Navy Health | The same as Defence Health above. | Learn More |
| Emergency Services Health | Current or former employees as well as non-paid volunteers of eligible emergency services. | Learn More |
| Railway and Transport Health Fund | Current or former employees of eligible energy or transport industries and contractors, plus eligible family members. | Learn More |
| Doctors Health Fund | Current or former eligible medical or health industry workers and students and their eligible family members. | Learn More |
| Reserve Bank Health Society | Current and former employees of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) or Note Printing Australia (NPA) plus their spouses and dependent children. | |
| Teachers Health | Anyone who works at an educational institution in Australia, whether academic, support or administration, as long as they're a member of an eligible union. Plus their eligible family members. | Learn More |
| Nurses & Midwives Health | Eligible workers in the nursing and midwifery sectors, who are members of eligible unions, and their eligible family members. | Learn More |
| Police Health | Eligible employees of state, territory or federal police departments and police unions as well as former employees who resigned or retired after 1 January 2001 and the eligible family members of any of these. | Learn More |
| TUH | Members of any Australian Union and their eligible family members | Learn More |
There are two things to note:
- When it says ex-partners can join, that doesn't mean you can join just because you once dated an eligible member. Here, ex-partner specifically refers to former marriages or to official de-facto relationships.
- In very rare and specific cases, there might be exceptions, for example, if you're part of a union with its own rules that affect eligibility. This list doesn't account for those kinds of unusual situations.
If you want to see how these restricted health funds stack up alongside others, including the one you're currently on, you can use this health insurance comparison engine to compare different options side by side.
finder money hacks is a bi-weekly round-up of the latest tips and tricks to improve your finances. Check back every Wednesday and Saturday for new hacks.
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