5 ways you didn’t know your hospital cover could help
With ahm, your hospital cover can do a lot more than just help look after your bill while you're staying in hospital.
Sponsored by ahm. As the winner of Finder's Provider of the Year - Health Fund, ahm offers straightforward health insurance with hospital and extras cover options that might suit your lifestyle.
Hospital cover is generally something we think about as being for when the worst has happened. With the right policy, it can help with that – and more, too.
Today, we're taking a closer look at some of the ways that hospital cover with ahm can help look after you, both inside and outside of the hospital.
Learn more about health insurance with ahm
1. Accident Override
Depending on your provider, hospital cover is sold at four tiers:
- Basic
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
Each of these levels of cover has different types of treatment that you're able to receive benefits for. Policies can also include more services than the minimum requirements of a tier. These are called 'Plus' policies and can vary.
Most hospital covers with ahm also include Accident Override.
This means that if you were injured in an accident that requires immediate medical treatment in hospital, ahm will generally pay benefits towards hospital services that are needed as a result of the accident that are normally restricted or excluded under your policy.^
Policy features like Accident Override could help you get the care you need, when it's most needed.
^ Waiting period of 1 day applies. Accidents are unplanned or unforeseen events resulting in bodily injury that require immediate medical treatment in a hospital. Excludes claims covered by third parties.
2. No excess for kids
When you make a claim on your hospital insurance, you might need to pay an excess. This is the amount you agree to contribute towards the cost of your hospital treatment before your insurer pays benefits.
But with ahm, most hospital covers have no excess fee for dependants.
So if your child gets injured or sick and has to go to hospital for a service that we pay benefits towards, you won't pay an excess.
This can not only help reduce your overall expenses, it can also help reduce stress during a difficult time.
Congratulations, ahm!
ahm was a big winner in the 2026 Finder Provider of the Year Awards.
- Winner, Provider of the year - Health Fund
Learn more about ahm
3. Medically necessary ambulance
Every ahm hospital policy pays benefits towards medically necessary ambulance.
This means that ahm could help with the cost if you need to go to hospital in an ambulance (as long as any limits have not been reached).
Now there is a one-day waiting period. But hopefully you won't need it quite that quickly.
There are some other T&Cs, too. Remember to double-check your cover information; it'll tell you if there are any limits on the number of ambulance services that are covered by your ahm policy.
Also, if you live in Tasmania or Queensland, it's a bit different. These states cover ambulance costs via the state government. If you live in NSW or the ACT, your hospital cover includes a levy to the ambulance service.
4. Preventative Health Checks
Of course, prevention is always better than a cure.
So each financial year, ahm also allows you to claim a benefit of up to $50 on a doctor's health check or Healthy Heart check, if you have their Advanced Hospital Gold Cover. Waiting periods apply.
Before you claim, just make sure it isn't already covered by Medicare, your employer or another third party, as you won't be eligible for a benefit from ahm if it is.
Staying ahead of your health could help support your overall wellbeing.
5. Tax time
The Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) is an extra levy set by the Government, paid by Australian tax payers who earn above a certain income and do not have an appropriate level of private hospital cover. Your MLS rate depends on your income over a full financial year, with thresholds and more info available from the ATO.
If you otherwise have to pay the MLS, holding any eligible ahm hospital cover for a full financial year means you could be exempt.
Even taking out ahm's cheapest basic Hospital cover for a full financial year could help you avoid the surcharge if you have to pay it.