Having to care for a sick child or a partner brings added challenges and stress to family life. Choosing the right Family Health Cover specially when you have more than one children is an investment in peace of mind — knowing you and your family will have access to high quality medical services when you need them.
Family Health Cover and insurance for Children
With Family Health Cover specially for families with children you may insure against some or all of the costs of health services not covered by Medicare, such as:
Hospital expenses (theatre fees or accommodation) as a private patient in either a public or private hospital
Dental treatment, Chiropractic treatment, Home nursing, Podiatry
Physiotherapy, Occupational, Speech and Eye therapy
Glasses and contact lenses
Prosthesis and other ancillary services
Dependant children under health insurance
Dependant children can be covered under a family policy or single parent family policy at no extra cost, provided the dependant fits the criteria set by the health fund. The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman defines a dependant child as:
‘an unmarried person under the age of 18 years. A health insurer may consider a person between the ages of 18-25 a dependant child, but will usually require certain conditions to be met, for example, the person may have to be a full-time student. Conditions vary between health insurers.’
If your single child is above the threshold age for a dependant child and not eligible for cover as a student dependant, you may continue to cover them under your family health insurance policy by choosing Extended Family Cover in your status box. Be aware that health funds impose higher premiums for Extended Family Cover.
Some Insurance companies that offer Health Insurance for children
HBF – Health Insurance
www.hbf.com.au/Health_Insurance
Health Insurance from $5.90 a week. Get a Quote Online & Switch To HBF!NIB Health Insurance
www.nib.com.au/HealthInsurance
Private Health Insurance That’s Worth It. Join NIB Today!
There may be out of pocket expenses
Private health insurance may not cover the total cost of hospital and medical bills. This means you may have to pay an amount out of your own pocket. The out of pocket expense is referred to as the gap. The amount you will have to pay depends on whether your health fund, doctor(s) and hospital have a gap agreement.
The Australian Government Rebate is available to everyone who is eligible for a Medicare Card. The rebate was designed to help Australians cover the cost of their premiums.
Claiming the rebate
There are three ways to claim the rebate.
1. From your fund
You can get the rebate deducted from your premium cost by some providers. This reduces your upfront cost.
2. From a Medicare office
You can receive the rebate as a cash payment from a Medicare office when you have paid the cost of your premium upfront.
3. From the Australian Taxation Office
You can claim back the rebate on your tax return if you have paid the cost of your premium upfront.
For more information visit Medicare Australia and the Department of Health and Ageing.
