Health Insurance Melbourne – Insurance in Australia

Why do over 30% of Australians have health insurance? Because, just like any other insurance policy, it gives a measure of peace of mind about your future should bad things happen.

Although we all wish to be healthy and many take steps in their lives to ensure they are as healthy as possible, we just don’t know what will happen to us or what health issues we may have.

And you don’t know how they could impact you, your family and your ability to earn an income. Having medical insurance helps to alleviate the financial stress associated with medical problems. The public health system doesn’t cover all treatments or costs and you will most likely not have any control of when you receive treatment or the quality of healthcare you receive.

The Benefits of Health Insurance Melbourne

Having a health insurance policy enables you to choose the doctor or specialist and it means that you can decide when and where you would like to be treated. You have the assurance that you can recover most if not all of the costs you incur.

Here in Australia we are fortunate to have a good public health system but there are limitations. The public hospital will take care of you and treat you straight away if you need emergency treatment. But if your treatment is not required urgently or is elective, then you will need to be assessed and then qualify for elective services. This process can take months or even years.

If your treatment doesn’t qualify for surgery in a public hospital you will need to pay for it in a private hospital… and this usually is very expensive. If you have health insurance, it may be covered by your policy.
Below are some indicative costs for different treatments here in Australia.

Procedure *Indicative cost range (AU$)
Cardiac bypass (heart surgery) $30,000 – $40,000
Valve replacement (heart surgery) $33,000 – $50,000
Angioplasty – without stents (heart surgery) $13,000 – $15,000
Total hysterectomy (surgery) $5000 – $8000
Prostate brachytherapy (cancer surgery) $20,000 – $30,000
Radical mastectomy (breast cancer surgery) $4000 – $9000
Wisdom teeth removal $1400 – $8600
*As at February 2008 (incl.GST).

These procedure costs vary depending on where you get the procedure done, the medical staff and any medical complications and the type of procedure and medical technology used.

The Role of Health Insurance Melbourne

While the public health system focuses on emergency services, private health insurers are able to cover the cost of many semi and non-urgent procedures and elective procedures.

The health insurance Melbourne industry complements the Australian public health system, by ‘bridging the gap’ between what the public health system can provide and what Australians want for our healthcare. The health insurance industry makes an enormous contribution towards the health and well-being of Australians. In 2006 health insurers spent around $700 million on healthcare, the majority for the 15-64 age group.

This Health Insurance Melbourne site is about providing you with the resources to find the right health insurance provider for you and your family.

457 Health Insurance Melbourne VIC

457 visa holders, and other temporary visa holders have been required since September 2009, to provide proof that they have arranged appropriate health insurance in Australia prior to their visas being issued. Proof needs to be in the form of a letter from an Australian insurance company confirming that health insurance is in place.

For full details and the latest information, please see the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website.

There are many insurance companies here in Victoria, Australia that can provide you with insurance cover that complies with the requirements of the 457 visa. Some of them advistise right here on this site so you can click on their links for all the help you need.

If you’re in Australia and looking for information on private health insurance in Melbourne, the below article from the Dept of Health & Aging may be of some help to you.

What is Private Health Insurance?

There are two types of private health insurance – hospital policies cover you when you go to hospital, while general treatment policies (sometimes known as ancillary or extras) cover you for ancillary treatment (e.g dental, physiotherapy). Most health funds offer combined policies that provide a packaged cover for both hospital and general treatment services, or you can buy separate hospital and general treatment policies to ‘mix and match’.

Lifetime Health Cover

Lifetime Health Cover is a financial loading that can be payable in addition to the premium for your private health insurance hospital cover.

Lifetime Health Cover is a Government initiative that started on 1 July 2000. It was designed to encourage people to take out hospital insurance earlier in life, and to maintain their cover throughout their life.

Private Health Insurance Rebate

The Commonwealth Government provides a 30% rebate on private health insurance cover. There are higher rebates for older people: 35% for people aged 65-69 years and 40% for people aged 70 years and over.

Anyone can claim the private health insurance rebate if they are eligible for Medicare and have a complying health insurance policy that provides hospital treatment, general treatment (‘ancillary’ or ‘extras’) cover or both.

Minimum Hospital Benefits

Formerly known as Schedule 5 – Benefits payable in respect of surgically implanted prostheses, human tissue items and other medical devices.

Under the Private Health Insurance Act 2007, private health insurers are required to pay benefits for a range of prostheses that are provided as part of an episode of hospital treatment or hospital substitute treatment for which a patient has cover and for which a Medicare benefit is payable for the associated professional service.

Informed Financial Consent

Informed financial consent (IFC) is the provision of cost information to patients, including notification of likely out of pocket expenses (gaps), by all relevant service providers, preferably in writing, prior to admission to hospital or treatment

Medicare Levy Surcharge

The Medicare Levy Surcharge is an additional 1% surcharge of taxable income. The Medicare Levy Surcharge is in addition to the normal 1.5% Medicare Levy.

Private Health Insurance Premiums

Private health insurers are required to apply to the Minister for Health and Ageing for premium increases. The Government assesses private health insurance premium applications to keep increases to the minimum necessary to ensure insurer solvency, support forecast benefit outlays, and meet prudential standards, while also ensuring the affordability and value of private health insurance products.

Private Health Insurance Circulars

These circulars are distributed to all Australian registered health insurance funds, Australian licensed private hospitals and day hospital facilities, Australian state and territory health authorities, other Australian health organisations and health service providers. The circulars contain important information related to Australian Commonwealth Government legislation which governs the operation of private health insurance and the licensing of new private hospitals and day hospital facilities in Australia.

The information above is from the Australian Government Department of Health & Aging website: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/private-1 Please check their site for the most current information.

Perhaps you have looked carefully at your medical doctor bills and felt glad you had health insurance coverage to assist with this expense? The question is: do you really have the best medical insurance coverage for you? Chances are that you will discover health care coverage plans available in Melbourne that provide greater insurance coverage at a greater price than you are currently paying.

More and more people fear visiting the dental professional as it may be miserable and uncomfortable to have somebody poking and prodding within your mouth. If you are confused about what Melbourne health insurance is best for your family, check out the listings on this website for a health insurance professional right here in Melbourne. Dental visits are an essential method to ensure you have good oral health. It could possibly cost a good deal of cash to visit a dentist, which is why you’ll want to benefit from dental insurance plans plan. You will discover numerous good Melbourne Dental Health insurance plans.

When looking for health plans, it is critical to research to be able to decide precisely what coverage you need. All health insurance companies give you a range of health insurance plans that have different co-pays, insurance deductibles, as well as protection. Make sure you have good dental insurance in Melbourne so that you can visit the dentist on a regular basis without being charged a fortune. An authorised health plans agent can help with concerns and also make recommendations concerning the best health plans options.

No household should do without health insurance. If you have a young child, getting medical insurance in Melbourne is the best way to be prepared in case they have a medical emergency. Even a single visit to the medical doctor for a minor injury may lead to a bill that may take months to repay, and much more severe health issues can quickly turn out to be six-figure bills. A number of people think that they can’t afford health care coverage, but you they cannot afford to get without it.