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Let's make your thirties even better. Here’s how you can pay less for your hospital cover.
Recently turned 31?
Well, happy birthday.
Let's make your thirties even better. Here’s how you can pay less for your hospital cover.
According to the Government's Lifetime Health Cover initiative, if you don't have hospital cover by June 30, once you've turned 31…
Yep, like you...
You could pay an extra 2% for every year you don't have hospital cover, maxing out at up to 70%.
Imagine if you were 35.
If you waited until you hit 35 to take out hospital cover, you'd pay an extra 10% on top of the usual premium.
Uh, huh, 10%!
And, this additional amount keeps getting loaded onto the cost of your hospital cover, every year for 10 long years.
So, to avoid the loading, take out hospital cover by June 30, following your 31st birthday.
That's how the Government's Lifetime Health Cover initiative works.
And it could affect your plans to take out hospital cover.
Search Suncorp Health Insurance, and let's get doing.
Suncorp Health Insurance offers 5 types of Hospital Cover
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Your quoted price is final. No surprises.
What else do I need to know about Hospital Cover?
Does Suncorp Health Insurance cover pre-existing conditions?
If the condition for which you are going to hospital is determined to be pre-existing:
For new Suncorp Health Insurance customers:
You must wait 12 months from the date of joining Suncorp Health Insurance for benefits to be paid for treatment for that condition. Benefits will not be payable on procedures undertaken before 12 months of active membership.
For existing Suncorp Health Insurance customers who have transferred or upgraded hospital cover:
You must wait 12 months from the effective date of your policy change or upgrade for the higher benefits to be paid for that condition. If you have at least 12 months membership in total across both your old and new hospital cover, you are entitled to the benefits that are payable on your previous hospital cover. If your previous hospital cover excludes benefits for that condition, you must wait 12 months from the date of change or upgrade for benefits to be paid for that condition.
Switching from another private health fund
We’ll recognise waiting periods you’ve already served for equivalent services with your current fund, which is great – it means you can claim straight away and not be disadvantaged for these services.
However, you may be required to serve a waiting period for benefits on your new private health insurance policy that aren't covered by your existing fund, including any increase in annual limits. Any benefit limits already used with your current health fund will apply to your Suncorp Health Insurance Policy. For more information call Suncorp Health Insurance on 13 11 55 or read the Policy Booklet.
Aged-based discounts
Aged-based discounts are available to eligible customers on select Suncorp Health Insurance Hospital covers. Age-based discounts are calculated as 2% for each year that a person is under 30, up to a maximum of 10% for a person aged 18 to 25. Providing you remain on an eligible hospital cover, you will keep this discount until you turn 41, when it will start reducing at a rate of 2% per year.
How much excess should you pay?
You can choose $500 or $750 as your hospital excess for the Basic Plus, Bronze, Silver Everyday Plus and Gold hospital cover or between $250, $500 and $750 for Silver Advantages hospital cover.
This is the amount you agree to pay toward your hospital admission, before a benefit is paid.
Choosing a higher excess will reduce the cost of your premiums. Each adult on the policy will only pay one excess per calendar year if they go to hospital, no matter how many admissions they may need. There is no hospital excess for dependent children under 21 years of age.
What about out of pocket expenses?
Out of pocket expenses refer to the difference between what the insurer pays for, and the total cost of your treatment. No matter what cover you have, it’s possible you’ll have to pay something towards your treatment.
Other important information
The Medicare levy surcharge (MLS) is levied on Australian taxpayers who do not have an appropriate level of private hospital cover and earn above a certain income.
The base income threshold (under which you are not liable to pay the MLS) figures can be found on the ATO Website.
If your taxable income is above the MLS thresholds, and you don't have an appropriate level of private hospital cover, you may have to pay the MLS. It is an extra 1 - 1.5% of tax.
Find out more about the Medicare Levy Surcharge on the ATO website, including how to calculate your income for MLS purposes.
Or, see the Policy Booklet for more information.
To make private health insurance more affordable the Federal Government provides many Australians with a rebate.
Each year the Government provides health funds with a rebate adjustment factor which will be applied to each customer's premium (after any applicable discounts) and determined by their income tier and age. The adjusted rebate will automatically apply to any premium payments made on or after 1 April each year including customers who may be in arrears. Please note that if you have a Lifetime Health Cover Loading (LHC), the Rebate is not claimable on the LHC Loading component of your premium.
Please see the Policy Booklet for more information.
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If you’re under 30, you could be eligible for some pretty decent discounts when it comes to your health cover.
The private health insurance world can be full of acronyms and complicated jargon. So to help you understand the meaning of some common terms and phrases, we've put together the A-Z of health insurance terms.
