By Charlotte Goodwin, The Money Maven
The price of private health care is constantly rising and for many of us, what we are entitled to is either a mystery or we just don’t know quite enough about each and every service we have covered. To help uncover some of the mystery and get you on the path to health fund benefit enlightenment, The Money Maven shares the top 5 ways to maximize your awareness of how much you are paying, where you can save and what rewards you can collect from your health fund, today!
You could be paying for cover that you just don’t need and missing out on types of cover that you do need. Checking out online quotes for different health insurance funds and the different levels of cover can save you hundreds of dollars each year. Each Australian health fund has comprehensive online information about levels of cover and what you can choose to be covered for. Logging on to make sure you are getting the right deal for you and your lifestyle is the first step in maximizing your benefits from your health fund. And if you don’t have time to search for your own best deal, services such as iSelect can help you choose the best cover for you, from 13 reputable Aussie health insurance funds with a range of cover levels and benefits.
Smartphone apps can make many of your everyday tasks easier and now you can make health fund claims online and access other great health insurance benefits on-the-go using your smartphone or mobile device! Install your health fund app on your smartphone through these links: NIB, Bupa, HCF, Australian Unity & Medibank.
Calling all fitness fanatics! Look into whether your benefit supports rebates for those who take the leap to get fit and healthy. If your benefit covers trips to the gym and dietician and weight loss programs, you could see yourself on the way to saving a hefty out-of-pocket expense. In terms of special benefit offers, some health funds offer exclusive entertainment rewards programs. For example, Bupa health insurance offers $10.50 movie tickets. That’s a great saving of over $6 per adult ticket!
Some optometrists provide no-gap eyewear for customers with optical health cover… This means that if you have extras with optical cover, you should enquire into whether your optometrist offers no-gap on glasses (sunglasses and prescription) so you can stop paying out-of-pocket for your annual eyewear purchases! Specsavers offers no-gap on two pairs of designer glasses, including Alex Perry’s fabulous new 2012 designer eyewear collection! This offer varies depending on your health fund and level of cover and be sure to contact your health fund or Specsavers to see if your policy is eligible for no-gap eyewear.
If you experience an injury or chronic pain that your doctor suggests could benefit from remedial massage or other alternative therapies and if your level of health insurance covers extras like massage and acupuncture, be sure to ask your doctor for written documentation of your injury so that you can speak to your remedial therapist about whether their clinic supports health fund claims. If so, you could be paying out-of-pocket for services you are already covered for. If not, you can get an online quote for how much adding remedial medicine and other extras cover to your health insurance plan.