child insurance australia | ExpatWoman.com
 

child insurance australia

48
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 17:48

does anyone have child insurance for their children?
I just gave birth 3 months ago and im moving to Australia. My dad says i need to have an insurance for my child,and must admit i havent thought about it.
Any recomendations?

22
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 April 2011 - 11:40
Hi Summertime, Private insurance is not compulsory in Australia. But if your family earn over a certain amount, the govt tax you more if you don't have private cover. To avoid the extra tax, you need private Hospital cover. Most people are well covered by the public system under Medicare (eg. I just had a baby in public, and it didn't cost me one cent!) However private hospital care can cost a lot, despite private insurance, as there is a gap amount. Private cover is more useful if you get the additional Extras cover, which covers things like dental, chiro, physio, optometry etc. However if your child does not use these services, it is a waste of money. My husband and I are fully covered by private insurance, but not our baby. To add the baby we'd have to get a higher cover, and pay almost double to include them. ($120 vs. $240/mth) Its also important to note, private insurance does not cover specialists outside of hospital, or GP's. So unless your child is using the extras, or playing high risk sports, I wouldn't bother unless they had ongoing medical problems. There are many free services under Medicare for children. Also I agree with Meg, don't use i-Select, as they only offer the most expensive funds, as they pay to advertise on that site. There is a govt website where you can compare all funds. If you are still looking I could find it for you. Last I heard Medibank Private had the most members in Australia.
14
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 January 2011 - 08:27
Hi Before moving overseas I worked for one of the big Heath Insurance companies in Australia, just be aware of the fine print with exclusions on some of the family packages, also be careful of websites like iselect.com.au as they are paid to put companies on their website so they are not as impartial as they seem. If you would like any assistance with selecting a policy, I am happy to assist I am no longer in the industry and have no loyalties as such to any company just trying to help :) Meg
304
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 28 January 2011 - 07:57
Just one other point to consider, you can get lots of different types of cover - some that just cover "extras" like dental, optical, physio (most of the allied health services) or some that just cover hospitalisation. Its a good idea to think about what your family will need to see which type will suit you best. Iselect, like someone else suggested is a good start to see what is available. To avoid the higher tax, you will need some sort of hospital cover. For general trips to the GP, you won't be covered by any insurance but can get a rebate from Medicare which usually covers less than half (depending on your doctor). The public health system is pretty good but it does not cover any of the extras listed above which can be very expensive, especially with a family. Private health insurance, for hospital trips basically means you get to choose your doctor, who will see you individually, and you *may* get a private room in a hospital. Having been in and out of hospital a lot myself and with children I would say that the difference for children is minimal but the difference for adults can be significant in terms of quality of care. Sorry this is so long but it is quite complex!!
155
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 19:47
There are gap payments with private health insurance... so no... it is not 100% cover. However.. if you are entitled to medicare you will be covered in a hospital in case of an emergency, but with elective treatments, whilst you may be covered, you may be put on treatment waiting lists. Saying that, my brother has full cover private health insurance and has recently had a kidney transplant which was covered 100% by medicare - done in a public hospital as that is where the renal unit is. 1st class treatment all the way for him as a public and not private patient. You should also be aware of waiting times - you are not covered under private cover for some things from day 1, ie. you may have a waiting period before your cover kicks in. ie. physio, dental, optical etc.. ALSO... I know this is sounding complex.. but basically it is! ... if you live and work in OZ and are subject to Australian taxes... if you do NOT have private health cover there is a tax surcharge if you earn over a certain amount. I would recommend a "Family" cover with one of the private health insurers. They have varying cover levels and varying costs. Let's just say that I saw the value of this when I became ill 10 years ago and spent 2 weeks in a private hospital, in a private room, overlooking the river in a leafy suburb. 2 operations later I had a bill (gap) of less than $500 - and this was mostly down to the Surgeon and Anaesthetist's bills.
48
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 19:28
as my husban is an assie i have just received my visa as well. so in case of accidents, or sudden illness like cancer or something a private health insurance would cover all costs?
155
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 19:25
If you are not a permanent resident ie student visa etc, you are required to have private health insurance as you are not covered by medicare - ie. public health system... is this why you are asking? Ralph... (prefer this to Alan...)
49
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 18:50
missau80 is right. The cost varies widely depending on what kind of cover, who is covered, and what 'extras' you want in addition to basic health/hospital care. But can I just add if you find it too expensive, Australia has a public health system and if you are ever in need of health care there are options available to you. In saying that though, I would highly recommend private health insurance if you can afford it. I don't know of any companies that include it as part of a package. Check out http://www.iselect.com.au/ to get an idea of what is available. Best of luck with your move, Australia is an amazing country and I miss it every day.
14
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 18:21
I'm assuming you mean private health insurance? If so, it is completely optional and there are numerous different companies you can get cover through. If you decide to take it out you will find you need to take out a family policy which includes the adult/s in the family too. I don't think you can get health insurance just for a child, without also getting cover for yourself. From memory, our family's health insurance was around $250 Australian dollars a month, though this was over 2 years ago. I hope this helps.
48
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 18:12
maybe its called life insurance? should something happen,an illness or something,knock on wood, then insurance company gives a certain amount to help foot the bill..
49
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 January 2011 - 17:59
Do you mean private health insurance?
 
 

ON EXPATWOMAN TODAY