Here’s how to choose extras health insurance the right way, first time

Extras health cover can be a great way of ensuring you’re taking care of your mind and body, plus saving money on what’s important for your lifestyle. But how does it actually work?

Everything you need to know about extras health insurance before you choose a new policy

Wouldn’t it just be great if we could coast through life without having to worry about any medical issues? Unfortunately, wear and tear is an unavoidable aspect of living and in a strange way, probably an indicator of how much we’re getting out of life.

While most of us like to think and usually are generally in good health, we often need a little bit of help along the way. This could be for services like dental, optical, physio, massage, psychology etc.

Maybe you’ve found yourself using them more often lately or you just want that extra peace-of-mind. Either way, extras health cover could be right for you.

Before we help you with your cover, here’s a quick overview of extras

An extras policy will pay benefits towards treatment for things that Medicare doesn’t cover. This includes non-GP services like general dental, major dental, optical, physio, psychology and a lot more.

Extras is all about protecting your lifestyle and a way to be proactive about your health and so it’s typically the area where people with health insurance claim benefits more often. It’s the cover you’ll actually use, whereas hospital cover is there just in case.

There are two ways that health funds calculate benefits for extras treatment:

– as a percentage of the fee charged by the provider (ie. 65 per cent back from a dental consultation) – which works out best for occasional treatment rather than regular treatments

– as a fixed dollar per visit (ie. $30 per physio visit) – which can be more cost-effective for frequent treatment

Most importantly, always enquire about the total annual limits your cover will provide across different services. You don’t want to be left heavily out-of-pocket for something you thought you were covered for!

Now, let’s take a look at some of the common services and therapies for extras-only health cover

General and Major Dental

This is definitely the most popular reason people take out extras health insurance. You might even have found us by typing in “best cover for dental”. Perhaps you haven’t been to the dentist for a while or you know you need some work done, you might just want extras-only health insurance rather than combined cover.

As with any policy option, always double check what is covered under general dental and major dental as these can differ between insurers. Remember, waiting periods for major dental work is 12 months and for general dental it’s two months.

Physio/Chiro/Osteo

The last decade has seen a big shift in how Australians look after their bodies. With such a variety of competitive, recreational and fitness training activities, people often need the help of professionals to manage injuries or ongoing conditions.

Physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy all provide highly specialised treatments. When comparing your new extras cover, double check the annual limits on these treatments.

Gym and Fitness

People looking to stay fit and healthy are budgeting for things like gym memberships, personal training and class passes to yoga and pilates. With health and wellness becoming so important, take the time to see if the policy you want has any benefits in this area.

There are some great options out there with generous annual limits to keep you feeling in tip-top shape while also saving your hard-earned dollars.

Alternative Therapies

Alternative or complementary therapies are also a popular choice for many Australians looking to improve their health and wellbeing. Often seen as an alternative to more conventional treatments, things like naturopathy, massage, acupuncture, aromatherapy or Chinese medicine can be found under many extras-only cover options.

Typically, these therapies will take a more holistic approach to your health, focusing less on symptoms and more on the causes of your issues.

There are many generous policy options with a focus on these alternative therapies, so when you begin your quote ensure you’ll receive the appropriate benefits for the treatments you need.

Whether you’re looking for singles, couples, family or seniors extras cover, a great place to start is with Members Own comparison service.

Remember, all our funds are run as a not-for-profit or mutual. This means we exist solely to deliver the best possible service and benefits to our members.

Our online compare health insurance tool is completely free to use plus we also have friendly staff who are all health insurance experts, so give us a call on 13 10 66.

Compare online and find great health insurance

Members Own comparison service makes it easy to compare between 100s of health insurance options from most of the Members Own funds. You can browse for cover that suits your needs and budget, create a shortlist of policies you want to compare side-by-side, and save your search.

It’s quick and easy to join online and you get the same great price as buying direct.