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Topics in this Section
Introduction
Contents
General Information
Surcharges and Incentives
About Private Health Insurance
Types of Cover
Questions You Should Ask
Common Terms
Insurer Contact Details
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Questions to ask a Private Health Insurance Fund
You should know as much as possible about the private health insurer
you have already joined or are thinking of joining. The following questions
address some of the topics that may be of interest to you.
Which hospitals have agreements with this insurer?
Which doctors participate in this insurer's gap cover arrangements?
When will my insurance cover begin?
When will I be able to claim benefits?
How long do I have to wait to be covered?
What will this give me that Medicare doesn't?
Can I choose my own doctor?
What level of hospital benefits are paid under this cover?
What level of medical benefits are paid under this cover?
Do you provide extended hospital cover for treatments such as dialysis
and chemotherapy undertaken at home?
How do I qualify for benefits?
Under what circumstances will I not be eligible to receive benefits?
What out-of-pocket expenses will I have to pay?
Does the insurer offer protection against increases in rates?
What happens if there are increases in rates that I cannot afford?
If I have paid my premiums in advance and there are increases in rates,
will I have to pay these increases?
Will I have to satisfy any waiting periods?
Do special limits apply to my general cover?
Can I take out, say, dental cover only for my children and not for my
spouse and myself?
Will my hospital cover provide benefits for all procedures or types
of treatment?
Which hospital treatments will not be covered by this policy?
Is ambulance cover included with my hospital cover?
Which operations are considered elective?
What other options should I consider?
When did this insurer last increase its rates?
What benefits are paid for prostheses under this cover?
If I have to pay a gap on the prostheses I choose in consultation with
my doctor, how do I find out how much the ‘gap’ will be?
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