Does your family have health insurance? In April, private health insurance premiums are set to rise by an average 2.92% so I’m taking this time to review our policy and check we’re still getting the best deal.
Apparently, in the past ten years, health insurance policies have risen by an average of 61%!
We had some big changes to our policy last year with the Government Health Reforms and I reassessed everything then. However, this is something I’m getting into the habit of doing more regularly.
For years, I stuck with the same health insurance policy with the same provider. The premiums kept going up and when I finally took the time to do a review of our health insurance policy, realised we were paying for things we would never utilise.
E.g., that pregnancy cover was not needed – I’m done having babies!
I know that some families are questioning if they even need health insurance at all.
If you’ve been putting off reviewing your own policy, I’ve teamed up with iSelect to share a few key points to check out to make sure you’re still covered for what you need and getting value for money on your policy.
These are the steps I take when it’s time to review my health insurance:
How I review our health insurance
1. What’s covered?
I call or log into our current health care provider and download a list of everything that our current policy includes. I’ll asses what we’re currently paying for and if we need to be covered for all these items? I then highlight in yellow the cover we would like to retain and in red the cover we no longer need.
When I contact my health insurer, I’m then able to ask them if our policy can be changed to one that is more in line with what we want and need.
2. How much are our premiums?
I’ll then check how much we are currently paying for our policy.
I’ll also be checking with our current insurer how much this is likely to increase to from April 1st. Some funds will send you a letter or an email to notify you of how much your premiums will be increasing by however, a lot of funds will only notify you through your online user portal. So it’s important to make sure you logon to your health fund’s user portal to check your notification if you haven’t heard from your fund via email or letter yet.
It’s also important to remember that the 2.92% average increase to premiums is an average only with some policies increasing by more than this and other by less.
3. What are we actually using?
Next, I’ll see how we’re actually using our current policy? E.g. are we paying for chiro but never using it? Could we do with an additional rebate on remedial massage etc?
4. Contact our current insurer to get a better deal
Now that we’re armed with what our current policy includes, what it costs and what we actually need, it’s time to contact our current health insurance provider.
I’ll ask if they can recommend any changes to our policy that are more in line with our new needs and budget.
Perhaps paying a higher excess can significantly reduce our fortnightly or monthly premiums?
Can we save money by paying our premiums via direct debit?
If we pay the annual premium upfront, will we pay less?
What appropriate adjustments can be made to save us money?
5. See what other deals are available
The next step is to do a little online research to compare health insurance policies from other providers.
Now that we have the best, and most appropriate, deal from our current provider, can any others beat it?
Changing health insurance feels daunting, I know. The trained private health insurance consultants at iSelect can help cut through the confusion and explain your options. They can compare your current policy against loads of others from their range of providers to help you find another policy better suited to your needs and budget.
6. Stick, switch or ditch
Now we’re armed with the best deal from our current provider, and the best deals from other health insurance companies.
It’s time to decide whether to stick with our new policy, switch to another or cancel our insurance altogether. What is best for our family’s needs and budget?
Now, I set a reminder in my calendar to reassess our insurance again in six- or 12-months’ time.
Our Health Insurance Review
Having private health insurance gives me peace of mind that if the worst happens, we’re covered. Hopefully, after my cancer diagnosis, the worst will never happen again. Even though having cover is what is currently best for my family, I still like to do these regular reviews to see if switching health insurance will save us money but keep us covered.
Will you be switching or ditching your health insurance policy this year?
Disclaimer:
*iSelect does not compare all health insurance providers or policies in the market. The availability of policies will change from time to time. Not all policies available from its providers are compared by iSelect and due to commercial arrangements, your stated needs and circumstances, not all policies compared by iSelect are available to all customers. Some policies and special offers are available only from iSelect’s contact centre or website. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers.
Read next:
- Life Insurance and Income Protection 101 for Families
- What does Health Insurance have to do with EOFY?
- How the Health Insurance Reforms Affect Your Family
- 15 Hacks To Save On Online Shopping
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How often do you do a health insurance review?
