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Ancillary health insurance
What to look for
With ancillary insurance it’s important to look at how much you’ll get back for a particular treatment, and the overall limit you can claim in a year.
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Some funds restrict the overall amount by combining the maximum limits – for example, saying you can have $400 worth of physiotherapy and chiropractic in a year instead of $400 for each. This leads to very large differences in how much you’re covered for.
- It’s also worth noting the difference between family limits and single limits. Some products limit the number of times a family can claim for some services.
Why you need to check the fine print in your ancillary policy:
- Some funds list ancillary benefits as a percentage. Is it a percentage of the fee you actually get charged or of a ‘reasonable fee’ set by the fund?
- Do the providers of ancillary services need to be registered with the fund? Some funds require practitioners to be registered with the appropriate state board. Others require them to be specifically registered with the fund, which can limit the practitioners you can go to.
- If there is a specific register, make sure you contact the fund to find out if a practitioner is on it before you get treatment, otherwise you won’t get a benefit.
Many of the funds also have other features, ranging from their own dental or optical clinics that entitle you to a higher benefit, to ambulance cover included with ancillary cover, to cover for chinese herbalism or massage therapy. Wanting some particular extra features may help you decide which fund to choose. However, read the brochures carefully and check if the fund is more expensive than those without the extras.
Find out more
For more information check CHOICE Online's report Private hospital and Ancillary Health Insurance Guide. It's free if you're a member, otherwise it'll cost $9.00.
This article last reviewed June 2003
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