If you are living in Australia or moving to Australia under a permanent residence visa, buy health insurance to safeguard yourself against accidents or major diseases. Accidents leading to trauma and death should be one of your considerations for obtaining health coverage under the insurance plan.
According to the latest statistics released by the Australian Government Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport, and Research Economics, 107 road accident deaths were reported in March 2023, 2.3% higher than the average for March over the previous five years.
Besides, 1,204 deaths were also reported during the 12 months that ended in March 2023. It proves why you should get insured and subscribe to a health insurance plan without further delay. You should know that the insurance premium price varies according to the nature of the health insurance policy. Before buying any insurance plan, you must compare the pricing and benefits. You need to zero in on the insurer that provides you with more benefits and features.
It’s essential to compare the pricing of insurance policies and then finally select the one that provides the maximum benefits if you are living under permanent residence visa in Australia.
Here are a few essential tips to help you go ahead and buy a health insurance plan in Australia
Thoroughly Examine Conditions of Hospital Insurance Cover: You should examine if your private health insurance covers such clauses as non-emergency surgery (like knee or hip replacement) and whether you are allowed to avail facilities of a private nursing home or hospital.
Price of Insurance: The insurance cost varies between private insurance companies. Some companies charge more though their service is more or less the same as the other company charging comparatively less. This is important as you may end up paying more to a private insurance company. In contrast, you could have availed it from another company charging less money yet extending the same facilities.
Search for an Insurance Company Giving Extra Benefits: Some medical insurance companies provide extra benefits to a person buying medical insurance. For example, such benefits may include air ambulance or surface ambulance services reimbursement. Therefore, buying insurance for medical purposes that includes ambulance costs within a composite health insurance policy is always advisable.
Always Go for Ancillary and General Medical Cover Insurance: Some insurance companies extend the benefit of Extra Cover or Ancillary and General Medical Cover, which includes several things that may help you greatly. If you fall in the age bracket of 55-79, this type of insurance can greatly help. It can also be very helpful for families as children mostly get treatment with medical reimbursement as the couple is insured.
Verify if the Insurance Company is Giving You Combined Cover: This type of insurance policy can be extremely useful as you get the double benefit of insurance coverage. However, not all insurance companies offer this type of benefit. Hence, you must examine whether or not the insurance company you selected to buy a health policy allows you this benefit. This is basically hospital cover and extra insurance merged into one policy.
A health insurance plan is a necessity both for illness and accidents. Though you are entitled to Medicare (Australian universal health insurance scheme), you can always opt for a private insurance option for unforeseen situations or circumstances.
In Conclusion
You can avail of the health insurance benefits in Australia as an Australian citizen, a permanent visa holder, a New Zealand citizen, or an applicant for a permanent resident visa. If you don’t want to take any undue risk and aim to protect yourself against any medical emergency, subscribe to a health insurance scheme now.
This is evident from the fact that the number of persons opting for hospital treatment insurance increased by 2.2% in Australia in December 2022. The government’s Medicare covers a large number of health-related issues and free or low-cost hospital services. However, you may still have to go to a private hospital or nursing home in the case of an accident where the government-owned facility is too far. Besides, if there’s too much rush in a government hospital, you may still have to seek treatment at a private clinic.
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