Is It Worth Having Private Health Insurance?
Is it worth having private health insurance? Find out the pros and cons of purchasing a policy right here with Savvy.
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You may be wondering if having private health insurance in Australia is really worth it? Private health insurance offers advantages such as skipping public health waiting lists, access to private healthcare services, and coverage for prescription medications. However, it also has disadvantages such as potentially high premiums, limitations in coverage and gap fees.
Deciding if private health insurance is worth it for you requires careful consideration. You can explore the advantages and disadvantages of private health insurance in Australia with Savvy to help you decide this question for yourself. Our helpful guide can help you make an informed decision on whether private health insurance is worth it for you, taking into account your personal circumstances and healthcare needs.
Is it worth having private health insurance?
Having private health insurance in Australia offers many advantages. These can be summarised as:
- Access to private hospitals and specialists (depending on the availability of private health services in your area)
- Shorter waiting times to see specialists, and for elective surgeries
- More flexibility and control over your health care, including when and where you receive treatment
- Financial coverage for treatments that are not covered by Medicare
- Cheaper pharmaceuticals
- No ambulance bills
- Potential tax benefits
The main advantages of private health insurance
The main advantage is that private health insurance provides a level of financial protection against unexpected medical expenses. If you have extras private health insurance, you can reduce the risk of having to fork out for expensive auxiliary healthcare services such as physiotherapy if you suffer an accident or injury that isn’t covered by Medicare. This can provide peace of mind and protect your finances from unexpected medical bills. Ambulance cover is also often packaged with hospital cover, so you can avoid expensive bills for a trip to hospital in case of an accident.
Secondly, health insurance gives you access to private healthcare services so you can be treated as a private patient in a public or private hospital. Private hospitals and specialists often have shorter waiting times for elective surgeries compared to public hospitals, allowing you to receive medical treatment more quickly. Private health insurance may also allow you to choose your preferred healthcare provider, giving you more control over your healthcare decisions. However, this will depend on where you live and the private healthcare services which are available in your area.
Cheaper prescription medicines
Additionally, health insurance can provide coverage for prescription medications. Many health insurance policies in Australia include coverage for prescription drugs which can help offset their cost and improve your access to treatments, particularly if the medications you require are expensive or not subject to subsidy through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Avoid paying additional tax
If you don’t have private health insurance, you may also have to pay additional tax in the form of the Medicare Levy Surcharge. This applies to those who earn over $90,000 per year and don’t have the required minimum basic hospital cover. The tax ranges from 1% to 1.5% of your income depending on your earnings in that financial year.
In addition, if you decide you want health insurance later in life, it could end up costing you more if you haven’t bought your health insurance policy by July 1 in the year you turn 31. A Lifetime Health Cover loading may apply, which will add 2% to the cost of your health insurance for each year you remain uninsured past the age of 31. This will increase the cost of your premiums for ten years, potentially making health insurance more expensive for you in your 40s and 50s when you may require more health services.
What are some of the disadvantages of health insurance?
The disadvantage of private health insurance can be summarised as:
- Expensive premiums
- Limitations in coverage
- Excess and co-payments
- Potential for gap payments
- Waiting periods before you can claim for certain treatments
Health insurance premiums can be expensive
Despite its advantages, private health insurance also has some disadvantages. Firstly, health insurance premiums can be expensive, especially for comprehensive coverage offering both hospital cover and extras cover. Health insurance premiums can strain the budget of individuals and families, particularly those on lower incomes, making it a less attractive option for some.
Secondly, health insurance may not always provide the most comprehensive coverage, particularly if you opt for a cheaper policy. Some treatments and services may be excluded from coverage or subject to long waiting periods, depending on the tier of hospital cover and level of extras cover you choose.
May not be cost-effective for some
Health insurance may not be cost-effective for healthy individuals who rarely use healthcare services. If you’re in good health and don’t require frequent medical care, you may end up paying more in premiums than you receive in benefits, making health insurance less financially beneficial.
However, even if you’re a young person in good health, you may still end up with an injury which requires long-term physiotherapy, rehabilitation services or even surgery, such as if you need a knee reconstruction or Achilles tendon repair. Without health cover you could end up on the wrong end of a long public health waiting list, which could mean you have to wait months or even years to have the repair surgery you need.
Review your healthcare needs
It's important to carefully review the coverage, costs and limitations of health insurance policies to fully understand their advantages and disadvantages. That way you can determine if one particular policy aligns with your individual needs, priorities and budget.
How do I decide if health insurance is worth it for me?
Factors to think about when deciding if you can afford health insurance include:
- Think about how often you need medical care and what sort of services you currently use
- Factor in any pre-existing conditions you may have and whether they may require you to have surgery or expensive treatments in the future
- Compare the cost of premiums through Savvy, to help you gain a greater understanding of the true cost of different levels of cover
- Learn about potential out-of-pocket costs and gap payments
- Understand what is and isn’t covered by different policies
- Consider your budget and think about the consequences if you require medical treatment that is not covered by Medicare, or for which you’ll have to wait a long time to receive treatment
- Think about waiting periods which may apply before you can make a claim
- Consider what private health facilities are available in your local area
- Consider the financial and tax implications of not having private health insurance, particularly if you earn over $90,000 a year
Frequently asked questions about if it’s worth having private health insurance
Helpful health insurance guides
Compare health insurance policies online
Disclaimer:
Savvy is partnered with Compare Club Australia Pty Ltd (AFS representative number 001279036) of Alternative Media Pty Ltd (AFS License number 486326) to provide readers with a variety of health insurance policies to compare. Savvy earns a commission from Compare Club each time a customer buys a health insurance policy via our website. We don’t arrange for products to be purchased from these brands directly, as all purchases are conducted via Compare Club.
Savvy’s comparison service is provided by Compare Club. Compare Club compares selected products from a panel of trusted insurers and does not compare all products in the market.
Any advice presented above or on other pages is general in nature and doesn’t consider your personal or business objectives, needs or finances. It’s always important to consider whether advice is suitable for you before purchasing an insurance policy.
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