Private health cover

If you have private health insurance, you may be able to claim for various medical expenses and treatment costs not covered by Medicare.

There are 3 main types of private health insurance cover that you can make a claim against if you suffer a serious injury:

• ambulance - covering the cost of transport in an ambulance to the hospital
• hospital - help with some costs of staying in hospital
• extras - generally for treatment outside of a hospital, like physiotherapy and other rehabilitation services.

In the case of a serious injury, many policies also include personal or accidental injury cover. Conditions and eligibility criteria vary, but they usually provide benefits if treatment was sought:

• with a medical practitioner or at an emergency ward or hospital, and 
• within a certain time period (for example, 72 hours).

To learn more, check with your private health provider or read the product disclosure statement for your policy.

Learn more about private health cover at the Department of Health and Aged Care.