Essential Questions to Consider When Choosing a Private Health Insurer

There are some essential questions you should ask yourself when you are considering taking out insurance cover for dental treatments.

Not all Health Funds are the same and there are issues you need to consider to determine if cover is worth the price of your premium.

The Australian Dental Association has devised some questions you should ask yourself before deciding if you should or need to take out private health insurance cover. These questions, when examined by you, have been devised to help you answer the question as to whether insurance for dental services is worth it.

Coverage/Eligibility

A) Are you covered for the procedures/treatments you want/need?         
    More information.

B) How long will you have to wait before being eligible for rebates on
    dental services?
    More information.

Choice

C) Can you choose your own dentist?    
    More information.

Rebate Levels

D) Does the health fund have the same rebate for dental services
    regardless of which dentists you choose?    
    More information.

E) What is the average percentage of rebates for dental services? 
    More information.

F) Are there any treatments with a nil rebate? Which ones? 
    More information.

Complaints

G) Are there a large number of complaints against your health fund in the
    annual Private Health Insurer Ombudsman report?
    More information.

H) How do I make a complaint about my health fund?
    More information

Premium Increases

I) By what percentage did your health fund increase its premiums last
    year?
    More information.

J)  Is the gap between premiums and rebates increasing for your health
    fund? 
    More information.

For more information on private health insurers please see:

Report to the Australian Senate on anti-competitive and other practices by health funds and providers in relation to private health insurance, 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012

ACCC Private Health Insurance Consolidated.pdf (PDF 931 KB)

Is general treatment worth it for dentistry?

Submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Report to the Australian Senate on anti-competitive and other practices by health funds and providers in relation to private health insurance  

Private Health Insurance Council Administration Council

Private Health Insurance Ombudsman

2009 State of the Health Funds

Private Health.gov.au

ADA Inc. Health Fund and Incident Complaint Form