Cbhs Private Health Insurance Review

Overview

CBHS Health was established in 1951 by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia group for their employees. Eligibility was extended in 2007 to cover all CBA Group staff, current and former, along with their immediate families.

A not-for-profit fund, CBHS Health exists only to support its members, aiming to provide all 115,000 members with quality, affordable health cover and value every day .

CBHS isn't on our panel but we're confident we can get you a great deal on your health insurance.

Hospital cover

Nobody chooses to go to hospital. But when you do, appropriate hospital cover will help you get the treatment you need, where and when you want it.

It also helps to pay the bills, as fees for hospital rooms and specialists can add up.

Think about what services you’re likely to need, in line with your budget. If you earn over $90,000 individually or $180,000 as a couple, taking out appropriate hospital cover may help you avoid paying the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

CBHS Health offers 4 types of hospital cover, ranging from Basic Plus Hospital to cover the essentials to their Gold top tier Comprehensive Hospital policy.

Basic Plus Hospital

CBHS Health’s budget option allows you to choose your own doctor as a private patient in a shared room at a public hospital. You can also choose an excess of $0, $500 or $750 to lower your premiums.

Key inclusions:

• Emergency ambulance services

• Restricted benefits for most hospital treatments

• Access Gap Cover

Limited Hospital (Bronze Plus)

This mid-level option is aimed at Australians who are healthy but still want to be covered for a wide range of common procedures while still being budget-friendly. It also covers diabetic-related treatment usually found in silver or gold policies.

Key inclusions:

• Joint reconstructions

• Coverage for dental surgery, insulin pumps and dialysis.

• Hernia and appendix

Active Hospital (Silver Plus)

Provides additional peace of mind with coverage for heart related services, along with lung and chest. There’s no pregnancy items, but it does include cover for common treatments for older Australians. Comes with a daily co-payment of $100 for every day you spend in hospital.

Key inclusions:

• Heart and vascular system

• Cataracts

• Pain management

Comprehensive Hospital (Gold)

CBHS’ top tier cover offers the full complement of services for any life stage from family planning through to palliative care. You can choose a co-payment or $750 excess to lower your premiums.

Key inclusions:

• Family planning services such as pregnancy and birth, as assisted reproductive services

• Joint replacements

• Weight loss surgery

Ambulance Cover 

All CBHS Health members are covered for emergency transport with any level of hospital cover.

For non-emergency services, please see your state’s ambulance scheme for further information.

Extras Cover 

CBHS extras reset 1 January every year.

From dental, to optical, to chiro and more, extras cover helps with the cost bills for routine treatments, and can include rebates of up to 100%.

We’ve summarised the key points of each plan below. It’s always worth digging a little deeper into any gap fees, how much you can claim back, and whether your preferred healthcare provider, such as your local dentist, is recognised by the health fund.

Take the time to work out what you need and what you’re prepared to pay. If this feels a bit overwhelming, you can speak to one of our experts.

CBHS Health offers three different extras cover packages, which we’ve summarised below. All packages can be purchased with or without hospital cover and allow you to claim back money on an approved gym membership.

Essential Extras

CBHS Health’s entry level option helps members keep to a budget and still maintain a healthy lifestyle, paying 70% off the cost up to the annual limit on most items and annual limits between $100 and $210 on eligible treatments.

Key inclusions:

• $170 annual limit on General Dental treatments like fillings and tooth extractions

• $200 annual limit on Optical

• Combined $200 annual limit on physio, chiro and osteo.

• Wellness benefits including mammogram and bowel cancer screening

Intermediate Extras

The next level of cover offers more services with higher limits and rebates and is designed to appeal to a wide range of Australians. Major dental and orthodontics are covered, as are a range of massage therapies. 

Key inclusions:

• $500 annual limit on General Dental

• 70% rebate and $1,400 lifetime limit on orthodontics

• $250 annual limits on podiatry

• $250 annual limits on optical (frames and lenses)

Top Extras

CBHS Health’s Top Extras Cover provides their highest level of cover with 70% back on most services and generous annual limits across a range of services, and includes a number of pregnancy-related services such as ante-natal. 

Key inclusions:

• Unlimited General and Preventative Dental 

• $450 annual limit on clinical psychology

• $1,600 annual limit on hearing aids

• $2,800 lifetime limit on orthodontics

Waiting Periods

Waiting periods are there to stop people from signing up, claiming and then cancelling their cover. It means once you take out a new plan, you may have to wait a certain amount of time before receiving your benefit.

When you switch to CBHS Health from another provider, you won’t have to re-serve your waiting periods, unless your new policy covers something you didn’t have before.

Hospital Waiting Periods

• 12 months - Pre-existing conditions (except for hospital psychiatric services, rehabilitation and palliative care)

• 12 months - Pregnancy and Birth

• 2 months - Hospital psychiatric services, rehabilitation and palliative care

• 1 day - Accidents and emergency ambulance transport

• 2 months - All other treatments

Extras Waiting Periods

• 12 months - Crowns, bridges and orthodontia

• 12 months - Artificial aids, healthcare appliances, oxygen and oxygen apparatus

• 6 months - Prescribed optical appliances

• 6 months - Periodontics, endodontics, inlays, onlays, facings, veneers, occlusal therapy, implants and dentures

• 2 months - All other services

Member Benefits

CBHS members have access to the fund’s optical and dental network discounts at the likes of OPSM and Specsavers. 

Members who take out extras cover also have access to telehealth services, weight management programmes and preventative cancer screening services. They can also get 12% off an approved microbiome test kit and consultation to assess their gut health.

How to claim

Hospital

Simply tell the hospital you are a member of a CBHS Health policy. Your hospital account will be sent directly to CBHS Health for them to assess on your behalf. 

If you’re billed directly via your healthcare provider, you can also claim via your MyGov account or by going into a Medicare office.

Extras

You can swipe your membership card to claim directly on the spot with your provider’s HICAPS terminal.

You can also claim via the CBHS Health claiming app, make an eclaim via the CBHS Health Member Centre or fill out the claim form and send it via email or mail.

Hospital agreements

CBHS Health has agreements with a large number of hospital and day surgery providers across Australia.

When comparing policies, it’s worth checking if your preferred local hospitals and clinics are covered. Our specialists at Health Insurance Comparison can do this for you.

Customer Service

CBHS accounted for 2.2% of all complaints to the Private Health Ombudsman relative to a market share of 1.5%^, suggesting their customer service may be below average.

FAQ

1. Is CBHS Health a not-for-profit fund?

Yes - all profits are diverted back into the fund, for increased benefits to members.

2. Who can apply? Are there restrictions? 

CBHS Health is only open to current and former employees of the CBA Group, including contractors, along with their immediate families.

3. Is it easy to switch to CBHS Health?

CBHS Health isn’t on our panel of insurers so you’ll need to contact them directly to switch. 

If you’re still interested in exploring your options, it’s free to compare a whole range of funds with Compare Club and we’re confident we can find you a competitive price.=

4. Do I need to re-serve waiting periods?

You can switch to an equivalent or lower level of cover without re-serving waiting periods. You may be required to serve new waiting periods if you have upgraded to a higher level of cover.

5. Can I change my level of cover?

Yes, you can modify your cover with CBHS Health directly. 

If you’re thinking of switching to a new provider, Health Insurance Comparison can compare quotes for you and take care of the entire process, free of charge.

6. Do I get the government rebate?

For every dollar of private health insurance premiums, the Australian Government provides eligible Australians with a rebate of up to 33.4% (depending on your age and income). To learn what you’re entitled to, use our rebate calculator.

7. Do I have to pay the Lifetime Health Cover loading?

If you’re 31 or over, you usually need to pay 2% loading for each year you’ve gone without hospital cover since the 1st July following your 31st birthday. You can find out more here.

8. What age are children covered up to?

Dependent children can be on your plan up to the ages of 18, or up to 25 if they are studying full-time. Non-student dependents can only remain on your plan until 25 at an increased premium.

This guide is opinion only and should not be taken as medical or financial advice. Check with a financial professional before making any decisions. ^https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/publications/reports/state-of-the-health-funds/all-reports/docs/2020-state-of-the-health-funds-report#tab-7d