Health.com.au Review 2024

Health.com.au was established as an online-only health fund in 2012 and were the first new private health insurer in Australia since 1976. They were acquired by GMHBA in 2015. On 1 July 2021, Health.com.au was merged with Frank Health Insurance, who are also owned by GMHBA. All members were transferred to Frank and the Health.com.au brand ceased to operate.

Below are details of Health.com.au’s policies at the time of merger for reference. You can’t buy new policies from Health.com.au. Frank Health Insurance is on our panel of insurers. You can compare Frank and other funds such as HCF and ahm side-by-side on Compare Club today.

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, you could avoid paying the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

Health.com.au offers four hospital policies, ranging from no-frills Entry Hospital cover to comprehensive Core Plus Silver cover.

All hospital policies include:

• Emergency ambulance transport

• No excess to pay when kids are admitted to hospital

Entry Hospital (Basic+)

This is health.com.au’s budget option.All covered same day and overnight admissions are limited to public hospital cover. This cover does allow you to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge.

Key inclusions:

• Avoids the Medicare Levy Surcharge

• All covered services are restricted and you may incur costs in a private room or a private hospital.

Base Hospital (Bronze +)

The Base Hospital plan covers a range of standard hospital services. It’s available with a co-payment, a $500 excess or $750 excess.

Key inclusions:

• Dental surgery

• Joint reconstructions

• Digestive system

Bronze Plus Essential Hospital

This plan provides Bronze cover with a few added items that aren’t in the Base Hospital plan. It’s available with a $500 or $750 excess.

Key inclusions:

• Lungs and chest

• Pain management

• Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy

• Kidney and bladder

Core Plus

Health.com.au’s Core Hospital cover is their most expensive hospital cover. It’s a Silver Plus policy and doesn’t cover pregnancy services or weight loss. If you want top tier Gold cover with these items included, you’ll need to compare other insurers.

Key inclusions:

• Joint replacements

•  Sleep studies

• Cataracts

• Palliative care

Ambulance cover 

Every health.com.au policy includes emergency ambulance cover, meaning you are covered when you could not have been transported to hospital any other way. You may also receive additional cover depending on which state or territory you live in. For example, in NSW and the ACT you are covered for all ambulance services, whilst in VIC, SA, WA and the NT, you are only automatically covered for emergency ambulance transport.

Read our ambulance cover guide for a state-by-state breakdown of how ambulance services work across Australia.

Extras cover 

Extra Reset on 1st of January From dental, to optical, to chiro and more, extras insurance helps cover the bills for routine treatments that aren’t covered by Medicare. While 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.gap fees

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. With the health.com.au extras plan, you have the freedom to choose your own provider and still receive the same benefit. Health.com.au currently has one open extras plan, which we’ve detailed below, and the Pulse 50, Pulse 60 and Active 60 extras plans. At the time of writing, these are all closed to new customers. 

Extras 50

Health.com.au’s Extras 50 cover will cover you for a wide range of treatments, including dental, orthodontics, optical, non-PBS pharmacy, dietetics and psychology. Podiatry, hearing aids  and blood glucose monitors are not included. Customers get up to 50% back on all treatments. They also offer 100% back on single vision and multi focal lenses and frames, up to a $200 limit per policy.

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 health.com.au from another provider, you won’t have to re-serve your waiting periods, unless you have upgraded to a higher level of cover.

Hospital Waiting Periods

• 1 day for treatment in hospital as a result of an accident

• 2 months for treatment in hospital as the result of a new condition

• 12 months for treatment in hospital as a result of a pre-existing condition and for pregnancy related services

Extras Waiting Periods

• 1 day for Ambulance Cover

• 2 months for General Extras

• 12 months for Major Dental and Orthodontics

• 12 months for Health Appliances

Customer service

According to privatehealth.gov.au, parent company GMHBA had 1.8% of complaints from a 0.6% market share, suggesting that health.com.au’s customer service may be below average. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Health.com.au a not-for-profit fund?

No, health.com.au and Frank are both for-profit funds. However, their parent company GMHBA is not-for-profit.

Who can apply? Are there restrictions? 

Health.com.au is not taking on new members.

Is it easy to switch to Health.com.au?

Health.com.au is not on our panel of insurers and you can no longer by new policies from them. However, they have merged with Frank who is on our panel. 

It’s free to compare a range of funds with us and we’re confident we can get you a great deal.

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 will only be required to serve waiting periods if you have upgraded to a higher level of cover.

Can I change my level of cover with health.com.au?

You’ll need to speak to Frank, who have inherited Health.com.au’s customers. If you’re looking to change your cover, why not use Compare Club’s two minute comparison check?

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). 

Do I have to pay the Lifetime Health Cover loading?

Perhaps - but you can avoid the LHC if you take out eligible private health insurance hospital cover before your 31st birthday.

What age are children covered up to?

Dependent children were covered until 21 years of age - or between the ages of 21 and 25 if the dependent is studying full time.