Transport Health Review 2024

The origins of Transport Health date all the way back to 1888. Initially, the fund was established to serve the needs of Melbourne Tramway workers. 

Eventually, demand grew and Transport Health evolved to cover all members of the Australian transport community and their families.

In 2014, the fund was opened to all Australians. Since then, Transport Health has grown by over 50%¹.

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 (MLS).

Transport Health offers six types of hospital cover, ranging from Basic Plus Public Hospital to Gold Top Hospital for top-tier cover with no exclusions.

Basic Plus Public Hospital

Transport Health’s budget cover allows you to be covered as a private patient in public hospitals, with your choice of doctor.

Key inclusions:

• Emergency ambulance cover

Bronze Plus Healthy Choice Hospital

Bronze Plus Healthy Choice provides mid-level hospital cover for people looking for a little more security. There is a $100 per night/max. $500 per stay co-payment if you are admitted to hospital, which can help reduce your premium.

Key inclusions:

• Palliative care

• Insulin pumps

• Treatments for brain-related conditions and the nervous system

Silver Plus Select Hospital with Excess

Transport Health’s Silver cover has the same inclusions as most Gold policies. The only difference: hospital psychiatric services are limited to public hospitals. The policy comes with a $500 hospital excess.

Key inclusions:

• Pregnancy and birth services

• Dialysis for chronic kidney disease

• Implantation of hearing devices

• Joint replacements

Silver Plus Select Hospital with Daily Excess

This option provides the same level of cover as Silver Plus Select Hospital with Excess, however, there’s a $100 per night/max. $500 per stay co-payment to help keep premiums low.

Silver Plus No Pregnancy

This cover includes either a $500 or $750 excess option as well as a $100 day surgery excess. It only excludes pregnancy and birth-related services, assisted reproductive services and weight loss surgery. 

This makes it a great option for older Australians and those who have completed their family planning. 

Gold Top Hospital

Transport Health’s most comprehensive hospital cover, for complete peace of mind.

Key inclusions:

• Hospital psychiatric services

• All other Medicare recognised services

Ambulance cover 

All policies include emergency ambulance attendance and transportation up to $5000per year per person with a waiting period of one day. In some states, ambulance transport is unlimited - contact us for details.

Extras cover 

From dental, to optical, to chiro and more, extras insurance helps cover the bills for routine treatments with rebates of up to 100%. Transport Health’s extras reset on January 1 every year.

While we’ve summarised the key points of Transport Health’s extras cover below, it’s always worth taking a closer look at potential gap fees, how much you can claim back, and whether your preferred healthcare provider 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, our experts are here to help.

Transport Health offers two simple extras policies: Healthy Choice Extras for affordable yet broad cover and Top Extras for premium cover on a wide range of services.

Healthy Choice Extras

Healthy Choice Extras provides benefits for a wide range of services including major dental, physio, optical, natural therapies, certain pharmaceuticals and health management programs.

Key inclusions:

• Dental check-ups

• Major dental

• Optical

Top Extras

Top Extras offers the broadest Transport Health cover with the highest benefits, including up to 60% on general and major dental and up to 100% back on orthodontics and optical.

Key inclusions:

• Remedial massage

• Hearing aids

• Home nursing

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 Transport Health from another provider, your waiting periods may be waived unless your new policy covers something you didn’t have before.

Hospital Waiting Periods

• 12 months for pre-existing conditions

• 12 months for pregnancy and birth

• 2 months for general services, assisted reproductive services, hospital psychiatric services, rehabilitation and palliative care and all other services

• 1 day for accidents

Extras Waiting Periods

• 24 months for hearing aids

• 12 months for orthodontic treatment, foot orthotics, blood glucose monitors and major dental

• 2 months for all other services

Member benefits

You can mix and match certain policy aspects to create your own cover, for example, by choosing your excess and co-payments. This can help reduce your premiums.

Transport Health also offers a 30-day cooling-off period after taking out any level of cover.

How to claim

Hospital

Simply tell the hospital you hold a Transport Health policy. Your hospital account will be sent directly to your insurer for assessment. 

It can be a good idea to call your fund before your admission date to check which benefits you’re entitled to and if there are any out-of-pocket expenses to consider. 

Extras

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

Members can also claim after the treatment via the Transport Health mobile claiming app or through email, fax or mail.

Hospital agreements

TUH 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 Compare Club can do this for you.

Customer service

Transport Health received 0.7% complaints in 2021. They have a market share of <0.5%².

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Transport Health a not-for-profit fund?

Transport Health is a for-profit fund.

Who can apply? Are there restrictions? 

Transport Health was initially established to serve members of the Australian transport community but opened to all Australians in 2014.

Is it easy to switch to Transport Health?

Transport Health isn’t on our panel so you’ll need to contact them directly to switch. We’re confident the Compare Club team can find you a great deal from the insurers on our panel.

Do I need to re-serve waiting periods?

If you switch to an equivalent or lower level of cover, you generally won’t have to serve new waiting periods. However, you may need to serve new waiting periods if your new policy includes additional services or higher benefits

Can I change my level of cover?

Yes, you can choose a lower or higher level of cover.

If you move to a higher level of cover, you will usually need to serve waiting periods on the extra services/higher benefits.

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, read our rebate guide.

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.

Up to what age are children covered?

Children are automatically covered under family cover until the day before they turn 21. 

If they are full-time students, they’ll be covered until the day before they turn 25 or cease full-time study (whichever comes first) at no extra cost.

Sources

1. Transport Health, Who We Are, accessed 22nd September 2021.

Chris Stanley is the sales & operations manager of health insurance at Compare Club. With extensive experience and expertise, Chris is a trusted leader known for his deep understanding of health insurance markets, policies, and coverage options. As the sales & operations manager of health insurance, Chris leads a team of dedicated professionals committed to helping individuals and families make informed decisions about their health insurance needs.

Meet our health insurance expert, Chris Stanley

Chris's top health insurance tips

• 1

  Australia’s public health system is world-class, but wait times for public hospitals can be long, inconvenient - and leave you living in constant pain while you wait.

• 2

  An appropriate private health insurance policy can speed up your surgery, relieving your pain sooner.

• 3

  Family health cover means your children are covered under the same policy as you.

• 4

  Many health insurance policies come with a 12-month waiting period for pregnancy-related cover, so it’s a good idea to get a family policy organized well before starting your family. This means your child will be covered from birth until at least their early twenties (depending on which health fund you select).