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A Guide To The 2019 Health Insurance Reforms

The Federal Government has introduced a number of wide-ranging reforms designed to make private health insurance more affordable and straightforward for consumers. The changes are meant to help people choose the cover that best suits them and their family. The majority of the reforms begin rolling out from 1 April, 2019.

Canstar has compiled a series of articles plus a video with more information on these changes and how they may impact you. The topics covered include:

Four new tiers of hospital cover

Gold toer private health insurance

Gold Level

What’s covered?

 Silver tier private health insurance

Silver Level

What’s covered?
Bronze tier private health insurance

Bronze Level

What’s covered?

 Basic tier private health insurance

Basic Level

What’s covered?

Changes that could affect premium costs

According to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), more than half of the nation’s population – 13.5 million people – are covered by a form of private health insurance. But some have argued that the system is difficult to understand when it comes to figuring out what different types of policies cover and if they offer value for money.

On top of this, rising health insurance premiums have led to some policyholders downgrading or cancelling their cover, with APRA data also showing that the proportion of Australians covered by private hospital cover recently dipped to 44.6%, the lowest it’s been in 11 years.

The government says it wants to make private health insurance simpler and easier for consumers to choose the cover that best suits them and their family.

Latest in Health Insurance Reforms

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Health Insurance - September 21st

Silver private health cover: How does it work?

Hospital policies are split into four main tiers – Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic. Here’s a breakdown of what is covered by Silver tier policies.

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Finance News - April 17th

Private Health Insurance Reforms 2019: What’s Changed?

According to an APRA report published prior to the reforms coming in, private health cover is currently at an 11-year low with only 44.6% of Australians covered. In addition to this, Roy Morgan research found that...

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Health Insurance - April 8th

Health insurers offering up to 10% discount for young adults

A number of changes to health insurance kicked in from 1 April, 2019 across the country. The Federal Government has rolled out reforms in an attempt to make it easier for Australians to choose a health insurance policy, including...

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Health Insurance - April 4th

Health Insurance Reforms: Boosting the Powers of the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman

The Federal Government plans to provide the Ombudsman with more power to enable it to investigate and resolve the complaints of health fund members more efficiently. What is the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman? The Private Health...

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Health Insurance - March 22nd

Health Insurance Reforms 2019: What do I need to know about the new clinical categories?

Insurers may also choose to offer additional cover under the Basic, Bronze and Silver categories to meet the needs of their consumers. These upgraded policies can feature the name of the category along with the word...

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