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.

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