Waiting periods are an initial period after joining or upgrading your private health cover during which you cannot claim on certain goods, treatments or services. The length of a waiting period depends on the type of service you wish to claim and whether or not you have already served waiting periods on previous cover.
When you join without current health cover
If you are joining health cover for the first time or you have been without private health cover for 30 days or more, you must first serve waiting periods for all services on your selected level of cover. The following waiting periods apply.
Extras
After two months you can claim benefits on all Extras services except for the following:
| Major Dental (e.g. crowns, implants, dentures) |
12 months |
| Orthodontics |
12 months |
|
Apparatus benefits (e.g. asthmatic spray appliances, blood
glucose monitors, hearing aids, sleep apnoea machines)
|
12 months |
Loyalty benefits and lifetime limits apply for certain services (e.g. orthodontic and hearing aids). For full details please refer to the relevant Extras Cover information.
Hospital
After two months you can claim benefits for all Hospital services except for the following:
| Pregnancy and birth related services, including IVF |
12 months |
| Pre-existing conditions |
12 months |
| Home nursing |
12 months |
| Home sleep studies |
12 months |
If hospitalisation is contemplated within the first 12 months of membership, we strongly recommend that you contact us so that eligibility for hospital benefits can be determined. Please note that not all private treatment is covered by private health insurance (e.g. cosmetic surgery not medically required).
When you transfer from another health fund or upgrade your cover
If you transfer from another fund with an equivilant level of cover, and have served the relevant waiting periods, you obtain immediate access to all services on you selected level of cover.
Waiting periods will apply in the following circumstances:
- There is a lapse in cover of 30 days or more when transferring. We recommend that you keep your cover with your former health fund until the date you transfer to Health Partners.
- If you transfer to a higher level of cover, waiting periods apply to the additional benefits availableon the higher level of cover. During this time you will receive the same benefits and pay the same excess and co-payment (Hospital Cover only) as the Health partners equivilant of your previous level of cover.
- Where your previous cover had excluded benefits waiting periods will apply for these specific services.
- If you have only partially served your waiting periods with the previous fund, including benefits where 'lifetime limits' apply.
Additional information for transferring members:
- When transferring from your former fund to Health Partners, your Lifetime Health Cover loading will remain the same.
- Benefits paid by your former fund will count towards yearly maximums in your first year of membership with Health Partners. Loyalty bonuses or accrued entitlements with your former fund are not transferable to Health Partners.
- The 'Right to Change' brochure produced by the PHIO is a useful guide when transferring between health funds. Please contact us if you would like a copy.
When you upgrade your cover
For current members upgrading their cover, waiting periods only need to be served for the additional benefits on the higher level of cover. During this period you will receive the same benefits as your previous level of cover. |