I’m young, fit, healthy and invincible, why do I need private health cover?
When everything is going well, it is easy to wonder why we need health cover. The simple reason is to prepare for the unexpected. Being young and fit is no guarantee that you won’t need medical care in the near future.
One of the benefits of private health cover is choice.
With private health cover you can choose your own doctor at your choice of hospital. Even being a private patient in a public hospital you can use your specialist of choice. If they are unavailable, you can choose to be treated by a hospital specialist. Being admitted to a private hospital will, in most cases help avoid lengthy waiting periods for elective procedures. In addition to speedier service, you will receive access to the best-quality care which is otherwise extremely costly. Numerous complex procedures and treatments – traditionally associated solely with public hospitals – now see private hospitals doing the bulk of work.
For example private hospitals perform 48% of all cardiac valve procedures and provide 43% of all hospital-based psychiatric care.
On top of providing options for when you are sick, private health cover helps keep you well. GU Health provides generous benefits on services not covered by Medicare such as chiropractic, dental, physiotherapy, optical, dietary advice and some alternative therapies. These benefits are available under Extras cover.
With all the benefits, it’s easy to see why there are currently more than 10 million Australians choosing to take out private health cover. Not only does private health cover help you avoid paying the Medicare Levy Surcharge, it also gives you the peace of mind that you are in control of your own health.
For detailed information about how you can get the best possible value from your membership, take a look at the topics in the ‘Private Health Insurance' tab above.