27 Sep 2024
Tips for navigating a new health diagnosis
Discover how to cope with a new health diagnosis with practical tips and strategies on dealing with the...
Read more about Tips for navigating a new health diagnosis
Healthy LivingAt Australian Seniors, we believe good health is the foundation of a great life and that enjoying the peace of mind that comes with good health should be available to everyone. With four levels of Hospital cover and four levels of Extras cover, we have health insurance solutions to suit most circumstances and budgets.
According to the Australian Seniors Cost of Health 2023 report, 45% of seniors are living with some major health conditions, including dietary issues, chronic illness, a long-term injury or disability, mental illness or terminal illness.
On average, seniors estimate they pay $1,586 in out-of-pocket expenses towards their health each year, with almost one in two making reductions to their health care spending because of the rising cost of living.
As a valued Australian Seniors customer, when you take out Seniors Health Insurance, you’ll receive ongoing complimentary issues of DARE magazine. Learn more and view the applicable T&Cs.
Choose from a range of products designed for the needs of over 50s, with inclusions focused on services that you’re more likely to use.
Simply give us a call or apply using our online portal — you could be covered in minutes.
Our covers allow you to have a choice of $500 or $750 for your hospital excess (Gold Hospital has a $750 excess).
Depending on the level of cover you choose, you could get up to 70% of your out-of-pocket expenses back from recognised Extras providers.2
Get your glasses cheaper with no-gap offers and a range of discounts from nib's First Choice network, including providers like Specsavers.3
Making a claim can be stressful, which is why our online claims process is simple and hassle-free.
If there’s an emergency and you or a loved one needs fast treatment, the last thing you want to worry about is the cost of an ambulance. Our Emergency Ambulance cover is included in all our Hospital and Extras policies,5 so you can always be prepared and have peace of mind.
They say change is as good as a holiday, so if you’re looking for other options for your health insurance, make the switch to Seniors Health Insurance today.
Whether you’re looking for the bare essentials or something more comprehensive, you can find cover options to suit your needs.
Just say the word and we’ll get in touch with your previous insurer to make the change to Seniors Health Insurance.
If you’ve already served your waiting periods, or are partway through, we won’t make you serve them again provided you sign up for the same, or lower level of cover.6
Australian Seniors has been recognised for providing real value for the local over 50s market, winning awards for our products and service for 10 consecutive years.
Australian Seniors has won the Canstar 2023 Most Satisfied Customers Award for Home Insurance.
We’re the proud winners of the Reader’s Digest Quality Service Award in the Funeral Insurance category for 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. We have also been the recipients of the Highly Commended Trusted Brand Award in the Funeral Insurance category for 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024. In 2023, we were the winning recipient of the Trusted Brand Award in the Funeral Insurance category. We were granted the Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award in 2023 and 2024.
Australian Seniors is also the ProductReview.com.au 2021, 2022 and 2023 Annual Awards Winner in the overall Insurance category, as well as the 2024 Awards Winner in the Funeral, Car and Home & Contents Insurance categories and 2020 Awards Winner in the Funeral, Car, Home & Contents, Travel and Pet Insurance categories.
You and your family need insurance that delivers real value. With Australian Seniors, you get just that and more.
Enjoy the confidence of knowing that your policy is backed by nib - a health insurer trusted by 1.7 million customers.
We’ve got years of experience, helping you to protect your family and assets with award-winning products and award-winning service.
We believe insurance should meet your needs, not someone else’s. That’s why we focus on providing the best possible cover for Australians over 50.
We’ve been doing what we love for years, just like you. Put yourself in good hands with Australian Seniors.
Private health insurance offer two types of cover. Hospital cover pays for some of the costs of treatment in a private hospital or treatment in a public hospital as a private patient. Extras cover helps pay for any out-of-pocket expenses that aren’t covered by Medicare or provided by a hospital, such as dental procedures, chiropractic treatment, glasses and contact lenses, and physiotherapy. Most Extras policies allow you to claim back a certain percentage of costs for each service and will be subject to annual cover limits. You can choose to take out Hospital cover or Extras cover as standalone policies or combine the two.
You won't have to re-serve any waiting periods if you’re transferring to a policy that has the same or a lower level of benefits, as long as there’s a break in cover of 59 days or less. If you transfer part-way through a waiting period, you'll just need to serve the remaining waiting period before you can claim — so if you've only served six months of a 12-month waiting period, those six months will still count when transferring. If you upgrade your cover, you'll need to complete waiting periods for any new services. Where the excess on the new product is lower than the excess on the previous cover, the excess on the previous cover will apply until the unexpired waiting period has been served. Any benefit limits already used with your current fund will apply to your Seniors Health Insurance policy.
Health insurance premiums aren’t tax-deductible. However, the government may provide help with premiums in the form of the private health insurance rebate. This is a means-tested rebate which applies to Hospital, Extras and Ambulance policies. To be eligible for the rebate, you must be eligible for Medicare, have an appropriate level of hospital cover and meet the income requirement for the rebate. Find out more about the health insurance rebate by visiting the Australian Tax Office website.
If you cancel your cover and take out private health insurance again in the future, you could receive Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading costs and may have to re-serve any waiting periods.
LHC is a government initiative aimed at encouraging people to take out private hospital cover earlier in life and maintain it. If you don’t take out private hospital cover before 1 July after you turn 31, you’ll pay a 2% loading on top of your normal hospital premium for each year you don’t have hospital cover (up to a maximum of 70%). The loading applies for 10 years of continuous hospital cover. For every year you put off signing up for hospital cover, another 2% will be added. So if you wait until you’re 40, you’ll pay 20% more than someone on the same cover who joined when they were 31. For more information on LHC, visit this page.
If you earn over $97,000 as a single or $194,000 as a couple/family, you’ll also have to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) each year that you don’t have Hospital cover. The MLS is up to 1.5% of your income and is paid in addition to the Medicare levy, which is 2%. The surcharge is payable for every day you don't have hospital cover within the financial year. The Australian Tax Office uses a special definition of income (called income for MLS purposes) to determine whether you’re liable to pay the MLS, and the rate of MLS you’ll have to pay. This income is different to your taxable income.
Find out more about LHC and the MLS by visiting the Australian Tax Office website.
An excess is the amount of money you have to pay when making a claim on your Hospital cover — it doesn’t apply for Extras cover. Generally, the higher your excess is, the lower your premiums are. Depending on your cover, some of the remaining costs of your treatment are paid by Medicare and/or your health insurer. An excess shouldn’t be confused with out-of-pocket expenses or a ‘gap’, which are additional charges that aren’t covered by Medicare and are in addition to what your private health insurance will cover.
Get 8 weeks free when you sign up for a combined Hospital and Extras policy by 31 October.1