Reforms to private health insurance have started

The Australian Government has introduced reforms that will make private health insurance simpler and will help you choose the cover that best suits your needs. Most of the reforms come into effect from 1 April 2019, but some are already underway.

The reforms include the following changes:

• Private hospital cover will be classified into 4 easy to understand tiers — Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic
• Health insurers can offer
  • new discounts for people aged 18 to 29 to make private health insurance more affordable
  • travel and accommodation benefits for people who have to travel long distances for hospital treatment
• The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman has new powers to investigate complaints.

Health insurers have until 1 April 2020 to introduce new Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic tiers for their hospital policies.

If you already have private health insurance, your insurer will send specific information about your policy.

Find out more about the reforms.