Extras cover
General treatment cover, often referred to as extras cover, helps with the cost of health services that Medicare does not cover. These services can be:
- physiotherapy
- chiropractic treatment
- home nursing
- dental treatment
- orthodontics
- speech therapy
- glasses and contact lenses.
Levels of cover
Private health insurance policies offer different levels of extras cover. Some may cover many services while some cover only a few.
Limited cover for costs
Extras cover only covers some of the cost of most services. Many policies only allow you to claim:
- a certain percent of costs for each service – for example, cover for 50% of the cost for each dental treatment, or
- a certain amount for the same service each year – for example, cover for up to $500 each year for dental treatments
Make sure you understand what’s covered when you choose private health insurance.
Ambulance cover
Medicare doesn’t cover the cost of emergency ambulance transport or other ambulance services.
Depending on where you live you might get a discount for ambulance services or not need cover at all.
You can buy private ambulance cover from a private health insurer or, where available, from a state or territory ambulance authority.
Learn more about ambulance cover.