Frequently Asked Questions |
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Why are you having a rate increase?
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Continued pressure on health expenses has led to an increase in the cost of healthcare. At Australian Unity we seek to reduce
the impact of these increased costs by negotiating sensibly with providers on behalf of members and investing in programs and
supporting policies that make the outlays on members effective and efficient. Whilst we have sought to limit these impacts, some
cost increases remain.
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How much have the rates gone up by?
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The increase will vary according to your level of cover. By mid March you will
receive a letter in the mail, which details your new member contribution amount and any new or changed benefit details.
If you have not received this information by mid March please contact us for a copy.
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What are my new benefits?
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The letter you will receive will outline any benefit enhancements which may be applicable. From 1 April 2008 you will
also be able to logon to our
Online Services
and view all the specific
details relating to your health cover.
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I have received the rate review letter however the details in it are not correct.
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The information detailed in the letters was based on your membership details as at 21 February 2008.
Should any changes have been made between this date and the date of the mailing then these will not be
reflected in the letter content.
We are happy to provide you with a new version of the letter based on your current membership details.
To obtain a copy please call 13 29 39. The new letter should arrive within 5 working days of request.
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I'd rather not pay the new rate for my
level of cover now. What other options do I have?
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You can lock in your old rate up to one year by paying your contribution in advance. Payment details have been included on your
Rate Review letter. Options include:
- Phone
To pay by credit card over the phone simply call 1800 008 622 and use the reference number quoted in your
letter. If you do not have a copy of the letter, please call us on 13 29 39 to obtain this reference number.
- Online
For secure online payments log on to australianunity.com.au/onlineservices and go to 'Pay your renewal'.
- BPAY
To pay via BPAY contact your financial institution directly to pay from your savings, cheque or credit card account.
The biller code is 490364 and your reference number is quoted in your letter. if you do not have a copy of the letter, please call us on 13 29 39 to obtain this reference number.
(Please note, payments must be received and processed by 27 March 2008. Please allow up to three business days for BPAY payments to be processed).
- Australia Post
Take your Rate Review letter to Australia Post. The barcode on the letter contains the information required to make the
yearly over the counter payment.
It is important to note that your payment must be received by 27 March 2008 for processing prior to 31 March 2008. All contributions received on or after 1 April 2008 will be applied at your new rate.
Alternatively, you can change your cover to reflect your needs and life stage. We have a number of Hospital and Extras covers that will suit most budgets including Hospital covers
with excess options, for example our new Hospital Essentials. you can check out which cover suits you best here.
If you would like to discuss your particular situation with a member of our customer service team please call 13 29 39.
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Is Australian Unity reducing contributions for single parents?
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We are reviewing our position on this, but we have not yet finalised our review.
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Why should I retain my health cover?
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Private Health insurance will continue to:
- provide you with your choice of hospital and accommodation;
- allow you and your doctor to plan your treatment;
- Typically enable shorter waiting periods for elective surgery;
- offset the expense of dental and other extras.
And if you have Hospital Cover, it can save you paying the
Medicare Levy Surcharge.
In short, private health cover gives you security, peace of mind, confidence, choice and
the convenience of selecting when and where you are treated.
The Government's
Lifetime Health Cover
scheme recognises the length of time that
a person has had private health insurance and rewards that loyalty by offering lower premiums.
If you're 31 or over and don't have any private hospital cover, you could be paying a
Lifetime Health Cover
loading of 2% for every year you're uninsured, up to a maximum of 70%.
For example, if you delay joining until the age of 40, you will pay 20% more than if you
joined at the age of 30. Please note that under the scheme your age is determined by how
old you are on July 1 prior to joining.
As well as providing you with excellent hospital and extras cover when you need it,
we have a range of benefits that rewards you for taking a preventive approach to your health. These include:
- Weight Loss - up to $200 per year towards an approved weight loss program#;
- Quit Smoking - $60 per person per year, payable upon completion of an approved quit smoking course to a lifetime maximum of $180;
- Doctor Health Check - $150 per person per year for approved doctor health checks where Medicare benefits are not payable.
In addition, we offer:
- Wellplan Online, which is our free personalised and interactive
web-based health and wellness program, written and reviewed by health professionals;
- Our recently launched Wellplan Rewards program offering discounts on a great range of health and lifestyle products and services;
- The COACH Program®, which is an evidence based disease management program for members with hospital cover who have recently been
admitted to hospital with a cardiac event.
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I am thinking of shopping around.
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We believe that Australian Unity health cover provides excellent value and we invite comparison.
If you do speak to other funds remember to ask them:
- How many agreement hospitals they have within your area where you can be guaranteed of full cover or known out of pocket costs;
- If you would be subject to any waiting periods.
- If they offer anything similar to the services and initiatives that reward you for being an Australian
Unity member.
However, please speak to Australian Unity first, as a member of our customer service team can discuss other product options with you and also
provide detailed answers to any queries or concerns you might have.
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Are you going to be raising prices again?
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Australian Unity abides by the Federal Government procedure of reviewing pricing in April each year.
At this stage, we are unable to say whether or not there will be any price adjustment in April 2009
but you can be assured that when we review the matter every year we consider the impact and
try to minimise any increase passed on to our members. Costs will be largely driven by any
continued rise in medical and private hospital costs.
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I wish to make a payment on behalf of my partner (who is the policy holder) can I do this?
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Yes, this is permitted (however we cannot divulge any information to non-policy holders for example,
the payment amount that is due or the date membership is paid until).
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Are other funds implementing a rate change?
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We cannot comment on behalf of other funds.
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To lock in my old rate do I have to pay 12 months in advance?
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You can lock in your rate without paying the full 12 months in advance, the letter you received
calculates the full year rate but a member of our customer service team can calculate the quarterly payments if this is your preferred option.
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Can I pay for three years of premium at the old rate?
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We can only accept contributions at the old rate for upto one year from your current paid to date.
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I have been away and have missed the lock-in date of 31 March for my old rate, can I lock-in now?
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Unfortunately we cannot retroactively lock-in your rate, as one of the only health funds
that offers this 'lock in your rate' facility we have to strictly adhere to the time limit. One of the reasons
we write to you in early March is to give ample time to lock in before 1 April 2008 increase takes effect.
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Can I suspend my membership for financial hardship?
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It is not possible to suspend membership for financial hardship, however, we can help you to switch to a cover that may better suit your circumstances.
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You recently closed down your retail outlets – you must have saved money by lowering your costs,
why are we not reaping the benefits as members?
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Money saved from the closure of retail outlets is being reinvested back into services for members
such as telephone and online claiming. The closure of retail outlets was influenced by the fact that
most of our members did not use the retail outlets preferring to deal with us by phone,
HICAPS or IBA HealthPoint by swiping their membership card, via Internet and mail. Health Fund income
is paid back to members in the form of benefits, unfortunately we are subject to ever-increasing
costs being passed on to us for medical procedures and treatments.
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