Health Insurance (Extras, mostly dental)

• 

  Kangarookoo on 08/09/2013 - 08:12

  Try budget direct health. Join and 1st month free, expire on 30th September 2014. Website budgetdirect.com.au to get a quote. Good luck.

• 

  dp1 on 08/09/2013 - 09:19

  All comes down to the maths.
  How much will your treatment cost?
  What is the total amount of premiums you would have to pay?
  How much will you be out of pocket with insurance vs. without?
  I suspect that the numbers rarely come out in favour of having insurance for a single person. For larger families it works out better as the premium is the same whether you have one kid or 6 on the policy.
  'Sub-limits' apply to the different things you can claim so your policy may cover e.g. Dental plus optical plus ambulance but within this there is a limit on what you can claim back so your dental limit will be for example $600 but the sub-limit for check ups is $250, x-rays $50 etc. Glasses can only be claimed once every 2 years.
  Are you in a state that covers ambulances via levies on energy bills? If so you don't need ambulance cover.
  I am in WA where it costs $822 (400 for pensioners), stand - alone ambulance cover required an ambulance every 7 years to break even. I am covered for ambulance via my hospital cover policy with nib, but I only have this to avoid the Medicare levy surcharge and lifetime premium loading which you don't need to worry about until age 31.

• 

  tko6070 on 08/09/2013 - 12:47

  I just have essentials cover with HBF which is Dental and Optical for about $220 a year, if I go to the dentist twice a year it pays for itself!

• 

  Adz81 on 08/09/2013 - 13:21

  Maybe check these guys out?

  http://www.smile.com.au/dental-cover-dental-plan

  Not coverage as such, but discount plan if you attend their dentists (a friend raves about them), no waiting times, no annual limits etc… This is solely dental but might take the sting out of the whole exercise.

  I should point out, that I have nothing to do with these guys and have never tried them, just putting a suggestion out there.

  I personally use Medibank private, but I'm pretty sure that at $1600/year I'm getting proper rogered (this includes hospitals and extras). And spent a metric sh*t tonne on my teeth a few years back… Pretty sure I paid for at least one of my dentist's kids school fees that year.

• 

  MatrixM on 08/09/2013 - 15:32

  I checked out the smile dental plan and it seems that the dental clinic i work at is actually cheaper even if you're a smile member. E.g: Their check-up & clean (with 4 x-rays, fluoride & polish) is $150-$160 vs the $237.60 given as a guide on the smile website. I think that particular procedure might be bulk-billed if you've got insurance as well…I should double-check that when I go back on Wednesday as they're training me to do the reception/money-handling as well. >.>

  It seems that I don't have to worry about the medicare levy surcharge as I'm only earning around $200/wk, which I think means I also get the 30% rebate. (I only work two days at close to min wage and I take time off when sick or have uni exams)

  I may be wrong, but from what I can tell, neither HBF nor Budget Direct cover x-rays (which may not be a problem if I'm right about the bulk-billing, or perhaps it's part of the 'consultation' cover) and Budget Direct doesn't cover fillings (restorations) with their plans.
  The no annual limit with HBF is cool, but 60% coverage seems a little low…

  Btw, I'm in NSW.

  Perhaps I should speak with my dad about sharing the costs of a family coverage plan. Though that means I wouldn't get the 30$ discount :/

  • 

    eve on 08/09/2013 - 17:18

    I think family cover plan would be the cheapest option if youve also got siblings.. you can stay under it until you hit 25

  • 

    YTW on 08/09/2013 - 17:19

    Ok, two things pop to mind with your described circumstances.

    If your parents already have health cover you MAY be eligible to be covered under it. They all have different criteria, some cover students up to age 25. It wouldn't cost them any more to have you listed under their plan. If they already have a plan and it doesn't cover you then maybe look into changing to another provider that would cover you. That would be your cheapest option for gaining coverage - free (or you may wish to chip in a bit to help them with costs depending on their circumstances).

    IF they don't have/want health cover that will also cover you then you should probably look into just getting young extras cover (all sorts of diff names - it is the lowest level of extras-only cover. There is no hospital included). It will cover basic amounts for dental, optical, physio etc. The amounts covered are less overall but the premiums are SIGNIFICANTLY lower. We pay about $16/mth each person (after 30% rebate) for our cover - so just under $200 a year. I claim the full entitlement for dental ($350) and optical ($150) each year so am $300 a year ahead just using those…if I happen to use the physio etc then I've gained even more from having the cover. I've looked into the higher levels of cover and they don't offer much more for things we'd be able to claim - and the premiums are much higher. Your personal circumstances will be different though, so you'll need to think through what you'd claim and weigh up whether you'd be better off just saving the premium costs and putting them directly towards treatments. You'll always be out of pocket when claiming services - it is just a matter of how much.

    http://www.bupa.com.au/health-insurance/best-matching-covers…

    All insurers tend to have a version of this type of cover - just a matter of comparing them all and seeing which is the best match for your needs.

    Yep, you'll get the 30% rebate and doesn't sound like you need to worry about getting hospital cover to avoid any of the penalties (tax and age).

• 

  wako on 08/09/2013 - 16:40

  My advice,
  Get a check up only, and just pay it,

  Find out how much work you actually need, And how much its going to cost,

  Remember in general private health cover doesnt cover 100% of the bill normally around 60%

  I have a $90 per month cover, but I tend to still get my teeth done whilst on overseas holidays,
  eg. Bangkok, KL, Bali,

  I can give you 2 Great dentists That I have personally used in bangkok and KL, and have heard great reviews of one in bali,

  My wife was quoted $152 per tooth for a unusual type of filling and needed 2, Whilst in KL stopped in at a guy who was trained in Adelaide, USA and Germany, and turned out 2 where urgent and another 2 where in need within 12 months, she got them all done for $45AUD each I ended up getting a scale and clean and she did as well, and it was like $220… In Australia that alone would have been at least $800,
  What Im trying to get at, Is you can have a holiday and get your teeth worked on, or pay the dentist to have a holiday, IF you need quite extensive work overseas it much better, And I personally reckon they are better skilled,

  A bloke I work with (over 50) had not had anything done in 6 years and needed 2 root canals and 6 crowns, Got done in bangkok (same place I go) over 2 seperate trips (as need time to heal) and saved over half + got 2 3 week holidays out of it as well..

  An initial consult shouldn't be that much, If ur working as a dental assistant, Why dont you ask the dentist if he can check your teeth ? Maybe a good time is if someone doesnt turn up for an appointment… Or if someone doesnt turn up say something like, I cant believe I am working in a dental surgery and I havent had a check up in 3 years… …

  • 

    Adz81 on 08/09/2013 - 17:27

    Wako, I don't mean to hijak, but to you mind passing on the name of the denist in Bali??
    Cheers,
    Adam

• 

  wako on 12/09/2013 - 14:14

  Adam I inboxed you…

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 12/09/2013 - 20:16

    Wako,

    pls share the Bali's Dentist details..:)

    Thanks

• 

  maximum on 12/09/2013 - 23:39

  Do you have a low income health care card from centrelink? It gives you cheaper pharmaceuticals and emergency ambulance free in nsw. You can then go on the dental waiting list which I assume is atrocious but you never know until you go on the list. If you don't have one go online and apply.