Question about using private health insurance

[aussiegal18]

If you have private health insurance, and not really fussed about who you see through the pregnancy, can you do public, eg through a midwife program but once you give birth have a private room?

I don't know if that makes sense. Would it still be classed as a birth related service so the waiting period of 12 months would apply.

Does anyone know of an insurer that doesn't have the 12 month waiting period for pregnancy/birth related services?

[One of THOSE mums!]

I've seen this kinda question a few times. And no one has replied so I will tell u what I know.
Firstly I don't think tere are any private health insurance providers with less than a 12 month waiting period.
If u have phi u can't pick and choose. If u want to go public it is public all the way. U can't use the public system then get a private style room.
If u want to use a midwife program - which I highly recommend through experience, then u need to compromise and accept that u may need to share a room.

I'm not much help so I hope this bumps it up to people who can give u more info!

[NannyJulie]

I have heard of people birthing their baby through the public system and then going to a private hospital after the baby is born which I think would be allowed by most insurers.

Just e mail or ring (or drop in if they're near you) some of the PHI (MBF, HCF, Medibank, NIB, etc) and ask them if a postnatal hospital stay requires the 12mnth waiting period, make it clear to them that you will not be having the baby privately. You may just have to pay the excess of the hospital stay, although you would be in the maternity ward so they may class this as 'pregnancy related'

[One of THOSE mums!]

Julie makes a good point. U can transfer. But u have to make sure the hospitals will allow it.

[Turbo]

Latrobe Health has a 9 month waiting period.

And transfering to a private maternity hospital after the birth will always be considered birth related service so you will need to have served your waiting period.

But check with the public hospitals in your area alot of them now are getting more single rooms in the maternity ward so you may be able to get one..

[aussiegal18]

Thanks for the info

I rang Latrobe Health and was shocked at how cheap they are compared to some of the other providers, plus the hospital I want to birth at when I do get pregnant some time down the track is on their list.

[gentlesarah]

My Husband I went through iSelect with our PHI and we were recommended Latrobe. We have Coverwise X3 and yes they are cheap. We had our first appointment (12wk) with our OB and the receptionist commented about Latrobe having a sale because all their new young couples were with Latrobe.

Our OB also commented on it and advised us that we will be a little out of pocket come the birth because they do not pay enough in the gap compared to other funds (NIB, HCF, MBF etc). Something we don't see in the fine print?

I do not know much about health insurance however I am now looking into it more. Our OB said she is with NIB however she stated HCF have the best plans.