Looking after your family’s health pays dividends to your future. Families take care of eachother, share their lives together, and are the #1 source for birthday pressies each year!
We’re big softies here at comparethemarket.com.au, and we want you and your family to be covered for anything that comes your way – including unexpected healthcare costs. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the types of families you’ll find in the typical Aussie home, and what they should look for when shopping around for health insurance.
You’re starting your family
Having your first child is something special, but it also means it’s time to start preparing. Our best advice to anyone hoping to start a family is to take out cover early on. That way, you won’t miss out on (private) assisted reproductive treatment and obstetrics cover – both of which have a 12 month waiting period.
We outline the particulars here. Don’t worry if you’re a single parent, as the advice applies to everyone!
You have a couple of young ones
Maybe now that you’ve had one or two children and they’re out of diapers, you aren’t thinking about having any more at the moment. Even if this is the case, you’ve still got to look out for the health of the kids you do have!
Family cover ensures you have access to private benefits like:
- Treatment at private hospitals
- Subsidised medications and vaccinations – immunisations for kids aged 0-4 are listed here.
While the above features are all subject to what’s available with your particular insurer, there are plenty of products out there that offer these at a reasonable price.
Your kids are in school
When the kids hit school, prepare for some new and unexpected expenses! Maybe they turn out to have flat feet and require orthotics from a podiatrist, or perhaps their eyesight isn’t perfect and they require glasses.
Extras cover in particular becomes quite important at this age as all these extra expenses begin to pile up, so make sure you review cover every year to be certain you’re getting the best value possible.
Your teenagers are growing up
Your kids can stay on your family health insurance policy until their 25 years old – provided they’re enrolled in full time study. After that, they’re on their own!
Until then, you can set them up for life with the perfect smile – maybe now’s the time to get orthodontic work done and fit some braces to their teeth? Or maybe they’re planning a big trip overseas for schoolies? At least their vaccinations will be covered (in part) by your policy.
Just because the kids grow up doesn’t mean they don’t need looking after. Once they’re old enough though, point them towards paying for their own policy.