Source: IPSOS Health Care & Insurance Australia 2015 report results
It’s quite the gap, isn’t it?
For roughly $17 per week, you could have basic insurance cover. Isn’t that worth it when one little stumble could not only leave you broken and sore, but also out of pocket?
Why you should get health insurance when you’re young
Say you go surfing. You come off your board and smack your shoulder hard into a sandbar – dislocating it. It’s painful enough to warrant a trip to the hospital, but it may not be high enough a priority to jump to the top of the waiting list to get it popped back into place. If you’re covered by private health cover, you can skip public queues and jump straight into treatment in a private hospital. You know what that means? Less waiting (potentially), and you could get back in shape faster.
Could it happen to you? Absolutely. Here’s how many young Australians ended up in the emergency department in 2014/2015, according to the AIHW.
- Aged 15-24 years old: 1,025,706
- Aged 25-34 years old: 1,029,611
- Aged 35-44 years old: 837,508
- Aged 45-54 years old: 760,907
Source: Australian Institute of Health & Welfare, Emergency department care, 2015–16, page 20
That’s pretty high for young Australians.
Insurance is also useful in cases where you might need treatment from a specialist doctor. For instance, if you wound up in the emergency room in a hospital, Medicare may cover you for your initial treatment while admitted, but if you were later required to seek specialist treatment, you may be left out of pocket without relevant health insurance. Say goodbye to treatment from that dream surgeon who works wonders on surfers’ shoulders!
Extras cover also helps pay your bills for certain things that Medicare doesn’t cover, like dental, optical, physiotherapy and more. Look at it this way: you can grab a new pair of trendy sunnies each year, and your insurer helps cover the cost (if not the entire thing).
Insurance is not too expensive for young Aussies
One thing we hear from many young Australians is “I can’t afford health insurance”. Sure, you may be studying, or just starting out in your career, and you may not be earning big dollars yet. To you, we say this:
- You do receive a rebate on your insurance premiums, if you’re below the age of 65 and earn less than $90,000 per year.
- If you want a great value policy, you should be able to find something with less features/benefits that still provides you great coverage.
Everyone’s situation is different. Being able to choose the right level of hospital cover and extras that fit your lifestyle (and budget) is important. That’s why we’ve taken some of the drama out of shopping online for health insurance, and given you the ability to compare a range of cover options – all in the one place.
If money is a concern, simply strip out features you don’t think you’ll use from our comparison. Now, get shopping!
