Couples health insurance

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How does couples health insurance work?

Couples health insurance can help you and your partner with the cost of medical bills. You pay a regular premium and, in exchange, a percentage of your costs will be covered.

There are three types of policies to choose from: hospital, extras or combined.

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Hospital policies

There are four hospital tiers to choose from: basic, bronze, silver and gold. The higher the level, the better coverage you get. Both you and your partner need to be on the same level in order to qualify for couples health insurance.

Extras policies

Extras policies come with annual spending limits for specific benefits. These limits are per person. So if you have $200 each to spend on dental appointments, your partner wouldn't be able to use your portion and vice versa.

Combined policies

A health insurance policy that includes both extras and hospital cover is considered a 'combined' policy. Combined policies reduce your paperwork by having all your cover with one provider. That said, you are allowed to have hospital and extras cover with different funds – and it's often cheaper.

Is couples health insurance cheaper than 2 single policies?

No, a couples health insurance policy isn't cheaper than having 2 single policies – it's typically the same price if you choose the same cover. A couples policy can be more convenient because you only have to apply once and maintain one direct debit, but it won't cost any less than two individual policies.

Having 2 single health insurance policies may actually save you money, because one of you may be able to opt for a cheaper policy. For example, if only one person needs pregnancy cover, having a couples policy would have you unneccessarily paying for pregnancy cover for both of you.

Of course, if both partners want the benefits offered by a gold-tier policy, there's no harm in taking out a joint policy. In addition to pregnancy and childbirth benefits, gold-tier policies also cover weight-loss surgery, joint replacements and more.

Did you know?

Finder surveyed 1,017 Aussies and just 36% knew two single policies were the same price as a couples policy.

How couples health insurance works with tax

Couples health insurance affects tax in the following ways:

• Lifetime health cover loading: The lifetime health cover of both policyholders will be averaged and then applied to the policy. That means if your partner has a 10% loading fee, but you don't have any, your couples policy will be subject to a 5% charge.
• Medicare levy surcharge: If you earn more than $180,000 as a couple, you'll be subject to a surcharge of between 1% and 1.5%. However, if you buy a health insurance policy with an excess of $1,500 or less you could save money.

Couples health insurance vs family insurance

If you have children, then your best bet is to sign up for a family health insurance policy, rather than a couples policy.

On a family policy your children can be covered at no extra cost, as long as you inform your insurer and officially add them to your policy. If you on your own with kids, then single parent health insurance is what you should look for.

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Frequently asked questions

• Can couples have different levels of health insurance cover?

  If you have couples cover, then you'll have to both have the same level of hospital and extras cover. This can sometimes mean that you're paying for cover you don't need - for example if only one of you need cover for child birth. There's nothing stopping you from taking out two separate single policies. In fact, you can often save money by customising your cover like this.

• What happens to couples health insurance if we have a child?

  A couples health insurance policy won't cover children - you'll need to move to a family policy. This will cost slightly more than a couples policy, but it will cover your children at least up to their 18th birthday. Most health funds actually let you keep you children on your health policy until later than that though.

• Do couples policies have separate limits on extras?

  Yes, couples health insurance policies have separate limits on extras - that means no mixing and matching with your partner. You may be able to get more customised and cheaper cover if you opt for having separate extras policies.

• What happens to a couples policy if we break up?

  If you break up with your partner, contact your insurance company as soon as possible. It's likely you'll be able to switch to a single policy without re-serving waiting periods.