When it comes to comparing Health Insurance policies, the best way to save yourself some money is to make sure that the Extras included in your policy really suit your needs.

Most policies will have standard Extras included, but you can choose to pay for additional cover that will suit you and your family even better.

So, what are Health Insurance Extras?

Extras (or ancillary services) are the additional medical services that you’re not likely to need all the time.

While you probably visit your local GP quite regularly, your visits to the optometrist, physiotherapist or psychologist will be rarer. So these are considered “Extra” to your policy and you pay accordingly.

Did you know that even some medications are included in your Extras cover? Some medications aren’t covered by the Australian Government’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), so it’s certainly well worth checking out if you need specialty medication.

Now you’re probably asking yourself: If Medicare doesn’t cover me for everything, how do I know what Extras I need to include in my policy?

To answer that, you need to consider who needs to be covered, for what and how often.

Ask yourself:

* Who am I covering in the Health Insurance Extras policy? Myself or my whole family?

* How old are the people who are covered by the policy? Young families will have different needs to older people. So, while growing children will use more dental cover, an older couple might visit the physiotherapist more often.

* Does anyone have special requirements like: speech therapy sessions, take specialty medication or regularly visit the physiotherapist?

* How often are these ancillary services likely to be used? Most policies will offer you a limited number of visits a year, so a heavy user with a Basic Extras Cover will have a lot of out of pocket expenses.

Remember, that you can alter your policy to suit you as you need it. For instance, if your policy includes Obstetric care, but you’re not having any more babies, you can remove Obstetrics from your Extras. This will reduce your premium and make you policy cheaper and more suitable to your needs.

Each Health Insurance Fund will pay different benefits for different services and will also include a range of exclusions, caps and waiting periods that will apply before you can make a claim on your chosen Extras. Compare a variety of Funds to find the most suitable and affordable cover for you and your family.

Discover what deals are on offer with ‘approved providers’ and consider the savings you can make when you use these providers. For example, when you use a preferred Physiotherapy practice you should have a reduction in your gap payment.

Something else to be aware of is that some Insurers can include Ancillary Services in their Hospital Cover.

This can include: private hospital outpatient services; out-of-hospital visits to dental surgeons; psychology or podiatry sessions; fitness and quit smoking programs and the treatment of chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes.

Look for the plan that meets your needs at any stage of life, and you’ll have a Health Insurance policy tailored to suit your specific needs that will save you money.

It pays to be well informed about your cover. After all it’s your money and your health!

Author Bio: Frank Wall is a student of Private Health Insurance in Australia. He helps people compare private health insurance cover, find the cheap private health insurance and best extras or anciliary cover.

Category: Finances
Keywords: health insurance, extras, australia, compare, gap,ancilliary