SEARCHING FOR HEALTH INSURANCE FOR SINGLE PARENTS? HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The life of a single parent is demanding and challenging. You’re constantly juggling the everyday needs of your young ones with those unpredictable moments. Not only are you responsible for caring for your children and putting food on the table, but you’re also the one person who can ensure their health needs are met.
Taking out single parents private health insurance can mean looking after your children’s health is easier and more affordable. You won’t have to worry about waiting for hospital treatment on a lengthy public hospital list, or paying for expensive dental check-ups.
With several quality hospital & extras cover options available to suit your budget and needs, finding the right cover and health insurance policy that gives you great value is much easier when you know what to look for.
To help you find the right health insurance for single parents cover for your needs, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide so you can make an informed decision.
What kind of family are you?
Trying to find the best cover for you and your family? We’ve created a few profiles to help you clarify your health insurance needs. Along with each profile are some suggested options to help you find the level of cover that’s right for you. Of course, you’re free to mix and match to create your own health insurance combination.
Young single parent
You’re a young single parent focused on making the best life for your child. You’re healthy with no particular health issues but you’re also budget conscious. You want health cover for you and your children without enduring too much financial strain. And you definitely don’t want to be paying for health care or extras services and items you’re less likely to need.
We suggest you consider:
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1. Public hospital
This cover provides you with a ‘safety net’ for you and your family to receive minimum benefits in a public hospital setting, but waiting periods still apply.
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2. Basic private hospital
This cover will allow you to skip the public waiting lists and receive common treatments under the Medicare Benefits Schedule as a private hospital patient.
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3. Basic extras
This cover will pay benefits for a limited number of ancillary health services such as general dental and physiotherapy, keeping the premiums low.
Health-focused single parent
You’re a young single parent of one or more older children who have different health needs. You’ve made it through those toddler years and have noticed your children’s change in requirements as they grow up. You may even be thinking about expanding your family, so you’re wanting a little more coverage than just the basics.
We suggest you consider:
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1. Medium private hospital
This cover will include the treatments offered under basic cover, plus more such as rehabilitation, psychiatric care, and non-cosmetic plastic surgery.
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2. Medium extras
This cover provides a good balance between the level of cover and affordability. You’ll be covered for the basics plus some podiatry and major dental including orthodontics, and in some cases, travel vaccinations and alternative therapies.
Quality driven single parent
All hospital medical services are covered where Medicare issues a benefit, giving you complete peace of mind your health needs will be looked after during any unforeseen hospital admissions.
We suggest you consider:
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1. Top private hospital
This cover provides a good balance between the level of cover and affordability. You’ll be covered for the basics plus some podiatry and major dental including orthodontics, and in some cases, travel vaccinations and alternative therapies.
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2. Medium extras
This cover level provides everything that a medium policy does, yet with higher overall limits and generous benefits applied to major dental, physio, optical, chiro, and a range of alternative therapies.
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3. Comprehensive extras
This cover level provides everything that a medium policy does, yet with higher overall limits and generous benefits applied to major dental, physio, optical, chiro, and a range of alternative therapies.
Security conscious single parent
You desire the highest level of security for your family. You want comprehensive cover to be protected for both the health care essentials and for the unexpected events life throws at you. You’re not on a tight budget and your sole focus is on achieving peace of mind that all your family’s needs are going to be met.
We suggest you consider:
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1. Top private hospital
All hospital medical services are covered where Medicare issues a benefit, giving you complete peace of mind your health needs will be looked after during any unforeseen hospital admissions.
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2. Comprehensive extras
Cover is for everything that a medium policy covers, yet with higher overall limits and generous benefits applied to major dental, physio, optical, chiros, and a range of alternative therapies.
Why do single parents take out health insurance?
For mums and dads flying solo, life is especially hectic. The last thing you want is to worry about the unexpected costs of health care for you or your children.
That’s why more single parents are taking out some form of private health insurance cover. For many parents, hospital cover is important to be able to provide their children with private care in the event they fall ill or get injured during a mischievous adventure. This could be anything from an emergency ambulance trip or an overnight stay in a hospital to remove tonsils.
For other single parent families, extras cover extras cover enables them to meet the health needs of their children as they grow without having to budget for the substantial upfront costs or put off important treatment. Extras cover can help single parents shoulder the costs of physiotherapy physiotherapy, orthodontic work orthodontics, or even glasses.
There are other factors that drive single parents to get health insurance. Some want to avoid the Lifetime Health Cover Loading (LHC) by taking out hospital insurance before they turn 31.
Other parents may be eligible for the Private Health Insurance Rebate so they can enjoy receiving a percentage of their premiums with the Australian government rebate for private health.
It’s important you don’t forget that even if you decide not to take out health insurance for you and your children, all Australians have access to the public health system if and when they need it. Children can also benefit from basic dental costs covered by Medicare until they’re 17.
We know as a single parent you’re probably time poor. That’s why our online comparison tool has been designed to show you a range of options from our health funds in a few short minutes.
Whether you’re looking for health insurance for single mothers or a policy for solo dads, simply mix and match what your family needs from hospital and extras, and leave out what you don’t.
Do you need health insurance as a single parent?
Single parents have the option to purchase private health insurance for their children only under a dependant-child policy although this is rare. This would mean that your children are protected, however you would not receive cover for unexpected medical costs.
Children-only policies may not be the best use of money with many funds providing cover for dependants at no extra costs. You may also have to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge if your income exceeds the threshold and you don’t have hospital cover, even if your children are insured.
What age will my children be covered until?
Take out private health insurance and your children will be covered under your policy until their 31st birthday depending on circumstances. Once they’re over the age of 31 they’ll need to take out their own health insurance.
For insurance purposes, providers separate dependants into three categories:
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1. Child dependant
Up until the age of 17 a dependant who is unmarried and reliant on the policyholder for financial support is considered a ‘child dependant’.
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2. Student dependant
If your child is aged between 18 and 31 years old, studying full-time and unmarried, they’re classified as a ‘student dependant’.
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3. Adult dependant
For unmarried dependants aged between 18 and 31 years old who aren’t studying full time, they’re considered an ‘adult dependant’. Some funds will charge an additional loading to insure adult dependants under the single parent health policy.
What if you’re planning to expand your family?
If you’re considering having more children and wish to be covered by private health insurance, you’ll need to upgrade your policy in advance. All insurance covering pregnancy and birth-related services have a standard 12-month waiting period.
It’s recommended you upgrade your level of cover at least three months before you attempt to conceive. You’ll need to look for a policy that covers these services or add this benefit to your current policy.
If your policy covers pregnancy, it will typically include accommodation at a private hospital of your choice, labour ward expenses, and the doctors’ fees. Full or part payment of your obstetrician is typically covered and under some policies, prenatal classes are also included.
If you require assisted reproductive services such as IVF, insurance policies that cover them will typically include in-hospital procedures related to egg collection and embryo transfer.
It’s important to note, you should expect some out-of-pocket expenses for out-of-hospital services related to pregnancy and assisted reproduction including specialists’ consultations. While some of these services can be claimed with Medicare, your private health insurance only covers those provided in-hospital.
What if you’re in the process of getting divorced?
If you’re in the process of getting a divorce or separating from your partner there are a few things to keep in mind.
Switching policies
If you’ve previously had family cover, you can easily switch to a single parent policy over the phone or online without incurring any fees, as long as the level of cover remains the same. However, if you paid your annual insurance premium as a lump sum for your existing policy, you may not receive this money back. This may be a great opportunity to reassess your level of cover and compare policies with a variety of funds.
Waiting periods
When you switch to a comparable cover, you won’t need to re-serve the waiting periods you completed on your family policy. However, if you allow your policy to lapse during your separation or divorce, you may be forced to endure waiting periods for pre-existing conditions and other forms of cover such as the 12 months for major dental work.
LET US HELP YOU FIND THE VALUE COVER YOU DESERVE AS A SINGLE PARENT
As mums and dads flying solo, you have a unique set of needs and you’re most likely stretched for time. We have one of the biggest numbers of funds and policies to compare, choose and buy from online in Australia.
Don’t waste time browsing a whole host of websites looking for the right health insurance single parents policy. Simply follow the prompts below to compare the policies of funds all in one convenient place.
If you have any questions or queries with your single health insurance, we have friendly staff who are all health insurance experts. You can call one of our team on 1300 806 119
