Health Partners offers six hospital cover options — all of which provide you with a range of benefits in any participating hospital of your choice (private or public), Australia-wide. The table below summarises the services covered on each of the levels.

Excess and Co-payment Options

With Health Partners you can select a hospital cover with an excess and co-payment that suits you. Applying a co-payment to your membership reduces your health cover contributions — without reducing your benefits — and is only payable if you are admitted to hospital.

To reduce your contributions even more, you can select a cover with an excess and a co-payment — the choice is yours.

What is an Excess?

An excess is the amount you have to pay towards your hospital accommodation, should you need to go to hospital. This is payable on admission, once only per person (to a maximum of twice per membership), per floating year.

What is a co-payment?

The co-payment is the daily amount you agree to pay (in addition to any applicable excess) towards your hospital accomodation. The co-payment is limited to a maximum of 10 days per person (to a maximum of 20 days per membership), per floating year.

With all Gold Hospital covers, we will waive the co-payment that would normally apply if your dependant child is admitted to hospital.

Co-payments are in addition to any out-of-pocket expenses (also knows as ‘gaps’) incurred for in-hospital medical treatment. For information on reducing your out-of-pocket expenses, refer to 'Reduce the Gap with Access Gap Cover' below.

The table below summarises the various excess and co-payment options and maximum limits.

Your Options

For more information on Gold Hospital cover click here.

For more information on Silver Hopsital cover click here.

For more information on Bronze Hospital cover click here.

Additional Features & Details

The following information introduces you to additional important features and details about Hospital Cover.

The Medical Gap

The benefits you are entitled to for in-patient medical services are based on the Commonwealth Medicare Benefits Schedule. When you are admitted to hospital, Medicare pays 75% of the Medicare Schedule Fee and Health Partners covers the remaining 25%. The gap is the amount charged above the Medicare Scheduled Fee, which you pay.

Access Gap Cover

With Health Partners Access Gap Cover you can also eliminate or reduce the gap for specialist care in hospital.

Lifetime Health Cover

No Lifetime Health Cover loading is applicable to any member who is under 31 years of age or who has maintained private hospital cover since 1 July 2000. For more information on Lifetime Health Cover click here.

Medicare Levy Surcharge

The Medicare Levy Surcharge is a 1% surcharge imposed on people who earn above a certain income and who do not have private hospital cover. This is in addition to the standard Medicare Levy of 1.5%.

With any Health Partners Hospital Cover you will avoid paying the Medicare Levy Surcharge and you will be covered as a private patient in any participating hospital of your choice Australia-wide. For more information on Medicare Levy click here.

Early Discharge Program

All levels of Health Partners Hospital cover provide an Early Discharge Program with the primary aim of assisting you to leave hospital earlier and get back to the comfort of your own home, providing services such as wound management, IV medication, personal care and home help.

All cases are individually reviewed by the hospital prior to your discharge to the care of your GP, with a care plan developed appropriate to your clinical needs.

For more information on the Early Discharge Program click here.

Strive for Health Program

All levels of Hospital Cover also provide access to the Strive for Health Program. This program is designed to support members who may need some extra help when it comes to managing their health. Enrolment in the program is individually assessed.

Private Patients' Hospital Charter

The Private Patients' Hospital Charter (PDF 346Kb) is a guide on your rights and responsibilities as a private patient in a private, public or day hospital. The guide is issued by the Minister of Health and Ageing and is available from Health Partners.

Surgery - Your Choice of Prosthesis.

For most surgical procedures there is a choice of prostheses available. They can vary in cost and comparative benefits. The Federal Government introduced a new prostheses arrangement that will be effective 31 October 2005. These changes mean that you and your surgeon will be able to choose a prosthesis from the prostheses list, that will be fully covered by Health Partners. When you and your doctor choose a prosthesis from this list you will have no gap amount to pay.

Other more expensive prostheses may be available for your surgery, but if you agree to have one of these, you will have to pay a gap amount. The gap amount is the difference between the prosthesis you and your surgeon choose and the other effective, clinically similar products available at no gap.

Your doctor can advise you which prosthesis is the best for you and which no gap prostheses are available.

For further information download the New Prostheses Arrangement.

Please contact us prior to admission, on 1300 113 113.