Stages of Health Insurance Guide

With private health insurance you won’t have to wait on public hospital waiting lists when you need treatment.
In comparison, waiting times for treatment as a public patient in a public hospital under Medicare are on average:
• 4 months for removal of tonsils (120 days)
• 1.5+ weeks for coronary bypass surgery (13 days)
• 3.5+ months for hip replacement surgery (114 days)
• 6+ months for knee replacement surgery (188 days)

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian hospital statistics 2015-2016: elective surgery waiting times.

The Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) is a government tax on top of the normal Medicare Levy and impacts singles with a taxable income of over $93,000 for singles and $186,000 for families. 

Holding any AAMI Health Insurance Hospital Cover product means you won’t pay the MLS if your income is above the government threshold and you maintain your hospital cover for the full financial year.

Read the AAMI Health Insurance Policy Booklet for more information.

Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading is a government charge which adds 2% on to the price you pay for Hospital Cover if you sign up after 30 June following your 31st birthday. The loading increases by 2% for every year you don’t join, up to a maximum of 70% and can only be removed after 10 years of continuous Hospital Cover.

For example, if you sign up at the age of 40 you’ll pay an extra 20% for your Hospital Cover compared to someone who joined aged 31.

Find out more

1 day: Accidental Injury; Emergency Ambulance.

2 months: Palliative Care; Rehabilitation; Psychiatric Treatment; Hospital Treatment not related to a pre-existing condition.

12 months: Pregnancy and Birth Services; Pre-existing Conditions: When a customer has shown symptoms of a condition during the 6 months prior to joining this health fund or upgrading their Hospital Cover. This does not apply to Palliative Care, Rehabilitation or Psychiatric services.

Not all of the above services are included with each level of Health Insurance cover. Waiting periods apply to customers not currently covered for these services. Use our Health Insurance comparison table to see the complete list of included and excluded services.

We don’t cover procedures or hospital costs associated with cosmetic procedures to enhance appearance.