Health

Nurses First health insurance

Everyone should be able to select a health cover plan that suits their individual lifestyle and budget, and offers ways to save.

Nurses First has a range of comprehensive, value for money health care options that can be tailored to your needs. Our health insurance allows you to mix and match your own choice of hospital cover, dental and ancillary cover, excess and payment options.

Hospital Cover:

• Great Value Gold Hospital Cover
• Single Parents Hospital Cover
• Young Couples Hospital Cover
• Better Singles Saver Hospital Cover
• Public Hospital Cover

Packages (hospital and extras):

• Young Singles Start Package

Extras Cover:

• Great Value Gold Extras Cover J
• Standard Extras Cover A
• Sports Extras Cover P

To find out more about health insurance:

• View our health insurance rates, by downloading the summary rate sheet.
• See our frequently asked questions below.
• Call 1800 815 342 to speak with an Insurance consultant or make an online enquiry.

	Get a quote online, or call 1800 815 342.
	Call 1800 815 342, or visit our branch.

Save money on your health insurance

There are a number of ways that you can make significant savings on your Nurses First health insurance.

• Choose the right cover. Selecting the right cover with the options and features you really need can deliver significant savings.
• Excess. An excess is a way of sharing the cost of your hospital care and reducing your premiums. If you don't think you're likely to spend much time in hospital, an excess is a great way to save money. By selecting an amount you are prepared to pay before claiming, you can significantly reduce your premiums. For example, if you have a $100 excess, you will pay the first $100 of any hospital bill within a given year.
• Claim the Federal Government rebate on private health insurance - Provided you have full Medicare eligibility, you can pay 30 to 40% less on your contributions with the Federal Government rebate. The rebate is available regardless of your income or type of cover and varies by age.
• Avoid Lifetime health cover loadings - This Federal Government initiative encourages people to take out hospital cover earlier in life. By taking out hospital cover by the 1st of July after your 31st birthday, you'll pay base contribution rates. However if you don't, you'll pay a loading of 2% on this base rate for every year you are over 30 when you join, up to a maximum of 70% at the age of 65. Once you have paid a LHC loading on your private health insurance for 10 continuous years, the loading is removed as long as you retain your hospital cover.
• Avoid the Medicare levy surcharge - If your taxable income exceeds $50,000 per year ($100,000 for families, couples and single parents) you'll have to pay an additional 1% of your income as a Medicare levy surcharge if you don't have eligible hospital cover. By taking out an eligible hospital cover you can avoid this extra surcharge. Depending on your income, it may even cost you less to enjoy the benefits of hospital cover than pay the Medicare levy surcharge.

Frequently asked questions: health insurance

• Why have private health cover? 
• How do I make a claim? 
• What are waiting periods? 

Why have private health cover?

Medicare only covers you for hospital and medical expenses in a public hospital, as a public patient. You have no choice of doctor and it is likely you will be treated in a shared ward. There may also be substantial waiting lists for your treatment. With hospital cover, you can avoid the waiting list for elective treatment in public hospitals and be treated promptly in a private hospital. You have choice of doctor and the flexibility of choosing where you are treated. With extras cover, you can receive benefits for a range of dental or ancillary services such as optical, physiotherapy, chiropractic or pharmacy.

How do I make a claim?

Health care providers who bulk bill or use electronic payment systems will usually settle the matter on the spot. As the Police & Nurses Health plan is underwritten by GMHBA, you can present your original itemised receipt and/or account for the treatment to your nearest  GMHBA office or mail a completed claim form and your original itemised account/receipt to GMHBA. Claims can also be lodged at any Medicare office in Australia. They will then forward them on to GMHBA for processing.

What are waiting periods?

If you are new to health insurance or increasing your cover, waiting periods will apply to benefits. This is to protect existing members' funds from those who wait until they are sick, and then join a health fund just to claim large sums immediately. However, you can rest assured that you are covered for bodily injuries resulting from accidents from day one.

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