Extras cover in private health insurance

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Written by Joshua Malin
Reviewed by Steven Spicer
Updated 26 November 2024

Extras cover explained

Extras health insurance explained by Dr Ginni Mansberg.
Dr Ginni Mansberg
Health
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Why take out extras cover?

Extras cover is particularly useful if you use out-of-hospital medical services as it can be used to maintain your health and improve your quality of life. The benefits of an extras policy can include:

  • Cover for out-of-hospital services such as dental check-ups, physiotherapy and chiropractic
  • Contributing to the cost of health products such as prescription glasses, hearing aids and orthotics
  • Ambulance cover on select policies depending on your state of residence
  • Cover for some non-PBS pharmaceuticals

Choosing the best extras cover for your needs

Everyone is unique and there isn’t a universal policy that will suit everybody. The right extras policy for you will depend on your budget and healthcare needs. However, there are a few things you might like to consider before you decide to take out a policy:

  • Level of cover. When you take out extras insurance, you’ll need to choose the level of cover you think suits you best. Higher levels of cover are typically more expensive, in exchange for higher benefit limits and a wider range of services included.
  • Life stage. Depending on your life stage, your extras cover needs could vary significantly.
  • Claim limits. There is a wide range of percentage and dollar limits that affect the amount you can claim on an extras policy. You’ll want to fully understand how these limits affect you before committing to a new extras policy.

Expert tips for extras health insurance

Our health insurance expert, Steven Spicer, has put together some helpful tips on how to take advantage of extras health insurance.

Steven Spicer
Executive General Manager – Health, Life & Energy

Consider your limits

Keep an eye out for the individual limits (the total amount you can claim) but also how much you can get back per visit. Take physiotherapy for example; people who regularly visit a physiotherapist may choose to have higher limits with lower returns, whilst others opt for a smaller limit with big returns as they might only visit now and then.

Look for preferred providers

Some health funds have ‘preferred providers’ that they have agreements with for common extras services, such as dental and physiotherapy. These agreements usually provide members with more transparent pricing and reduced costs due to better negotiations. Just keep in mind that if you go to a provider outside of these agreements, you may have higher out-of-pocket costs.

Use your limits before they reset

The amount you can claim back on most extras resets annually, but it’s worth knowing that the definition of annual varies depending on the fund you’re with. The vast majority of funds refresh at the end of the calendar year, while others are based on the financial year or your membership year. Check your policy details for when your limits reset so you can get the most value out of your cover.

What is extras cover?

Extras cover (otherwise known as general or ancillary cover) is a type of health insurance that covers you for out-of-hospital medical care. Also called ancillary cover or general treatment, it covers a range of services that aren’t included under Medicare, like dental treatment, prescription glasses, physio, acupuncture and more. They’re typically treatments you may rely on regularly throughout the year and can attract ongoing costs each time you visit.

Services covered by extras health insurance

Are there different levels of extras health insurance?

Extras cover is typically available in three different levels. However, this can vary depending on your provider.

Top-level ancillary cover will typically include more extras services and have high payable benefit limits and annual limits. In comparison, lower-level policies (basic or medium extras) may limit you to a smaller range of services and pay a lower rebate or lower annual limit.

Basic extras cover

Medium extras cover

Top extras cover

How extras health insurance benefits and limits work

All extras policies have benefit limits on how much you can claim per year for each specific treatment.

The amount you’ll receive will depend on which service you’re claiming and the maximum limit your policy provides. Another factor is whether your health fund pays a certain percentage of the costs or up to a set dollar amount.

Percentage limit

Dollar limit

When will my limits renew?

How extras benefits are paid

Is extras cover worth it?

Extras could be worth it if you regularly visit non-Medicare services (like your dentist or chiro) or if you want to reduce surprise expenses. Based on the number of claims you make on your policy each year, an extras policy can be good value for money. Most people can find at least one feature in an extras policy they would benefit from year-round.

For example, if you don’t want to pay the full cost of dental check-ups yourself or you play sports and need regular physiotherapy appointments, you could benefit from an extras policy. Or if you have children who may require braces or glasses, having extras health insurance could help pay for these expensive products and services.

How much does extras health insurance cover cost?

Should I get extras cover, hospital cover or combined cover?

Important things to know about extras health insurance

You can’t avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge by taking out extras only health insurance

Extras cover comes with waiting periods

You can get extras cover with a pre-existing condition

You can get an extras health insurance policy for your whole family

Meet our health insurance expert, Steven Spicer

Steven Spicer
Executive General Manager – Health, Life & Energy

As the Executive General Manager of Health, Life and Energy, Steven Spicer is a strong believer in the benefits of private cover and knows just how valuable the peace of mind that comes with cover can be. He is passionate about demystifying the health insurance industry and advocates for the benefits of comparison when it comes to saving money on your premiums.

1 Commonwealth Ombudsman (Private Health Insurance Ombudsman) – Waiting periods for private health insurance. (accessed May 2023)