Hospital

What is an Excess?

An excess is the amount you need to pay to the hospital when you're admitted (this amount varies, depending on which policy you have),when you’re admitted to private and/or public hospital. Paying an excess allows health.com.au to cover your room fees, theatre fees, medication, food and service from doctors and nurses, until you’re discharged and able to leave.

What are my choices of excess?

Depending on your policy, we currently have products that come with a $750, $500, $250 or a $0 excess.

Bear in mind that if you’d like to change your excess to a lower amount ($500 excess to $250, for example), you’ll need to serve a 12 month waiting period prior to being able to use the new excess amount. During that 12 month waiting period, you’ll have to pay your current excess amount if admitted to hospital, until all waits are served. (This is common practice across all health funds.)

So how much excess do I need to pay in a calendar year?

That'll depend on how many people you have under your insurance policy. If you’re on a singles policy, you’ll only need to pay one excess in a calendar year, meaning any subsequent admissions wouldn’t attract an excess for the rest of the calendar year, right up until the 31st of December. 

If you’re on a single parent, couple or family policy, 2 excesses are payable for the calendar year. For example, if you have a $500 excess on a couples cover, you’ll have pay an excess twice up to a limit of $1000. Keep in mind that one person on the policy can pay both excesses, or one for each member, depending on who has a hospital admission/admissions during the calendar year. Once the limit of 2 excesses is hit for the calendar year, there are no more excesses payable on admissions for the rest of the calendar year.

Do children pay an excess?

No. Any dependants on a policy with health.com.au don't pay an excess when being admitted to private hospital.

If you’ve got any further questions or queries about your excess, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line.