Changes to your premium

Here’s what you need to know about the 1 October changes. We cover:

Premiums

• Your premium – what’s happening, when and why
• Average increases – what they mean for you
• Pre-paying your cover – when and how to do it

Benefits

• 2022 changes – Extras enhancements (from 1 April 2022)
• Insulin pump guidelines – how to get across the changes before 1 January 2023

Contact info

• How to get in touch if you have a question about your membership.

How will you update me on my premium?

We’ll send your premium notification via post or email, depending on your contact preference.

It’ll include your Private Health Information Statement and information on how and when you can pre-pay (if that’s an option for you).

All members also receive a copy in their Online Member Services mailbox.

Want to switch to email?

Here are two ways to check/update your contact preference:

Online Member Services

• • Login
  • Go to My membership
  • Select Contact details
  • Scroll down to Contact preferences
  • Click Edit to make a change.

Member app 

• • Menu icon (bottom right)
  • Membership
  • My contact details
  • Tap Edit to make a change.

See more on switching to email

When do increases apply from?

From the first payment on or after 1 October 2022. When that is will depend on your payment frequency and when you’re paid up to.

You can check your paid-to date via Online Member Services:

• Login
• Go to Payments
• Click on Contribution details
• See Paid-to date.

Why are premiums increasing when our cost of living is a big issue?

Premium increases are essential to meet the impact of:

• Rising healthcare costs
• Growing demand for health services
• Our ageing population.

We appreciate the cost of living is a growing concern across Australia. All we can say is that now, as ever, we are doing our utmost to keep costs as low as we can for members while continuing to operate sustainably.

 
Why are premiums increasing from 1 October 2022?

Earlier this year, we postponed all 1 April premium increases for six months – until 1 October 2022.

This enabled members to pay a lower premium for the six months leading up to October 2022.

This is just one way we were able to pass COVID-19 savings back to members.  Many other health funds chose to do the same.

Are all premiums increasing?

There won’t be any increase on these levels of Hospital cover:  

• Basic Hospital (Basic Plus) – all states
• Mid Classic (Silver Plus) – Vic and WA
• Mid Hospital (Basic Plus) – Vic and WA.

If you’re on one of the above, only your Extras cover will have an increase (if applicable).

There’s no increase on my Hospital cover, but my premium has changed slightly. Why?

Some members will notice a very small change in their premium due to a system adjustment. A change in rounding has resulted in premiums increasing or decreasing by 1-2c per payment.

Affected members will be informed in their premium notification.

I’m turning 65/70 – will my rebate increase?

This will be the case for some members. If you’re eligible for a higher Private Health Insurance Rebate, it’ll happen automatically – you don’t need to do anything.

If your milestone birthday is after we create your October 2022 premium notification, the figure quoted will be based on your pre-birthday rebate. As above, we’ll correct this for you, so no action required on your part.

What does the ‘industry average premium increase’ mean?

The average premium increase (2.70%) is an industry-wide number. In other words, it’s the average of all Australian health funds’ average increases!

The impact on any individual health fund member depends on the increase their fund sets for their level of cover in their state.

What does the ‘UniHealth average premium increase’ mean for me?

As above, not a lot! This figure is the average increase across all our health cover options. Some increases may be above the average, others below; some people will have no change at all. 

That’s why it’s important to focus on your premium notification.  

What is the UniHealth average premium increase?

For the record, our 2022 average increase is 2.17%.

Why should I pre-pay my health cover?

Because you’ll save money!

You can pre-pay up to 12 months of health cover (until 30 September 2023) at your current rate (premium).

To do this, we need to receive your payment by:

• Direct debit: 8pm (AEST) on 27 September 2022
• BPAY: 6pm (AEST) on 30 September 2022
• Credit card: 9pm (AEST) on 30 September 2022
  • Online Member Services – Payments > Pay by credit card > Enter details > Submit
  • Phone – call 1300 367 906 and follow the prompts

How can I figure out how much to pre-pay?

You can do this via Online Member Services:

• Login
• Go to Payments
• Select Premium calculator

From here you can either:

• Calculate Amount (enter a paid-to date)
• Calculate Date (enter a dollar amount)

I’m about to join UniHealth – can I pre-pay before premiums increase?

Yes – provided you join by 23 September 2022. If you join between 24 September and 1 October 2022, contact us so we can give you the info needed to pre-pay.

See more on pre-paying

Will there be any change to my benefits from 1 October 2022?

No, all the 2022 changes were applied on 1 April 2022.

See changes to Top Extras, Essential Extras and StarterPak

How can I check what I’m covered for?

You’ll find an overview of your benefits, limits, and per-person or sub-limits, on your Private Health Information Statement (PHIS).

You can access your PHIS anytime via your Online Member Services mailbox. They’re also enclosed with posted premium notifications.

Please read your PHIS carefully, as it’ll help you understand what you are, and aren’t, covered for. If you’d like to talk through your cover options, please contact us. 

What are the insulin pump guidelines?

We’ve introduced guidelines around claiming for insulin pumps and replacements.

By doing this, we help protect all members from the rising costs of health cover and make a fair process for all who need to claim for insulin pumps.

These guidelines will take effect from 1 January 2023.

See the insulin pump guidelines summary for more info.

How can I get in touch with UniHealth?

• Premium notifications – please note that you don’t need to confirm receipt of your UniHealth premium letter. We don’t want our valued members (including you!) to waste time on unnecessary admin.
  
  
• Your membership – if you have a question about your membership, cover or premium, we’re here to help on 1300 367 906 (Monday - Thursday 8am - 7pm, Friday 8am - 6pm, Saturday 8:30am – 12:30pm AEST).
  
  As this is an especially busy time, call wait times may be longer than usual. If so, please know we’re doing our best. And thanks in advance for your patience!
  
  
• Non-urgent enquiries – if your issue isn’t time-sensitive, here are some other ways to contact us.