What is Bronze health insurance?
Private hospital health insurance policies in Australia are split into four main tiers–Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic. Each tier is determined by the minimum level of cover it offers (e.g. hospital-related treatment and services).
Bronze health insurance is the third highest tier of hospital cover, sitting above Basic, but below Silver and Gold.
What is covered by Bronze health insurance?
Bronze health insurance offers the same minimum coverage requirements as Basic, which is hospital rehabilitation, psychiatric services and palliative care on a restrictive basis. A restrictive basis means that you’ll only be partially covered for these services as a private patient in a public hospital.
Bronze health insurance also includes an additional 18 clinical categories (hospital treatments and services):
- Brain and nervous system
- Eye (not cataracts)
- Ear, nose and throat
- Tonsils, adenoids and grommets
- Bone, joint and muscle
- Joint reconstructions
- Kidney and bladder
- Male reproductive system
- Digestive system
- Hernia and appendix
- Gastrointestinal endoscopy
- Gynaecology
- Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy
- Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy for cancer
- Pain management
- Skin
- Breast surgery (medically necessary)
- Diabetes management (excluding insulin pumps)
What does Bronze health insurance not cover?
Bronze health insurance policies are not required to cover the following 17 clinical categories:
- Heart and vascular system
- Lung and chest
- Blood
- Back, neck and spine
- Plastic and reconstructive surgery (medically necessary)
- Dental surgery
- Podiatric surgery
- Implantation of hearing devices
- Cataracts
- Joint replacements
- Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
- Pregnancy and birth
- Assisted reproductive services
- Weight loss surgery
- Insulin pumps
- Pain management with a device
- Sleep studies
‘General’ treatment and services, such as dental or physio, won’t be covered by your policy either, unless you’ve taken out an ‘extras’ policy alongside your Bronze hospital cover.
What is ‘Bronze Plus’ health insurance?
A Bronze Plus policy is one that includes additional coverage outside of the minimum standard required for Bronze tier health insurance. For example, you could have a Bronze Plus policy that includes cover for dental surgery, which is a minimum standard available under a Silver or Gold policy.
It’s up to your chosen insurance provider whether or not it offers ‘Plus’ policies and what clinical categories are included in them. Check with the provider to see what is and isn’t covered, as well as read the policy’s Private Health Information Statement (PHIS) for more details.
How much is Bronze health insurance?
The cost of Bronze health insurance can vary depending on several factors, such as the provider you choose, the policy you select, the excess you’re willing to pay, and where you live. The price of your premiums will also depend on who you’re covering (i.e. yourself, you and your partner or your whole family).
In addition, if you’re taking out hospital cover for the first time and you’re over 31, you may pay higher premium costs due to Lifetime Health Cover (LHC). LHC is a 2% loading amount on your hospital cover premiums for every year you’re aged over 31, based on your age on the 1st of July prior to you taking out cover.
If you’re eligible, you may be able to use the Government’s Private Health Insurance Rebate to lower the cost of your premiums. The Private Health Insurance Rebate is an amount the Federal Government contributes towards your private health insurance costs. But the rebate is income tested, meaning your eligibility will depend on your annual income.
Is Bronze health insurance worth it?
You may find that a Bronze health insurance policy is worth it for you if it’s within your budget and if it gives you some peace of mind knowing that you’ll be covered for certain hospital procedures.
If you don’t think you’ll need coverage for any of the treatments or services that a Bronze policy provides and are mainly looking to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) or LHC, you may find that a Basic policy offers better value for you. A Bronze health insurance policy may also not be worth it for you if you wish to be covered for a larger range of hospital procedures, which you may find in a Bronze Plus, Silver or Gold policy.
