06 Oct Have you used your health fund benefits yet?
10 weeks to go until your health fund resets!
How much of your health fund extras are you actually using?
If you have private health insurance with extras cover, there is a good chance you are paying for benefits that you are not fully using.
Health insurance premiums have continued to rise over the years, so it makes sense to check what you are entitled to and make sure you are getting some value back from the cover you are paying for.
And here is the important bit: many health funds reset their extras limits at the end of the calendar year. Any unused annual benefits may simply disappear when your limit resets.
So, with around 10 weeks to go, now is a great time to check your remaining benefits.
Here are a few ways to make the most of your extras cover:
- Check what you have left
Log into your health fund app or contact your fund and check your current extras balance.
You may be surprised at what you still have available.
If you have benefits remaining, think about the things you have been putting off. A dental check-up, new glasses, physiotherapy or remedial massage could all be worth considering, depending on what your policy covers.
Remember, benefits and limits vary between funds, so always check your individual policy.
- Look beyond the person who normally uses the fund
In many families, one person seems to use all the extras while everyone else barely touches theirs.
If your partner or children are covered, check whether they have unused benefits, too.
Have you been meaning to get your kids’ spines checked? Has your teenager been complaining about their back or neck? Could your partner benefit from some remedial massage?
You have already paid for the cover, so it is worth knowing what your family is entitled to use.
- Do not wait until you are really sore
Physiotherapy is not only for injuries.
Sometimes it is the little things that gradually become big things: a stiff neck, an annoying shoulder, a hip that does not move quite as well as it used to, or a recurring niggle that you have learned to ignore.
A physiotherapy assessment can identify areas that may need attention and give you strategies to keep moving well and reduce the chance of a small problem becoming a bigger one.
And if you already have an injury or persistent pain, there is certainly no prize for waiting until it gets worse!
- Use your massage benefits
If you have remedial massage included in your extras cover and still have benefits available, now could be a good time to use them.
You do not necessarily need to book a long treatment. Depending on your health fund and your practitioner, a shorter appointment may allow you to address a particular area while keeping your out-of-pocket cost lower.
Your body has carried you through another year. It deserves a little maintenance too!
- Keep moving with Pilates
Our Pilates classes are designed to help you build strength, mobility, balance and body awareness while exercising in a safe and supported environment.
If your health fund provides a benefit towards Physio treatment, it will usually cover GROUP physio (not Pilates) – check your remaining limit and make sure you know when your benefit period resets. If you have been thinking about a class, maybe this is the nudge you needed.
The important thing…
Do not assume you have nothing left to claim.
Take five minutes to check your health fund app or give them a call. Find out:
• What extras benefits do I still have available?
• When do my limits reset?
• What services are covered?
• Are there any annual limits or sub-limits I should know about?
Then decide whether there is something you have been putting off that could benefit you or your family.
Ten weeks might sound like plenty of time, but December has a sneaky habit of arriving very quickly!
If you have benefits remaining for physiotherapy, remedial massage or eligible Physio Group services, we would love to help you make the most of them.
Call Physio Fit Studio on 02 6674 4142 and ask for Kath to discuss further.
Please remember that health fund rules, benefits and reset dates vary between policies. Check directly with your health fund to confirm what you are covered for.
Call: (02) 6674 4142