Health premiums to rise by another $200. Here’s how to shop around!
The exodus from private health insurance looks set to continue with predictions of another annual increase of almost $200 for an average family. 
But before you drop or reduce your cover, be sure to take advantage of the Club offers with HealthInsuranceComparison.com.au and HCF. (Details below.)
Health Minister Greg Hunt has predicted to media this week that premiums will rise again on April 1 by about 4%.
The Government says this is the lowest increase in over a decade but it’s cold comfort; even 4% will mean an average family policy has risen from about $2500 to over $4500 in 10 years.
News Corp papers reported that health fund membership began declining in 2015 from a peak of 47.4% of the population to 45.8% late last year, and gap payments paid to surgeons by health fund members are up about 20 per cent, because of the Medicare rebate freeze.
But there is some hope for the over-50s, with a comparison service that targets older policyholders claiming it saved 100 older customers an average of $375^ on their premium last year.
We’ve teamed up with HealthInsuranceComparison.com.au to see what they can save our members.
When you first arrive at HealthInsuranceComparison.com.au you’ll be asked for some basic details like your family type and home state. The system then searches its extensive database of policies to show you policies targeted to your needs, side by side so you can make an informed choice.
Since launching, thousands of Australians have already jumped on board. Over 20,000 Australians used HealthInsuranceComparison.com.au to compare health insurance in March last year, for example, citing saving money as their number one reason for using the site.
It’s worthwhile to remember that the government operates a free site with no strings attached, privatehealth.gov.au, if you want to see every policy on the market. But the government website won’t answer your questions over the phone, which is where commercial comparison sites have an advantage.
Here at the Club, we recommend you try a service such as HealthInsuranceComparison.com.au before you drop out of the system altogether.
Or you can always check out the Club’s member offer with HCF at this link.
Click here to see what you can save with HealthInsuranceComparison.com.au
^ Savings figure is based on data from 100 customers of Choosewell/HealthInsuranceComparison.com.au, analysis conducted Jan-Mar 2016.
