| Publication: | Courier Mail |
|---|---|
| Date: | 28 July 2008 |
| Section: | Money & You |
| Page: | 29 |
Article excerpt:
Will you dump your health insurance if there's no tax incentive to keep it? Can you think of better ways to spend the $1200 on average each member pays each year for private hospital cover?
Forking out for the annual premium can seem like such a waste of money if you are fit and healthy. Since universal health care was introduced in 1972, many Australians see it as a right. These same people can pay upwards of $100 for a haircut but expect to get their eyes tested for free.
... But soon the decision of whether or not to stay with your health fund is going to get a lot harder for the 44.6 per cent of Australians with cover, across the 44 various open and restricted funds.
David Miller, founder of moneytime.com.au – which compares health funds for consumers free – says many consumers will be hit by inertia and not cut up their policies if the levy threshold changes. "I don't think that people are going to be physically worse off," he says. "But this is a great opportunity to have a look at your cover and see that you are in the right fund, and work out which funds offer the best value for the things you want cover for.
