The Federal Government provides a rebate on health insurance to all Australians eligible for Medicare who are members of a registered health fund, in recognition of the contribution that those with private health insurance are making to their own health care costs.

This rebate is now age and income tested. This rebate is available on all ACA Health hospital and extras products.

Please visit the Private Health Website to check if a rebate applies to your age and income level.

As a member of ACA Health Benefits Fund you can choose the rebate claiming method that best suits you.

You can receive the rebate as either:

• A premium reduction through ACA Health; or
• A refundable tax rebate in your annual tax return

Lifetime Health Cover is a Government initiative that rewards those who take out and maintain hospital cover at a younger age with lower premiums throughout their life (compared to someone who joins later in life).

To lock in the lowest premiums for life under Lifetime Health Cover, a person needs to take out hospital cover with a registered fund before the first July 1 following their 31st birthday. After 31, the younger you join, the lower your premiums will be.

Under Lifetime Health Cover, health funds are required to charge people who were not members of a hospital cover prior to 1 July 2000, 2% extra on top of the normal premiums for every year they are aged over 30 when they first take out hospital cover.

For more information on Lifetime Health Cover, please refer to the Private Health website or contact us.

On joining health insurance for the first time, waiting periods must be served before benefits will be paid on all hospital and general treatment covers with ACA Health. The exception to this is where you have an accident, not related to pre-existing condition, and you require hospital and/or ambulance treatment.

If you transfer from another fund within 60 days of terminating your old cover, then normal waiting periods are waived and our benefits up to the level of your previous cover may be paid immediately, subject to financial continuity.

Waiting periods

The Mental Health waiting period exemption for higher benefit is available to each insured person on a hospital policy one in their lifetime and will apply from the beginning of a current admission if the election (fund was notified) was made within 5 days of admission, if not from the date of the election (fund notification received) where;

• The 2 month psychiatric/rehabilitation period has been served
• It is for psychiatric or drug and alcohol related treatment