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Private Hospital Guide

Understand your hospital cover and reduce stress during your stay with our simple hospital guide.

Everything you need to know about private hospital

Whether you’re purchasing hospital cover for the first time or preparing for your hospital stay as an HBF member, we’re here to support you. We’ve pulled together a collection of articles to help you understand hospital insurance so you can get the most value from your cover.

Understanding the private hospital system

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Learn how the Australian Government Rebate on private health insurance works.
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We explain what health insurance is, how it works and how it could benefit you.
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Discover the differences between the private and public hospital systems, and what your options are as a private patient.
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Find out how the Lifetime Health Cover loading works and how it might affect you.
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Find out how the Medicare Levy Surcharge works and whether it will affect your tax return.
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Knowing what you’re covered for

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A simple guide to hospital cover and how it works.
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We break down what waiting periods are, why we have them and how they affect you.
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Sometimes you’ll have to pay for part of a treatment out of your own pocket. We explain when this happens and how to minimise the cost.
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Using your hospital cover

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Learn about how your cover works, accessing specialists and common out-of-pocket costs.
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Learn about common hospital treatments, what costs to expect, and how to get the most from your health insurance.
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What to expect when you’re leaving hospital - and how we can help you on your road to recovery.
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HBF Member Plus is a large network of health providers that helps members get more value and minimise out-of-pocket expenses.
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Learn how Access Gap Cover works and how HBF members can benefit.
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Learn how we can help you spend less on looking after your health.
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We share what you need to know about going to hospital so you can feel more confident about your stay.
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