HCF health insurance review

Hospital Coverage

• HCF Hospital Bronze Plus. Hospital cover designed for the healthy and budget conscious. It covers accidents, intensive care and accommodation, plus joint reconstructions, digestive system and more.
• HCF Hospital Standard Silver Plus. Affordable hospital cover for some common treatments including heart surgery, back, neck and spine, plus more.
• HCF Hospital Silver Plus. Comprehensive hospital cover for those who don't need cover for pregnancy.
• HCF Hospital Gold. The HCF top hospital cover option aims to provide premium hospital health care protection and peace of mind to members.

• See table of all included treatments

Extras coverage

• HCF Starter Extras. This basic extras policy gives you 100% back on 1 dental check per year at participating providers and a $350 limit per person.
• HCF Starter Extras (with optical). Covers the same services as Starter Extras but also includes optical, including glasses and contact lenses, and has a $400 limit per person.
• HCF Mid Extras. This comprehensive policy gives you 100% back on up to 2 dental checks per year. It also includes prescription glasses (excluding some add-ons) and free digital retinal imaging eye check as well as cover on a range of therapies.
• HCF Vital Extras. For around $50 a month you can get a range of important services on a range of therapies as well as everything in the Mid Extras.
• HCF Top Extras. The most comprehensive cover, this one gives you higher annual limits and increases your loyalty limits each year.

Combined coverage

Looking for both hospital and extras cover? You can combine any hospital policy and extras policy from the previous 2 tabs, or you can choose 1 of these 3 custom policies that combine hospital cover and extras cover that you can't buy on their own:

• My Future Basic Plus 250, 500 or 750. The hospital policy in this package is an enhanced Bronze policy offering cover for bones, joints, hernias, skin issues and dental surgery. The extras policy is quite basic, covering optical, general dental, major dental, a few therapies, emergency ambulance and some vaccines. You can choose between 3 different hospital excesses: $250, $500 or $750. A higher excess means lower premiums, but it also reduces your benefit limits on your extras policy.
• My Family Silver Plus. The hospital policy in this package offers more than what is required of a Silver policy, but slightly less than what you'd get through HCF's standalone Silver Plus policy since it doesn't cover kidney dialysis, insulin pumps, cataracts or joint replacements. That makes it ideal for families that want a high level of cover but may not need treatments that are largely associated with ageing. The extras policy covers optical, general dental, major dental, a range of therapies and emergency ambulance. Other than optical, you get a combined limit on the other treatments meaning you can spend your limits however you choose.
• My Family Advanced Silver Plus. The hospital policy in this package is practically the same as what you get in the My Family Silver Plus policy except that you get full cover for podiatric surgery rather than limited benefits. The extras policy is very similar as well, except you're covered for orthodontics, artificial health aids, podiatry and a few others. Your benefit limits are also slightly higher on a few extras treatments.

Ambulance coverage

Ambulance Cover from HCF is only available for residents of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Western Australia and the ACT. It provides cover for emergency ambulance travel provided by state government services anywhere in Australia.

You also have an annual cover limit for medically necessary, non-emergency ambulance services where your doctor requires you to be transported by ambulance, for up to $5,000. This occurs in situations where your condition needs to be monitored and the right medical support provided while you are in transit.

This cover is offered for singles, couples, families and single parent families, and there is no need to pay upfront for the ambulance service you use once you're insured.

Ambulance Cover is available as a standalone policy or with Cash Back Cover. Cash Back Cover offers a cash benefit to help you cover additional expenses that arise when you are sick or injured. Available from $2 a week for singles, Cash Back Cover provides:

• A $5,000 benefit for accidents requiring surgery
• A $5,000 benefit for serious specified medical conditions including malignant cancer, chronic kidney failure, heart disease requiring bypass surgery, heart attack OR stroke

You're also eligible to make multiple claims, up to a limit of $20,000 for singles and $40,000 for families.

Policy limitations, exclusions, waiting periods and excesses

Always check the conditions and the list of general exclusions to make sure you know what is and isn't covered. HCF will not pay your claim if:

• The ambulance transport you receive does not meet the approved definition supplied in the PDS. (For example, if it is for transport you receive when you are discharged from hospital.)
• You are covered by another arrangement, such as a state government ambulance subscription scheme.
• It is for transfers between hospitals.
• It is for transport provided by an ambulance service not recognised by HCF.

Are there waiting periods?

There are waiting periods which apply when you take out HCF Ambulance Cover. A 1-day waiting period applies to emergency ambulance. There is a 2-month waiting period for medically necessary non-emergency ambulance. If you require ambulance transport or treatment for a pre-existing ailment or condition, keep in mind that you will have to serve a 12-month waiting period.

How much does HCF Ambulance Cover cost?

There are several factors that can influence how much HCF Ambulance Cover costs:

• Whether you take out a singles, couples, family or single parent family policy.
• Whether you live in NSW, VIC, SA, NT, WA and the ACT.
• Your age and income have an impact on the amount of Australian Government private health insurance rebate you are entitled to.