Are you a private health care family? It can sometimes be hard to decide whether private health cover will benefit your family, with many myths and uninformed sources of information available out there. If you are considering going private, we have 5 ways private health cover can benefit your family.

This post is in collaboration with national private health cover provider, Peoplecare. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

5 ways private health cover can benefit your family

1 Choosing your own obstetrician

For some women in pregnancy, choosing your own obstetrician is really important. Pregnancy can be overwhelming and with so much going on, having consistency of care can make a huge difference in alleviating anxiety. Having your doctor know your full medical history can be hugely beneficial, especially if you have a complicated medical history or a high-risk pregnancy. With private health cover, you can choose your own obstetrician and they’ll be there to support you throughout your entire pregnancy, even at the time of birth.

2 Less time waiting for procedures

Often kids (or even adults) end up needing non-urgent medical procedures; like having their tonsils out, grommets, repairing sports injuries and more. When it comes to these non- emergency procedures it can take months to have these procedures done in the public health system. While sometimes you’re happy to wait, six months can be a very long time when you’re dealing with things like frequent tonsillitis or reoccurring ear infections. In our family, we have had two tonsillectomies and a round of grommets, plus tooth extractions under general anaesthetic – all of which I’m very thankful we had private health cover for!

3 Better mental health support

Becoming a parent can often have an impact on your mental health. New mums can suffer from post-natal depression that can go on for years after they have a baby. Through the private health system, there are a lot more options for immediate mental health treatment. Take Peoplecare’s MindStep program as an example. It’s a phone-based mental health coaching program for Peoplecare members on selected covers, designed to go hand-in-hand with the usual care given by your health care professional, to help you manage the symptoms of anxiety or depression. You get your very own health coach dedicated to supporting you to take positive steps to achieve social and emotional wellbeing. Talk about adding value!

4 Extra Care

I’ve lost count of the number of friends I have that need to take their children to things like speech therapy, occupational therapy, the podiatrist, the orthodontist and other services. One great thing that private health cover offers is assistance in paying for all of these things. One of my daughters has a lot of dental issues and the fact that her dentist charges me nothing for a no gap check-up has saved me so much money. My older daughter went through years of orthodontics and we ended up getting thousands of dollars back all up. Without private health cover, we would’ve been out-of-pocket for all expenses, and we’re talking thousands of dollars.

5 Avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge

As we all know, come tax time, the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) is something we all want to avoid paying if possible. The MLS is paid by high income earners who don’t have private hospital cover. The surcharge is between 1% and 1.5% (depending on your household income) and is paid on top of the 2% Medicare Levy paid by most Australian tax payers. The base income threshold (under which you are not liable to pay the MLS) is $90,000 for singles and $180,000 for families. However, if you have private health cover, you don’t need to pay it.

And a bonus one… make sure when you are selecting your private health cover provider you look for one that is about you, rather than about profit. Peoplecare is a national non-profit health fund that is entirely member owned. This means you’re an equal member, not someone just lining the pockets of some big company, and proof that you don’t have to go bigger to get better. Oh, and as an extra bonus? If you call them an actual human will answer the phone! It’s rare these days.

Hopefully this has helped you weigh up whether private health cover is right for your family. Just remember that it’s essential you read the product disclosure statements on any insurances you buy and make sure you find the right cover for you.

If you would like to find out more about Peoplecare, visit www.peoplecare.com.au.