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This article from Choice magazine features a Q&A format where readers ask questions on various topics and experts provide answers. The first question is about health insurance and the maximum Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading. The expert explains that there is a 2% surcharge for every additional year without cover, and advises the reader to contact their old insurer for a clearance certificate to correctly calculate the LHC. The second question is about finding a reliable contents insurance calculator, and the expert suggests using the one provided by the insurer or manually estimating the replacement cost of valuable items. The third question is about the safety of non-stick pans and non-toxic alternatives. The expert explains that non-stick pans made with Teflon are safe at lower heats, but there are concerns about toxins released at higher heats. Ceramic pans marketed as free from chemicals like PTFE and PFOA are suggested as non-toxic alternatives. The final question is about the legality of a company asking for full payment before carpet installation. The expert refers to the Australian Consumer Law and advises the reader to negotiate a fair and appropriate fee based on the guidelines provided. [Extracted from the article]

Make sure your health fund has a contract with the day hospital, or talk to your specialist or their receptionist and ask if they can charge you under your fund's gap scheme. Day hospitals are increasingly popular for a range of medical procedures, but there are some things to know if you want to maximise your benefit from private health insurance if you need to visit one. Alternatively, you can switch to a fund that has a contract with your day hospital up to the day before the surgery. [Extracted from the article]

Q For an upcoming trip to Europe my local independent travel agent quoted $4291 for Cover-More travel insurance. A CHOICE travel expert Jodi Bird: It's not unusual for insurers to charge different prices for essentially the same product that is sold under different brands. A Health insurance expert Uta Mihm: Unfortunately it isn't possible to get tailored hospital insurance; you'll always be covered for some therapies that you won't need. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the role of several hospital health insurance such as dental check-ups, glasses, physiotherapy and naturopathy in public hospitals. Topics discussed include treatment of private patient in a public hospital, covering blood tests, X-rays and ultrasounds performed outside hospitals; and pregnancy and birth-related services.

Basic hospital insurance policies offer the lowest tier of health cover at the lowest price point. If you earn over $90,000 (or $180,000 for couples and families) and decide you don't need health cover but want to avoid paying extra tax, a Basic policy may be an option for you. [Extracted from the article]

A CHOICE health expert Uta Mihm: To get cover for wisdom teeth or dental implant surgery in a hospital you need both hospital and extras insurance. Some funds offer insurance that's harder to claim on (but still costs the same) for members who are working casually, part-time, as carers or those who are out of the workforce. The specifics of moving your super vary slightly from fund to fund but start by contacting the fund you've chosen. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses issues concerning the selection of the right type of health insurance in Australia. Topics covered include private health insurance, coverage of hospital and extras insurance, monthly premium rates for different hospital types, and recommended best buys for basic hospital, budget combined hospital and extras and comprehensive extras policies.

The article offers information about health insurance in Australia, their premium prices and covered procedures. For young singles and couples, it is advisable that they purchase basic hospital insurance which covers only public hospitals. It is also recommended to know if an insurer covers ambulance by looking at the Standard Information Sheets (SIS) at privatehealth.gov.au.

The article examines several options for hospital insurance policies. It references a guide from "CHOICE's" Best Buy hospital insurance policies which explain the different levels of coverage including full cover, restricted, and cover with exclusions. Best Buy insurance policies were found to guarantee an average savings of 591 dollars for full cover without an excess, 575 dollars for full cover with 500 dollars annual excess, and 617 dollars for restricted-cover policies with 1,000 dollars annual excess.

With lockdowns becoming a part of life in large swathes of the country, it's a good idea to consider if your extras insurance is giving you value for money. So if your extras insurance doesn't pay out more than your extras premium, switching to a better policy or dropping it altogether could be better value. Although health funds usually promote combined hospital and extras insurance policies, you may only need hospital health insurance, or extras cover - or even no health insurance at all. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents questions and answers including the regulation of hospital insurance, the home insurance claim for a burnt house, and the consumer protection due to injury.

The article cites an agreement between the hospital group Healthscope and health insurer Bupa in which some hospitals in Australia will forgo payment from its insurer if patients are affected by serious errors known as a "never events," which include medication errors and wrong medical procedures.