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The article discusses insurance for pets such as cats and dogs and insurance policies related to emergency treatments. Topics discussed include policies that cover hospitalization, medicines, and vaccinations, accident cover for injuries such as broken bones, and Trupanion, an American pet insurer, that has been launched in Australia.

The article examines the changes in health insurance products in Australia with reference to the reforms to be introduced by April 2019. Topics discussed include the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Basic product tiers; impacts of the reforms on insurance beneficiaries; overview of the insurance coverage according to each policy; and discount offerings for young people.

The article discusses the cost of being a private patient in Australian hospitals. These include out-of-pocket costs for physician's consultations in hospital, procedures that the patient is not covered for in insurance, and pathology costs. The types of gap payment that private patients should consider and on how the gap schemes work are also mentioned.

The article discusses the study on consumers' right to return defective products as of March 2016 in Australia, highlighting the implementation of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) in 2011. The results reportedly revealed that numerous salespoeple either misunderstood or ignored ACL. It offers information on ACL which allows consumers to return faulty goods after the warranty has expired. Also examined are the services of retail firm Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd.

The article discusses issues involving health insurance in Australia as of July 2015, particularly the issue of the gap payment. The medical gap payment is the amount doctors charge above the Medicare schedule fee. Also cited are some instances where gap payment occurs like tests such as X-rays and other doctors like assistant surgeon, as well as the comment by acting Private Health Insurance Ombudsman David McGregor on the issue.

The article offers information on health insurance plans for pregnant women in Australia. Topics discussed include difference between pregnancy care provided by private and public hospitals such as cost, facilities and attendees; Medicare covering public patient bills in public hospitals while non-availability of out-of-hospital care cover in private insurance; strategies to reduce costs and choosing flexible pregnancy cover plans; and health insurance plans for newly born.

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 examines the options for purchasing an insurance plan for private hospital services in Australia. Topics discussed include consideration of the type of coverage, benefits of a full protection plan that will not be used for several years and savings in the payment of premiums from the excess expense during admission to a hospital. Also mentioned are the hospital and medical gap payments, suspension of membership and coverage for family members.

The article discusses the need for Australians to check how much they are paying for life insurance and what they will get in return. The 40 percent increase in insurance premiums for major industry super funds in 2013 is a development that could take bite-sized chunks out of Australians' retirement savings. Australians are advised to have cover through super to have life insurance.

The article reports on Australians' health care expenditures. As of 2013, data showed that a fifth of Australians' health expenditures are out of pocket costs or expenses they pay for themselves. The Consumer Health Forum reveals that families spend an average of 500 Australian dollars a year on doctor's bills and 1,200 Australian dollars a year on medicines. Insurance companies have reported that a growing number of consumers are downgrading their insurance cover to cope with rising costs. INSETS: A lot for a little;EXTRA! EXTRA!.

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 discusses the implications of the proposed increase to the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) in Australia beginning July 1, 2012. This move will give the government about 2.4 billion dollars in savings over the next three years. It explains how high-income earners can still save money if they pay for private hospital cover instead of paying the extra MLS instead.

The article discusses the significance of life insurance to families in Australia. This type of insurance is advantageous because it helps families when disaster strikes by providing dependents with a lump sum to pay off mortgages and debts. Tips on how to get insurance cover, types of life cover, and super fund death cover are also discussed.

The article rates several electricity retailers in Australia on their green certifications based on CHOICE's Green Electricity Guide which include Powershop, Diamond Energy and Momentum Energy. Topics discussed include how clean is the electricity generated or buy by the retailers, their position on renewables and fossil fuels and their support for solar households and the GreenPower scheme.

The article focuses on restricted health funds that provide private health insurance to people in specific sectors including teachers, police and military in Australia. These funds benefit family members including parents, partner and children. Some of the funds mentioned are ACA Health Benefits Fund, CBHS Health Fund and Doctors' Health Fund.

The article discusses findings of a September - October 2014 survey on gift card features and problems observed by Australians. Topics covered include 60 percent of 735 respondents who received gift cards and experienced various problems including expiration of cards before use of the full value, difficulty of checking the balance and stores not accepting the card. Also mentioned are features of a good gift card including no expiry date, unlimited transactions and no issue fees and charges.

The article presents the right way of paying credit cards, including the better options offered by big banks in Australia, the recommended strategies when dealing with more than credit card with a balance and the truth behind the savings realized when switching to cheaper credit cards. Also mentioned are statistics on paying credit card debt, the benefits associated with consolidating debt and a list of the top 20 credit cards in Australia.

The article offers insights into a new credit-reporting and privacy regime in Australia effective March 12, 2014. It notes that the new repayment history information covering credit cards, loans and other types of credit is held by credit-reporting agencies like Veda and Dun & Bradstreet and can be accessed by banks when assessing borrowers' creditworthiness. It talks about the consequences of late payments, highlights of the credit report and fixing an incorrect listing on one's credit report.

The article discusses the cost of hearing aids in Australia. A survey found that overcoming social disconnection or isolation is a key reason for buying hearing aids. The government subsidised hearing aids sold in the country through the Office of Hearing Services (OHS). Australian Hearing's Janette Thorburn says that a person with severe hearing loss is entitled to a mid-level aid for free. A comparison between top-end aids and the basic ones is also presented.

The article reports on the increasing cost of children to school in Australia. For children born in 2012, education expenses from preschool to their final year can reach up to 400,000 Australian dollars. There are two available education savings plans (ESP) in the country, The Education Fund (TEF) and the Australian Scholarship Group (ASG).

The article offers the author's insights on faulty joint prosthesis in Australia. The author states that 13% of patients who have implanted with two recalled hip replacement devices from DePuy Cos. need revision surgery to replace the faulty prosthesis. It states that the Senate asked the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in 2011 to change the way it lists new prostheses in the country.

The article offers advice on finding good and affordable child care in Australia based on a survey of 200 parents on accessibility, affordability and quality as of February 2012. It mentions the government's launch of the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care program to raise the standard of care throughout the country. The National Childcare Accreditation Council reportedly found many centres failing in areas like supporting children's rest, sleep and comfort needs.

The article discusses a review of the interest-free payment offers of major retailers in Australia in 2011. It reports the range of fees charged from 22.3 percent up to 87.6 percent of the minimum purchase price. Types of long-term payment offers mentioned include buy now pay later, interest free installments payable, interest free with minimum payment required, and no deposit four years to pay. Examples of conditions that apply to the offers are upfront deposits and minimum purchase amounts.

The article discusses the significant factors to consider before deciding to move to a retirement village in Australia. One of these is the type of contract arrangements like strata title, loan and licence and leasehold. Entry fees for a two-bedroom unit in a retirement village could range from 200,000 to 400,000 dollars to between one and two million dollars according to Peter McMullen of Jones Lang LaSalle. Exit fees or deferred management fees are another aspect to consider as they may include one-off and/or annual charges over a period of time.

The article looks at several extras and combined health insurance policies in Australia that offer cost-savings. The different types of extras cover are the top cover, medium cover and health singles cover. Companies that offer the best combined hospital and extras insurance are Mutual Community, PeopleCare and HCF. PeopleCare, AHM and Health Partners are best for providing extras insurance.

The article outlines the ways in choosing eyeglasses that gives consumers in Australia the best value for money. It notes on considering the out-of-pocket costs, restrictions, and checking the percentage for traps with extras cover. Several charts depicting the health insurance extras and combine benefits are offered including the best buys for combined extras and hospitals, top extras and full hospital cover for families, and the medium extras and full hospital cover for families.

An inquiry by the ACCC has found that people in Australia are overcharged by the major banks when sending money overseas. For example, people who used the big four banks to send money overseas in the United States dollar (USD) and the British pound sterling (GBP) during 2017-2018 could have collectively saved about $150 million if they'd instead used the lowest priced international money transfer supplier. To get the best price for an international currency transfer, shop around and ask for: an estimate of the amount the recipient will receive any fees the recipient's bank will charge. [Extracted from the article]

Now that most of the COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, a trip to the dentist is possible again. Each year, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) surveys dental practitioners to get hold of average price data for more than 100 dental treatments. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the environmental credentials of the energy retailers in Australia. It states that the electricity industry is one of the dirtiest in the country due to coal. Also offered are the rankings of the electricity providers in the country including Diamond Energy, Powershop and AGL Energy.

The article examines returns taxpayer receive on private health insurance rebates. It discusses private health insurance report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which showed trend of cheaper policies with low cover. Topics include ambulance policies and expected returns for taxpayer-funded subsidy health. funds.

The article focuses on Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) initiated by government of Australia and the rules related to it. Topics discussed include the LHC loading for couples which is calculated as an average of each partner's rate, finding the cheapest hospitals policy for saving, and rate of increase of insurance premiums annually.

The article reports that public hospitals in Australia provide life-saving cancer treatment and private health insurance can be useful if one wants to choose one's own doctor, but can come with out-of-pocket costs.

The article examines several ways for Australians to avoid health insurance premium increase as of March 2016, highlighting the journal's study on the top insurance policies which outperform their competitors' cover and price. Health insurance premiums have reportedly been increasing, however the price for 2015 can be locked by renewing the policy for a year and paying an annual premium. Graphical representations of related key data are also presented.

The article explores ways to save on private health insurance coverage. Topics discussed are the application of rebate on health insurance premium, discounts offered to those who pay annually, pay by direct debit, or can afford a higher excess on a family policy, the application of Medicare levy surcharge and lifetime health cover surcharges if there is no hospital cover, and the eligibility to join a restricted membership health fund. The qualifications for a corporate discount are outlined.

The article presents a comparison of restricted health funds for Australians as of October 2014 including Teacher Health, Defence Health and Commonwealth Bank of Australia group employees.

The article discusses increase in interest rates by banks for home loans in Australia, reasons for the hike and ways to deal with it. Topics discussed include analysis by the Moody's Investors Service regarding default risk to the mortgage holders due to rise in arrears, effect of rise in interest rates by the U.S. Federal Reserve as it may raise funding costs for the banks and details regarding fixed rate loan plans as an alternative to get secured.

The article discusses the impact of restrictions in health insurance policies which can leave mental health patients without cover in Australia and offers tips for checking hospital cover policies for psychiatric cover. Topics discussed include health insurers' restriction and limitation cover for psychiatric care; views of psychiatrist Malcolm Hopwood on the need to transparency of cover provided by private health insurance policies; and the need to check cover policies for psychiatric cover.

The article presents the results of a survey on whether banks in Australia are planning to comply with the revised Code of Banking Practice which comes into effect on February 1, 2014 and which further strengthens consumer protections. It was found that the banks surveyed had trouble following the code's direction to promptly process a direct debit cancellation at the customer's request. It also shows that not all banks have signed up to the code, including Bank of China and Macquarie.

The article discusses the high cost of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment in Australia. The government decided to cap the benefit for assisted reproductive treatment (ART) procedures which led to an increase in IVF costs. Particular focus is given to the price differences, as well as the level of service provided across clinics. The variation in success rates of IVF procedure is also explained.

The article discusses the impact of an income tax rule implemented by the Australian government on children's saving accounts from banks. Under the rule, the low-income tax offset no longer applies to interest earned by children. But exemptions apply for children who work full-time and those with disabilities.

The article presents pieces of advice on how people could avoid work-from-home scams. It mentions that money laundering schemes are one of the most popular types of employment scams that have become common in Australia. Based on a survey conducted by the staff of this publication, 14 per cent of the victims of such scams lost important and confidential personal data like bank account details.

The article looks at the potential downsides of the Australian gift cards for Christmas. Consumers are advised to be cautious of cards that does not state their expiry date. It points out that some retailers allow the cancellation and re-issuance of a card in case of lost or stolen cards. Customers can also use unfair contracts legislation to take action against unfair terms and conditions for gift cards.

This article offers a number of tips for selling gold jewelry to shops in Australia. It warns sellers about low prices offer by some shops in buying gold jewelry. It notes that many shops in New South Wales have committed breaches of regulations. In addition, the article suggests to sell old jewelry to antique dealers.

The article discusses the report conducted by the Commonwealth Ombudsman in Australia which shows the complaints of consumers over increasing insurance premiums.

The article reports that the journal is warning consumers in Australia about buying car insurance which have restrictions that make the policy worthless, noting that most of the premium paid will go to salespeople.

The article reports on the estimates of the Australian Consumer Action Law Centre that consumers can get a maximum of $70 million in refunds for bad value credit protection car insurance premium payment as of May 2016.

The article focuses on the federal government in Australia to sign an increase in an average health insurance premium, which affects members of CUA, a financial services company, and Health.com.au, an online health insurance start-up.

The article reports that there are numerous credit cards in Australia to offer low interest rates as of March 2016 which can reduce the length of time that the debt can be filly paid, highlighting a chart depicting low interest rates.

The article offers brief information on the top five savings accounts offered by several banking companies in Australia as of March 2016 based on bonus rate which include ING Direct Australia, UBank, and RaboDirect.

The article highlights the best gift card rewards credit cards and cashback rewards credit cards in Australia as of October 2015, according to consumer advocacy group CHOICE and money saving website Mozo.