How do other single mums afford private health insurance?
I work, budget and save hard.
I can afford it but it will wipe out my savings.
Is it worth the cost?
How do single mums afford private health cover?
How do single mums afford private health cover?
Posted in:
Health & Wellbeing, Kids, Money
5 Replies
I don't have it, what do you think you need it for?
I’m unemployed and I have it, I ring up I select every year and get the best deal
It depends, why do you want it? Is there any diseases in the family that are of concern to you? I have it because I have heart disease and have had numerous operations, some of which would have cost $20,000 or upwards had I not had cover (waiting for the public system was not an option). However my husband doesn’t have it nor does my son. At $150 thereabouts a month and the likelihood of them needing to use it are very slim. My husband has never needed medical treatment. Say we had him covered for 10 years @ $1000 a year or so (just to put it into perspective), that’s $10,000 of absolutely worthless money. A knee reco can be approx. $5000 in the private system without cover so I would much prefer to pay that or have him wait for the public system should I ever need treatment.
I'm a single Mum and I have it. In saying this I worked for a private health insurance company for a number of years, so know the price on some things. I also have a medical condition that may mean that hospital cover is needed at a later date. I just have a basic hospital cover for myself and an extras cover for the kids and myself. The extras rarely gets used, but is helpful for the dentist and glasses.
Why do you need it? Unless you're earning over 90k per annum you don't need it to avoid the extra medicare levy. If you have glasses, have dental issues or need orthodontics, need physio or any complementary treatments on a regular basis, or expect to need any hospital treatment in the future, just put the amount you would spend on PHI into savings. Even if you have PHI they usually don't cover the entire cost of treatment anyway, so there is an excess or out of pocket expenses. Make sure you have ambulance cover separately and save the rest yourself.