How HCF family cover has supported Jocelyn and her twin boys

Published November 2024 | 5 min read
Words by Carrie Hutchinson

Jocelyn and her family have relied on lifesaving medical procedures for the past two decades. And HCF has been with them every step of the way.

It was a no-waiting-period offer that originally tempted Jocelyn at the age of 30 to join HCF. The successful florist, who lived in Sydney at the time, also got a nudge from her parents.

“They’d always had health insurance and were like, ‘Well, it’s about time you got your own’,” says Jocelyn.

Her sister was an HCF member and spoke highly of it, so the decision was made. A short while later, Jocelyn realised just how valuable that choice had been.

The benefits of health cover during pregnancy

“I had twin boys when I was 38,” Jocelyn explains, “so obviously that was already a high-risk pregnancy.”

Because she had private health insurance with HCF, Jocelyn was able to choose her obstetrician. Choosing your specialist is one of the benefits of giving birth as a private hospital patient.

It wasn’t long before she started experiencing difficulties.

“I started bleeding at 22 weeks and was moved to a public hospital,” she says. “I was lucky because I had private health insurance. You can get looked after more, even in public hospitals – I could use my own obstetrician as well as a doctor who specialised in high-risk pregnancies.”

While in hospital on bed rest for 90 days, Jocelyn went into pre-labour eight times. When the twin boys were born at 33 weeks, they went into intensive care for a month, before Jocelyn and her healthy babies were released from hospital.

How family health cover helped the baby twins

Jocelyn’s twins, Myles and Oliver, came home when they were due to have been born. Like many premature babies, they had quite a few health issues, and a nurse would visit every couple of days to check on their progress in those early months.

“When they were about six months old, they started having febrile convulsions [a seizure that occurs with a high fever],” recalls Jocelyn. “And because they were identical twins, one picked up a bug and the other one would then get sick. The longest [convulsion] was 45 minutes.”

Thankfully, because of their HCF family cover, they could have procedures like the removal of adenoids and tonsils done quickly in a private hospital.

“You can pick what specialist you want and you’re not in long waiting queues,” says Jocelyn. “People might think health insurance is expensive, but if you break it down to a weekly cost in your budget, it’s actually not – especially when you’ve got children.”

The benefits have continued as the twins have got older, with Jocelyn taking them to HCF extras providers.

“When I take the boys to the dentist, I always find the HCF providers,” she says. “They get their teeth cleaned and looked after twice a year, and I never have to pay.”

Their family health cover has also helped with braces and glasses. HCF members can easily find hundreds of extras providers and medical specialists through the Find a Provider tool on the website.

Accident cover: essential during teenage years

It became obvious to Jocelyn when her boys were young that they were a pair of daredevils. Thankfully, to complement her health cover, she also has HCF Kids’ Accident Cover^*.

“One day I came home, and one was sitting on the roof with an umbrella and chair reading a book!” she explains.

Another day, Jocelyn says she found one of them wearing a onesie and his roller skates at the top of a nearby hill. Not surprisingly, broken bones were a common occurrence.

Benefits of health cover for elective surgery

“When Myles broke his same arm over and over again, we just went straight to a surgeon and got on with it,” she says. “Instead of lining up in hospitals, sitting in triage, you can be referred to a surgeon and you’re just in. That’s why you have private health insurance, isn’t it?”

Not once has Jocelyn regretted taking out private health cover. She says with a laugh: “HCF probably sees my name come up and goes, ‘Oh, not them again!’”

Heathy families for life

We support families like Jocelyn’s at every stage, that’s why we give our members Healthy Families for Life and Healthy Teens for Life, which are resources to support kids, from birth to teens, to help develop positive nutritional habits for growth and development and reduce the risk of chronic conditions in their future. Eligibility criteria apply^{^}.