Joining Australia’s largest not-for-profit health fund is easy
We know that switching your private health insurance should be easy. So, you're in the right place. Here you'll find everything you need to know about the switching process, what happens to waiting periods when you switch health insurers, and how to make sure the policy inclusions (including any hospital benefits, extras cover and annual limits) you had with your previous fund are matched if you need the same level of cover.
Switch to HCF for uncommon care and see what all the ‘un’ is about;
- No need to re-serve waiting periods for benefits previously covered. UNderstanding
- Obligation free health fund cover check up. UNcomplicated
- Switch your health fund to HCF fast. UNder 15 minutes
- Get a 30 day money-back cooling off period. UNderstanding
- Switch at any time of the year. UNcomplicated
MOVE YOUR HEALTH COVER ANY TIME OF YEAR
You can switch health insurers any time of the year. You’re always free to shop around and look for a new health fund. And when you join HCF, you’ll have a 30-day cooling off period because we want you to be happy with the health cover policy you’ve chosen. So, if you change your mind and cancel your HCF policy within 30 days of joining, you’ll receive your money back if you haven't made a claim in that period.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SWITCH HEALTH FUNDS?
Switching your health fund to HCF is fast – and uncomplicated. It takes less than 15 minutes to:
- Choose the HCF cover that works for you
- Complete your application form, making sure you don’t forget the Interfund Transfer section
We’ll take care of the rest – and that includes liaising with your previous fund, so you don’t have to. You'll have full continuity of cover, so if you need to visit one of Australia's private hospitals, you'll be able to do so worry free. Once we have the details of your previous health insurer, we’ll ask them to send us a Clearance Certificate.
Not sure on where to start?
That’s okay too. We can help you understand your current cover and how it stacks up against HCF cover - and answer questions about complex incentives such as lifetime health cover loading or the Medicare Levy Surcharge. It’s obligation free and our staff have access to industry tools and information to assess whether you’re on the right level of hospital or extras cover - saving you time and effort.
Don’t forget, you can also switch at any HCF branch or by calling 13 13 34.
WE’LL TAKE CARE OF ANY WAITING PERIODS
You might also be wondering what happens to your waiting periods when switching private health insurance. When you switch funds, there’s no need to reserve your waiting periods for benefits previously covered – so if you’re covered for major dental with your previous health fund, you’ll get major dental with HCF too, as long as your new policy has the same level of benefits for those items.
If you’re switching and upgrading your hospital cover – let’s say you’re switching from a silver policy to a gold - you’ll need to serve the relevant waiting periods for your higher entitlements. These could vary from 2 month waiting periods up to 12 months.