Is extras insurance for you?

While hospital insurance is very much about the unexpected, extras insurance is much more dependent on your recognition of the need for the services of dentists, optometrists, and other allied health professionals and how much you are likely to spend on these services.

For most of us, there is an inevitable need for more use of dental and optical services as we get older. In particular, major dental treatment requirements increase with age. As major dental treatments have 12 month waiting periods, some forethought about extras insurance is worthwhile.

If it is time to add extras insurance ...

If you decide to add extras insurance to your current cover with The Doctors' Health Fund it is simple to do. The 'Apply Now' button in the left hand column of this page opens the 'Application and Membership Changes form', which you can type into then print out to send to us.

However, you first need to consider the information below and have a good look at the product descriptions. If you need any further information you can call us on freecall 1800 226 126 or email your questions to info@doctorshealthfund.com.au.

Extras insurance with The Doctors' Health Fund

We introduced two new extras products in December 2006 to provide members with a choice of cover which would meet the needs of both those who make greater use of allied health services and more moderate users of these services. Click through on the links below for full descriptions of our extras insurance products. You will find they offer a high level of benefits. 

Total Extras - a comprehensive insurance product which includes a range of major dental services cover and high annual claim limits per person

Essential Extras - a mid level range of cover with a less comprehensive but still substantial range of service coverage which provides lower annual claim limits per person. Its optical cover is exceptional for extras insurance at this level. 

On 1 April 2008 we will be increasing the benefits in our extras insurance -

• 100% cover on ten dental check up items up to 2 times per year in both Total Extras and Essential Extras. These items include several different types of consultation fee, plus scale, clean and fluoride items likely to be included in a general check up
• Total Extras crown and bridge limit rises to $1,000 per year
• The optical limit in both Total Extras and Essential Extras becomes $500 within 2 years
• Pre-natal services provided by a midwife will be covered within the therapies limits in both Total Extras and Essential Extra

If you are interested in comparing our products with other funds you can use the Extras pages in our Comparison Kit.

As dental and optical services are the most frequently claimed services the table below is provided to show you the benefits paid on some services by The Doctors' Health Fund and some of the large open funds. This information was assembled from publicly available sources between 24 January 2008 and 14 February 2008. The benefits shown in the table reflect the range available in extras products from budget to the highest cover. The Doctors' Health Fund benefits shown in the table apply to both Total Extras and Essential Extras.