About us

Doctors’ Health Fund, established in 1977, is a registered private health insurer serving the Australian medical community.

Starting as the AMA health fund and now part of Avant Mutual, we are owned by our members, doctors.

We protect members from the impact of health care incidents in their lives. Our choice of health insurance policies, including hospital and extras cover, provides convenience and flexibility for our members.

Our Top Cover Gold offers unique premium hospital cover that pays a medical gap benefit based on the AMA list of medical services and fees.

We are proud to be part of the Members Health Fund Alliance, a peak industry body for private health insurers who put their members’ health and wellbeing before profits.

Your privacy is important to Doctors' Health Fund and we are a signatory to the Private Health Insurance Code of Conduct.

Our history

Origins

The earliest involvement of the Australian medical profession in health insurance was the brainchild of Ronald Grieve (MBChM Sydney 1920), elected to the Council of the NSW Branch of the British Medical Association [now the Australian Medical Association (NSW) Limited] in 1937 and President of the council from 1947 to 1948. From 1932 to 1934, he was a member of the NSW Legislative Council.

In 1941 Grieve was approached by Dr Geoffrey Howe, who had asked a very ill patient why she had not called him earlier. She told him she couldn’t afford doctors’ fees. Sadly, she died not long after.

Since 1934, people had been able to insure against the costs of hospitalisation but not medical costs. Howe, disturbed by his patient’s inability to pay for medical care, suggested to Grieve that something needed to be done.

Grieve floated the idea of establishing a fund to reimburse subscribers’ fee-for service medical bills. In October 1946, with 1,000 members each contributing £10, the fund was born.

The arrival of Medibank

In 1976, the Australian Government introduced Medibank, guaranteeing all Australians a refund on doctors’ fees. Until that time, most doctors had not charged for professional services to colleagues or to their colleagues’ families. The custom was for doctor-patients to acknowledge their appreciation with a gift – often a bottle of whisky.

Medibank meant rebates were now available when doctors treated other doctors and their families. Doctors’ started to charge their colleagues the amount of the Medibank rebate.

For doctors’ services performed in hospitals, private health funds were permitted to reimburse patients 85% of the Medibank schedule.

The AMA NSW establishes The AMA Health Fund

In the same year that Medibank was introduced, Dr Phillip Cocks, representing the resident medical officers’ group on the NSW Branch Council of the AMA, suggested a health fund for doctors as a way of resolving embarrassment on the part of both doctor-patients and their treating doctors, regarding the charging of fees. He considered that, if doctor-patients belonged to a health fund which paid the permitted 85%, there would be no need for embarrassment on either part.

The AMA Health Fund commenced in NSW in 1977 as a restricted access fund for doctors. Ten years later, membership was opened to AMA members nationwide.

In 2000, new legislation required funds to offer ‘gap’ insurance – cover for the difference (in whole or in part) between 75% of the Medicare schedule fee and the doctors’ actual fees. The AMA Health Fund decided to offer rebates based on the AMA’s own list of services and fees, further reducing any embarrassment about treating doctors’ not being fully recompensed by their doctor-patients.

Change of name and new growth

In September 2005 the fund separated from the AMA and changed its name to Doctors’ Health Fund. The new Board decided to aggressively recruit new members and the fund almost trebled in size from 5,806 persons in 2004, to 15,135 in mid-2011.

Doctors’ Health Fund joins Avant

In mid-2011 Doctors’ Health Fund was approached by Avant, Australia’s largest medical indemnity organisation. After lengthy negotiations, Doctors’ Health Fund was acquired by Avant in 2012. Doctors’ Health Fund now covers more than 80,000 lives from the medical community – doctors and other health practitioners and their employees and families, employees of certain member associations, and those studying to be a doctor or health practitioner. We are still proud to be owned by doctors and work to benefit doctors.