How to switch

Switching your health cover doesn’t have to be a stressful or lengthy process

At Doctors’ Health Fund, we make switching your health cover easy. We take care of everything - even telling your current health fund.

Thinking about switching? Why not request a complimentary health insurance comparison report?

A health insurance comparison report will evaluate your current cover alongside a comparable plan offered by Doctors’ Health Fund.
By discussing your unique needs and factoring in financial considerations like applicable rebates or discounts, our expert team will be able to help you to find the cover that best suits your needs.
Schedule a call

Switching to Doctors' Health Fund is simple - online, over the phone, or by email. Just follow these easy steps.

Step 1. Get a quote

Getting a quote is quick and easy! You can either get a quote online or call our expert team on 1800 226 126.

Once you provide your personal information, you can select your hospital or extras cover, or choose a combined hospital and extras policy, along with the level of excess¹ for your policy.

If you're satisfied with your quote, you can continue your application online. For more details, don't hesitate to reach out to our team on 1800 226 126 or email join@doctorshealthfund.com.

Step 2. Apply

Once you have selected your hospital or extras cover, you can finalise your policy application either online or over the phone. You’ll need:

Your Medicare card
Your current policy details, including:
The exact name of your policy and member number
Your rebate tier and any applicable youth discount or loadings (you can find this in your health fund’s mobile app, an email from them, or the online member portal). If you're having trouble, call us on 1800 226 126.
Your bank or credit card details for future payments and benefits
Your Avant ID (if applicable)

You can choose your preferred payment frequency: monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or annually. Remember, we offer a 2.5% discount if you opt for annual payments.

3. Set your policy start date

You can select an immediate policy start date or set a future start date up to 3 months in advance.

If you’re switching from an existing fund, we’ll notify them and handle everything for you, ensuring your portable benefits are transferred seamlessly to your Doctors' Health Fund plan.

To ensure continuous coverage, be sure to join Doctors' Health Fund within 60 days of cancelling your previous health insurance policy.

Things to note when switching:

When switching policies, Doctors’ Health Fund will handle everything, including closing out the previous policy and obtaining the transfer certificate so you can have continuity of coverage.

A “transfer certificate” is a document issued within 14 business days of closing your previous policy. It contains essential information on waiting periods served, the level of cover, Lifetime Health Cover loading, Age Based Discount percentage and any remaining amounts on extras limits to transfer.

When you switch to a policy with comparable benefits and conditions, you might not need to re-serve waiting periods. This could mean you can receive benefits for services you’re already covered for straight away.

After we receive your transfer certificate, we’ll be in touch to advise you on whether you need to serve any waiting periods.

For those new to health insurance, you’ll need to serve the relevant waiting periods before you can claim benefits for services covered under your policy.

¹ Excess is paid up to the nominated amount for admission to hospital once per calendar year for a single policy, once per person per year for a couples policy and once per person admitted per calendar year on family policies. An excess applies to same-day procedures and overnight admissions. Click here for more information or call 1800 226 126.