Top 7 Reasons to Compare Health Insurance with a Health Insurance Broker

Learn how comparing health insurance policies online with an insurance broker is the best way for you to get the most out of your coverage.
Happy couple with laptop comparing insurance online at home

The Short Version

Navigating the complexities of health insurance can be overwhelming for many Australians, especially with rising premiums and the ever-changing landscape of coverage options. Health insurance comparators are crucial in simplifying this process by offering expert knowledge, personalised service, and comprehensive comparisons of different insurance plans. They save you time and effort by handling the legwork and paperwork, ensuring you get better deals and discounts. Brokers provide objective advice tailored to your needs, ensuring you thoroughly understand your coverage and benefits.

Health insurance advisers offer continuous support after you purchase a policy. Their creative problem-solving skills ensure you get the most out of your insurance plan. Staying on the same policy for too long can be detrimental, but comparison experts help you make necessary adjustments, providing better coverage and cost savings. 

For those looking to optimise their health insurance, contacting Fair Health Care Alliance for a consultation can be the first step towards a more secure and beneficial health coverage experience.

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As health concerns in Australia continue to rise, Australians understand more about the peace of mind provided by private health insurance. The ability to choose your own doctor, stay in the comfort of a private room and access quicker elective surgeries is worth tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes more. 

Unfortunately, many Australians find it difficult to keep track of insurers’ subtle changes that affect their coverage over the years. Rising premium prices and diminishing returns on extras lead to dissatisfaction with health insurers Australia-wide. Oftentimes, research through websites leads to a wild goose chase that ends up confusing Australians even more and makes them doubt whether the benefits of comparing health insurance online are worth the effort. This is where health insurance brokers come in. Health insurance brokers can simplify the process of getting a different health insurance policy for people who are not on the right level of coverage. 

Let’s explore how a health insurance broker can help you in 7 different ways and why Australians who use a broker to compare policies are more than happy with the results.

1. It's All About You. A Personalised Health Insurance Quote

It is very comforting to know that your needs matter. When dealing directly with a health insurer, you can be confident that the consultant you are dealing with is severely biased toward their policies! This can give you tunnel vision when searching for a better policy at a lower rate. The consultant may be dedicated in their efforts to force the shape of your health requirements to fit the grooves of their product policies.

However, health insurance brokers work differently. A health insurance comparison service will help you compare several health insurers simultaneously. For example, at the time of writing this article, Fair Health Care Alliance has 11 health insurers on our comparison panel. We follow a tried and tested health questionnaire to understand your most complex health needs and claiming habits across hospital and extras, and then do our best to match you to a health fund and policy that we deem suits you best from our panel.

This process of critical and active listening and then matching you to an excellent health policy is the crux of what we do best.


2. Health Insurance Knowledge Bound By a Code of Conduct

Health insurance comparison services must be well-educated on health insurance laws and insurers’ liability to cover Australians. Every comparator must be carefully acquainted with regulations regarding private health insurance coverage in Australia. 

All health insurance comparison services must be members of and adhere to the PHIIA Code of Conduct. To quote the PHIIA website:

All PHIIA members are health insurance professionals with a keen understanding of the complexities of the health insurance industry in Australia.”

There are countless scenarios in which people might experience difficulty researching online. When navigating through the complicated world of health insurance for too long, you are bound to go in circles. From working out your Lifetime Health Cover Loading to applying for the Australian Government Rebate on Private Health Insurance, a broker can quickly guide you to the right coverage. Many advisors have over 5-10 years of experience.

Fair Health Care Alliance advisers are hand-picked for their dedication to trust, transparency, active listening, and genuine care for every person we speak to. This is why we have a 5-star review score on multiple review platforms.

comparing health insurance policies online with an insurance broker


3. Times Change Like The Wind - So Do Your Health Needs

Your current health insurer has only a few policies, each with unique selling points, which are available to you now. What they can offer you is very limited if your specific situation has changed since you last reviewed your cover. 

In Australia, more than 40 health insurance brands offer a wide variety of distinct health insurance products. By only reviewing your current health insurance suite of products, you limit yourself to a small portion of the market. Comparators have the ability to cast a wide net around different insurance products so that you can benefit greatly. 

As time goes on, your needs change, and so should your insurance policy. Why shouldn’t you just compare it online? Online comparisons are essential to understand the giant gaps within your health insurance. For example, there are many elderly Australians covered for Pregnancy and Birth and Assisted Reproductive Services; a noticeable change needs to be made in this case. However, we have seen much more frequently that online tools do not find the subtle changes that speaking to a health adviser over the phone can highlight and solve. This also leads to you saving time and effort.

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4. Time Is Money and Effort Takes Time

You may know that you pay too much for your cover after searching online, but how do you tweak your cover effectively without losing anything important? To compare health insurance in Australia by calling each individual fund would be a time consuming process that could take days or weeks. Even if you narrow your focus to a couple of funds, you will find that all of them offer different benefits that overlap.

How do you weigh up which health insurance policy is the right fit for you? Health insurance brokers help you stay focused on what is truly relevant to your coverage: that you have the right level of hospital protection, optimal returns on your extras, and an appropriate price. Cut out all the guesswork by explaining your needs, and in the end, you will have a tailor-made policy that ticks the boxes – budget included.

In just a 25-30 minute call, a health insurance adviser can help you identify crucial health needs and nice-to-haves, trim the fat, and educate you on your new policy. The best part is that 99% of the time, once your phone call finishes, there is absolutely nothing else you need to do. The broker will contact your previous insurer and stop your policy and payments, organize transfer certificates and refunds of premiums already paid, and set up your brand-new health insurance account.

The transfer certificate, also known as a Clearance Certificate, is proof your new health fund requires you to prove you have already served waiting periods, which they then waive! (Portability law demands that you do not have to re-serve waiting periods for pre-existing conditions when switching insurers—very nice.) The certificate also proves things like membership tenure, LHC %, and claims history. 

All you need to do is enjoy using your new benefits or spending your savings on something else!

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Don’t re-serve waiting periods when you switch to a new health fund or policy

“John was immediately covered for a hip replacement in private hospital because he had already served his waiting periods for joint replacements on his old policy”

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5. Staying on the same policy forever is detrimental

Health funds release new, up-to-date products regularly to compete with other products in the market and attract new members.

Health insurance companies can be notoriously difficult to get ahold of, from long waits on hold to inexperienced customer service representatives needing to validate information constantly. You are not the same person you were last year, let alone 5 years ago. 

The amount of Australians that have stayed on the same policy for over a decade is surprising, but fear of change makes it possible. By staying on the same policy for too long, Australians can end up overspending and under-claiming in the tens of thousands.


6. Your Personal Health Concierge

Fair Health Care Alliance health advisers are committed to being your single point of contact as your health insurance commences with a new health fund. You can contact your health broker with questions, feedback, and requests to ensure that your onboarding and first few weeks with your new health fund is smooth and painless.

In some case, we can even help with your queries or concerns by leveraging our direct internal communication channels with our health fund partners.

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7. Outside of the Box Problem Solving

A health insurance expert helps you by finding highly creative ways to use a better cover. Health insurers all have slight nuances that create valuable benefits for their customers. Some funds offer travel and accommodation benefits for medical services or to help you out with your health insurance premiums if you were to become involuntarily unemployed. 

One health fund might offer benefits for gym or sunscreen products, while another might bundle Myotherapy rebates with Physiotherapy rather than Natural therapies so you don’t exceed your Remedial Massage limit. Some funds cover Lung & Chest surgery on Bronze Plus Hospital but for others, you have to upgrade to Silver Hospital. 

Our vast industry knowledge equips brokers with creative problem-solving that suits you as an individual and not just another number on a page.


Conclusion

In conclusion, when it comes to navigating the complex world of health insurance, it’s understandable that many Australians feel overwhelmed or unsure about their options. That’s where the expertise and personalised service of a health insurance broker can truly make a difference. 

By offering tailored recommendations and comprehensive comparisons, brokers strive to understand your individual health needs and guide you toward the best possible coverage. A broker’s experience and knowledge can provide not only a sense of support but also a deeper understanding of your policy and how it can work for you, ultimately ensuring that you and your loved ones are well-covered and cared for.

At Fair Health Care Alliance, we give transparent and straightforward advice and can help you compare health insurance line-for-line against your current cover.

The next step is to get in touch and start the process of being looked after.

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Top 7 Reasons to Compare Health Insurance with a Health Insurance Broker

Health Insurance Advisor at Fair Healthcare Alliance

Alexander Valentino is a dedicated health insurance advisor with years of industry experience and consulting across key Australian sectors. He has helped over 1,000 Australians save more than $100,000 annually by finding tailored health insurance solutions. With a focus on product knowledge and customer education, Alexander guides clients through the complexities of health insurance, offering expert advice based on evolving industry trends. His mission, inspired by his nonna’s poor experience with health insurance, is to ensure Australians avoid overpaying for health coverage, providing advice as if he were helping his own family.

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