The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman (PHIO) has launched its new consumer bulletin, Health Insurance Insider, as part of its ongoing consumer awareness campaign.

 

Private Health Insurance Ombudsman, Samantha Gavel said Health Insurance Insider was another one of the consumer information tools provided by her office to demystify the complexity of private health insurance.

 

“Consumers can only make the best decisions about private health insurance through access to the best quality information.

 

“The whole purpose of Health Insurance Insider is to provide consumers with regular updates on private health insurance issues so they can make the best choices for themselves and their families. This first edition focuses on the importance of consumers regularly reviewing their policy and keeping it up-to-date.”

 

Ms Gavel said there were four things every Australian with private health insurance could do straight away to ensure they had right cover to meet their needs:

 

  • keep their personal details up-to-date;
  • review their policy;
  • keep premium payments up-to-date; and
  • be aware of fund rule changes and notifications.

 

“As with all things in life, circumstances may change from time to time, so it’s important that consumers are diligent on their own behalf and review their health insurance policy regularly to make sure it still meets their health needs.

 

“If consumers have any questions about changes to their policy or want to upgrade their policy, they should contact their fund as soon as possible.

 

Further information is available at  www.phio.org.au