In shortHaving a baby changes your life, and Police Health's private health insurance can help in many different ways. |
On this page
- Police Health eligibility – not just police
- Extra savings
- Choose your own obstetrician
- Access Gap Cover
- Better accommodation and facilities
- Extra recovery time
- Private room
- Hospital at Home
- Nourish Baby support program
- Lactation Nursing
- Rolling Extras
- Ambulance cover
- Compression garments
- You can still go to a public hospital
Pregnancy and birth health insurance
There's a lot of information to consume and lots of decisions to make when it comes to pregnancy.
One of those is whether you should go with private health insurance for pregnancy and birth cover, or go public?
Ultimately, the decision you make is based on your needs and wants, but it's helpful to be aware of the 15 best benefits of Police Health's private pregnancy and birth cover*.
Why choose Police Health for pregnancy?*
With Police Health there's no excess, no co-payment, no benefit limitation period and no exclusions.
Choose your own doctor and hospital. We give you the freedom to choose, as long as they're recognised by us (out of pocket expenses at non-contracted private hospitals apply).
Our Extras cover helps through prenatal and antenatal support services like physio and more.
Get your own private room when you go to hospital (subject to availability).
1. You may be eligible to join
Our eligibility extends further than you might think. We proudly offer our cover like no other to more of the policing community than ever before, including but not limited to;
- Current and retired members of the force
- Current and former police employees
- Family members – parents, grandparents, children, siblings, spouse / partner (current or former) of police officers or employees
2. Extra savings
With Police Health's Gold Hospital cover or Gold Combined cover, you won't have to pay nasty extra fees or face restrictions that you would with other private health funds.
While there may be out-of-pocket costs for things like doctor fees, Police Health's pregnancy and birth cover has the following benefits;
- No Excess
- No Co-Payment
- No Benefit Limitation Period
- No Exclusionsh
3. Choose your own Obstetrician
Under our maternity and pregnancy cover we give you freedom to choose your own Obstetrician, as long as they are recognised by us.
It's one of the biggest benefits of going with Police Health, and you may even have more choice than you would with other health funds with preferred providers.
This also means you can see the same doctor for every appointment and at birth. It will help build trust and a strong relationship with your doctor, giving you extra security when the big day arrives.
This may not be the case if you go public.
4. Reduce doctors' fees while in hospital
With Police Health's pregnancy health cover, you can claim on doctors’ fees while in hospital. This includes;
- Obstetricians
- Anaesthatists
- Radiologists
- Pathologists
At a minimum, we will cover the difference between the Medicare rebate and the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Fee.
However, if your doctor chooses to use our Access Gap Cover and charge the schedule of fees of that scheme, we can cover up to 100% of the doctor’s agreed fee.
Before you select your obstetrician, you should ask for a breakdown of their costs so that you can provide informed financial consent.
Read more about Access Gap Cover
Switching to Police Health is Easy
5. Better accommodation and facilities
Raisingchildren.net.au highlights that private maternity units often have double, single or twin-share accommodation, with ensuites or shared bathrooms.
You might be able to have a private room and/or double bed, depending on availability.
Many private hospitals have beds for partners, or a double bed, so your partner can stay overnight with you, and although there’s likely to be a fee you can claim benefits on that through Police Health too.
6. Extra recovery time
You’ll probably stay in a private hospital for 4 days after a vaginal birth or 5 days after a caesarean birth.
In a public hospital, it's harder to guarantee your stay will be that long.
This gives you and your baby more time to recover, allows your partner to spend time with the baby, and have more visits from friends and family.
We recommend that you check with your hospital beforehand about admission lengths.
7. A private room
Many people choose private health insurance for pregnancy because private hospitals give you a private room.
This gives you and your partner more privacy, and the support of a partner staying overnight.
8. Hospital at home
Police Health has agreements with some hospitals to deliver out-of-hospital care to patients for services such as post-natal care.
This can be received in the home or in a hotel setting.
9. Nourish Baby support program
Police Health is proud to offer Nourish Baby, Australia's only accredited online antenatal and parenting courses.
It's free to eligible members with Gold Hospital and Gold Combined (eligibility criteria and other conditions apply).
Read more about Nourish Baby and register here
10. Lactation Nursing
Police Health pays benefits for Lactation Nursing under our Gold Hospital and Gold Combined cover.
This gives you specialised support to help you better breastfeed your baby and look after your own health.
11. Rolling Extras
Many Police Health members with our Gold Combined cover enjoy the Rolling Extras component which covers some of the costs of support services not covered by Medicare.
Some of the most helpful before, during and after your pregnancy include;
- Physiotherapy for issues with your pelvic floor
- Dietitian appointments to ensure you and your baby are eating healthy
- Podiatry for extra feet support
- Mental health support through Psychologists and Counsellors
- Remedial massage to alleviate pain and stress
Plus, for the majority of services provided by recognised providers, we pay a generous 80% of the cost up to the item limit.
Police Health also provides a unique Rollover Benefit. This means that for many Extras services, any unused Annual Maximum benefit that is not claimed during one calendar year can be rolled over to the following year, so you can get more from your cover.
12. Ambulance cover
With Police Health you're 100% covered for emergency transport, clinically required non-emergency transport, and treatment not requiring transport.
13. Pregnancy compression garments
Police Health covers some of the cost of Medical-grade compression maternity shorts.
These can be used through your pregnancy and in the initial or post-natal period. To claim benefits you'll need our Gold Hospital cover or Gold Combined cover.
Please note that to claim these shorts prior to birth, you need to submit a letter or referral from a medical practitioner or an allied health professional that outlines why it's required.
14. Public option still available
Even if you've taken out Police Health's private health insurance for pregnancy cover, you can still be treated as a private patient in a public hospital.
You may choose this for a range of reasons, including your preferred Obstetrician being based at a public hospital.
As with any hospital, we always encourage you to research the hospital's facilities and other matters that may be important to you.
What isn't covered
It's important you know that there are things Police Health doesn't cover for pregnancy and birth, as listed below;
- Any additional ‘management’ fees charged by your Obstetrician or Doctor that is not covered by Medicare or private health insurance
- Accommodation costs for ‘luxury’ suites
- The cost of outpatient services
- Services in Hospitals not recognised by us (Refer to our Contracted Hospital search to see if your hospital is contracted)
- Paediatrician fees where the baby has not been admitted to hospital
*All benefits may be subject to Waiting Periods, Annual Maximums, Limits and other conditions. Full cover applies to recognised hospitals where a contract between Police Health and the hospital is in place. Rollover applies once you've completed your first 12 months membership (2 years for Major Dental). Providers must be recognised by us. Review the cover tables on the Combined, Hospital and Extras pages, and your State Premium Benefit Guide or contact us for more information.
Family health cover benefits explained
Your family’s healthcare needs don’t stop after pregnancy. Keeping your private health cover helps you stay prepared with access to timely care and ongoing support when you need it most.