There are many different health funds and lots of different health insurance products. To protect fund members when switching between funds or products, the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 requires health funds to allow portability for hospital cover. This means you have the right to change health funds or products and important elements of your cover transfer with you.

Waiting periods served transfer with you

If you transfer to an equivalent or lower level of cover, your:

  • Waiting periods served with your former fund transfer with you
  • Waiting periods yet to be completed transfer with you

You only need to serve waiting periods for new services that weren’t covered under the old policy or upgrade your current cover.

Making the switch

The good news our health insurance partners iSelect can take care of most the details for you.

  • the waiting periods you have served
  • the level of cover you have been on
  • your Lifetime Health Cover status
  • your extras claims so far for the year

Compare our different health funds and products now.

Extras cover and portability

The portability rules do apply for extras cover. However, most health funds will recognise waiting periods already served for the extras benefits you had on your previous product. All funds operate differently so you should check this with us. Call us on 13 19 20.

iSelect does not compare all policies in the market.