It's the little extras that matter in health insurance - Sydney Morning Herald
FORGET hospital and ambulance cover. A survey of the reasons why people take out private health insurance reveals they are more interested in massages, gym memberships and plastic surgery.
A Galaxy Research survey of more than 1000 Australians found people were more likely to choose private health insurance for its ancillary benefits rather than basics such as better quality healthcare, choice of hospital or choice of doctor.
Among those with private health insurance, 82 per cent rated extras cover as the single most important benefit. The two most popular lifestyle extras are massages, nominated by 39 per cent of policyholders, and plastic or reconstructive surgery, nominated by 37 per cent of people with private health insurance.
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Other popular benefits for policyholders include gym memberships, named by 25 per cent, yoga or Pilates (24 per cent), sports shoes (17 per cent) and dietary supplements (16 per cent).
The research, conducted last month, was commissioned by the insurance comparison company Choosi and included respondents with and without private health cover. The managing director of Choosi, David Rees, said the findings revealed a shift away from basic cover for ambulance and hospital services towards lifestyle extras.
''We wanted to understand what motivates Australians to choose one health insurance policy over another, and what we've seen is an evolution in health insurance that indicates a preference for lifestyle items and wellbeing extras over necessities like ambulance cover," he said.
The Private Health Insurance Administration Council's figures from the March quarter show the number of people with hospital cover or general treatment cover is growing.
Under federal government changes to take effect on July 1, the premium costs for high-income earners will jump by hundreds of dollars. Individuals earning more than $84,000, and couples and families earning more than $168,000 will incur a phased withdrawal of the 30 per cent rebate on premiums and lose it entirely on incomes above $130,000 and $260,000 respectively.
19 May, 2012
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Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEQ32LoOiYLgvlrOb0yA3WAtzgAJg&url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/its-the-little-extras-that-matter-in-health-insurance-20120519-1yxft.html
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