These are some of the questions that we get asked a lot, and while we love to chat with our members and anyone thinking about joining, these quick questions and answers might save you a little time. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for though, please get in touch with us.
I am currently with another health fund. If I switch to rt will I have to serve my waiting periods again with you?
Great question, and this is something that bothers a lot of people. The short answer is no. If you’re switching to us within two months of leaving your current health fund, have already served your waiting periods, and take a level of cover that is similar to the one you currently have, then you won’t have to serve any waits again.
So, if you're switching to us from a very basic level of cover and taking out a higher level of cover, then there may be some waiting periods that apply for things you weren’t previously covered for. But if you’re taking a similar or lower level of cover with us then you won’t have any.
Most people switching from one fund to another don’t have any new waiting periods, but to find out for sure, why not give your rt member care team a call on 1300 886 123.
How do I go about transferring to rt?
It’s surprisingly easy, you don’t even have to deal with your old fund, we can take care of that for you. Call or email your rt member care team to get the ball rolling on 1300 886 123 or email help@rthealthfund.com.au.
How can I check which hospitals I will be fully covered in?
We have agreements in place with almost all of the private hospitals and day facilities in Australia, and when you are treated as an inpatient at any of these hospitals you will be covered for 100% of your hospital costs (but remember there will also be doctors’ fees and possibly pharmaceutical or prostheses costs on top of this). We'll soon have an up-to-date list of hospitals that we have agreements in place with in the members area of this website, but in the meantime, if you call your rt member care team on 1300 886 123 they can give you all the information you need.
If I take out hospital cover, how soon can I use it?
One of the great things about our hospital cover is that we cover you for accidents after just one day of membership. General hospital treatments have a two-month waiting period, obstetrics and pregnancy-related services have a 12-month wait and so does treatment for any pre-existing conditions. The technical definition of a pre-existing condition is ‘a condition, ailment or illness, signs or symptoms of which were evident at any time during the six months preceding the date you joined rt or transferred to a higher level of cover, irrespective of the date of actual diagnosis’. In other words, any health condition that you would have experienced symptoms of – whether or not it was diagnosed – in the six months leading up to you joining or upgrading.
What should I do if I need to go to hospital?
When you know that you will be going into hospital, give us a call so that we can talk you through how your hospital cover works. Generally, if you go to a hospital with which rt has an agreement (that’s most private hospitals and day facilities in Australia), you’ll be 100% covered for the hospital expenses and the hospital will bill us direct. It couldn’t be easer. But remember, you’ll also have doctors’ fees and possibly fees for pharmaceuticals and prostheses used in your treatment, and you may face out-of-pocket costs for these. Click here and we’ll take you straight to a simple explanation of how hospital and doctors’ charges work, and what you’re covered for. And of course, you can call your rt member care team to talk it over.
I have been a member of rt for many years. Why don’t you offer me a discount on my health cover?
All private health funds operate within a very strict legal framework. One of the major principles that underpins health insurance is ‘community rating’, which means that funds must offer every member the same health insurance product for the same price, regardless of age, health risk factors, length of membership or any other variable. While this pretty much prevents us from offering special discounted rates to people who have been members for a long time, it also means that as we all get older and need to use our health cover more and more, it doesn’t cost more – so a 65-year-old and a 25-year-old will both pay the same price for the same cover. As much as we value our long-standing members and want to help them to stay with the fund, we have to find other ways to say thank you, as discounts are a no-no.
If I go overseas can I suspend my health cover?
You sure can. If you’re going overseas for any period from one month right up to 24 months, you can suspend your cover. The benefit of suspending, as opposed to just cancelling your cover is that you get to keep your ‘certified age of entry’ for Lifetime Health Cover purposes and you get continuity when you come home, which means you don’t have to re-serve waiting periods again. To suspend your cover just let us know the dates you are travelling and show us a copy of your boarding passes within one month of getting home and we will resume your cover.
