See whether what you pay for Extras cover is more or less than your fund pays back.
How to use it: Choose Quick Check if you only have a rough idea what you spend on Extras services. Choose Detailed Check if you know what your fund actually paid back. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
Please note: General information only. This calculator works out the figures you enter. It doesn't know your fund, your policy or your circumstances. It doesn't recommend any health fund, policy or level of cover, and it isn't financial advice. Your fund's statements and policy documents show your actual premium, rebates and limits.
Your Extras premium
Use the amount you actually pay, as it shows on your statement.
If your fund only shows one price, enter it with a quote for the same Hospital cover without Extras. The difference is an estimate of what Extras add to your premium.
Ask your fund for a quote on the same Hospital cover, with the same excess, without Extras.
Your spending on Extras services
A rough figure is fine for Quick Check.
Count what you pay providers before any rebate. If you have been covered for less than a year, use Detailed Check.
What actually happened
Use the same period for everything you enter below.
Rebates and spending are not scaled up to a year. Only the premium is matched to the months you choose.
Enter 0 if you didn't claim.
Before any rebate. Adding it shows the percentage your cover paid back and what you paid out of pocket.
Useful if your price changed part-way through. If you enter this, we use it instead of working the premium out from the amount above.
What this calculator does
It compares what you pay for Extras cover with what your fund pays back. Quick Check is for when you only have a rough idea what you spend. Detailed Check uses the rebates your fund actually paid. It only does arithmetic on the figures you enter. It doesn't know which fund you are with, and it doesn't recommend any fund, policy or level of cover.
How the figures are worked out
Premium. Your premium is multiplied by the number of payments in a year: 52 weekly, 26 fortnightly or 12 monthly. For a part year, only that share of the yearly premium is used, or the total you enter yourself.
Quick Check. Each example percentage is applied to your spending to give an example of the rebates. The result is those rebates less your premium. The break-even percentage is your yearly premium as a share of your yearly spending.
Detailed Check. The result is the rebates you received less the premiums for the same period. If you add your spending, the rebate percentage is your rebates as a share of that spending, and what you paid out of pocket is the spending less your rebates.
Combined premium. If you only know your combined premium, the Extras cost is estimated as that premium less the Hospital-only quote, with both turned into yearly amounts first.
What these results can't tell you
Annual limits and caps. Extras cover usually has yearly limits and limits on each service. The Quick Check examples don't allow for them, so real rebates can be lower than an example suggests.
Waiting periods. Extras often have waiting periods before you can claim. If you drop cover and rejoin later, you may have to wait again.
Future claims. A year with few claims says little about next year. A year with many claims says little too.
Quotes. A quote for Hospital cover without Extras may not match your current cover exactly. The excess, the hospital cover level and price changes can all differ, so ask your fund to confirm.
Hospital cover rules. If you are thinking about changing your Hospital cover, check the Medicare Levy Surcharge and Lifetime Health Cover loading rules first. This calculator doesn't cover them.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tell me to cancel my Extras?
No. It shows how what you pay compares with what you got back, or with the examples you chose. Whether Extras suit you depends on things it can't see.
Which premium should I use?
The Extras part, as you actually pay it, after any government rebate has already been taken off. Your statement or your fund can tell you. If your fund only shows one combined price, choose the combined option.
Where do I find my rebates?
Your fund's app, online account or claim statements usually show what has been paid. Add up the payments for the months you want to check.
Is anything I enter saved?
No. The sums are done in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved on your device or sent anywhere. We count how many people finish the calculator, but never the amounts.
Is there an official comparison site?
Yes. The Australian Government runs privatehealth.gov.au, which lists policies from registered funds.
