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What is Couples Health Insurance?
Just like you might share a house with your partner, Couples Health Cover means you could share Health Insurance too. It’s one policy that covers two adults. Different health funds may have their own definition of a couple but usually it covers married, de facto or otherwise registered couples, no matter if it’s only been for a short time.
What could it cover?
As with other Private Health Insurance Policies, your Couples Policy could be purely Hospital Cover, including operation fees and accommodation (although we don’t recommend having a date night in the ER). Alternatively, you might only be interested in Extras Cover, like dental or physio. If you’re after the best of both worlds, you could get Hospital Cover and Extras Cover.
Couples Health Insurance explained
Understand the basics of Couples Health Insurance in less than two minutes.
Pros of Couples Health Insurance
Convenience of only one premium and account
If you struggle to keep track of when bills are due, even with direct debit, or simply don’t want to deal with an extra password, Couples Health Cover could keep things streamlined for you and your partner. You only have to pay one premium and keep track of and deal with one policy and insurer.
Could make updating cover easier as you age
Whether you dream of holding hands in matching rocking chairs or seeing all the modern wonders of the world, adjusting your Couples Health Cover as you grow old together could be more straightforward than dealing with two policies.
Aim for that higher Private Health Insurance Rebate
Since you’ll now be doing the maths with two incomes rather than one, the threshold you need to skim under to get the maximum rebate is $194,000 as of 1 July 2024.1Australian Taxation Office – Income thresholds and rates for the private health insurance rebate
See if you can skip that Medicare Levy Surcharge
Assuming you’ve got an appropriate level of Hospital Cover (that has an excess of $1,500 or less for couples),2Australian Taxation Office – Appropriate level of private patient hospital cover your combined income could mean you’re paying zilch on that surcharge. As of 1 July 2024, the threshold is conveniently also $194,000.3Australian Taxation Office – Medicare levy surcharge income, thresholds and rates
Cons of Couples Health Insurance
Reduced flexibility and choice
We all have our own unique health challenges, whether it’s fighting hay fever every spring or something more serious. As Couples Health Cover means sharing the same level of cover, you may find you’re left wanting or with more cover than you feel you need.
Cover ends with your relationship
Since a Couples Policy is based around you two being a couple, you’ll need to look for a different policy for yourself if it ever comes time to decide who keeps the good cast-iron cookware.
They’re really no cheaper than 2 single policies
You’d be forgiven for thinking that joining forces would mean you’d get a discount, but sadly you’d be wrong. Generally, a couples policy is no cheaper than two single policies with the same level of cover. Given you’re not going to get a discount, if you have different medical requirements, having two separate policies could be more practical.
Need to upgrade to a family policy
When it’s time for your family to go from two to three, you typically won’t be able to add baby onto your Couples policy. Instead, you’ll need to jump onto a Family Policy. This shouldn’t be too hard though, your insurer should have a clear pathway ready for you, just give them a call for the next steps.
Helpful Tip:
If you already have a ‘Singles’ Health Insurance policy, then you might not have to go through the entire application process again to add your partner. There are many insurers who will let you add your partner to an existing policy — you’ll just need to call them to find out. Some of them have an online portal where you can do it all in just a few minutes! It might be worth comparing your options first, as your current insurer may not offer the best value when it comes to a couples policy to meet both your health needs
Tips for choosing a Couples Policy
Learn from history
Thinking about your own health, including hospital admissions and your families’ health histories, could help you figure out the level of cover you’d like to share with your partner.
Balance, rather than break, your budget
Break out the coffee and calculators to figure out what you’re both comfortable paying to help you narrow down your options further.
Compare policies to find more value
While it might have been love at first sight for you and your partner, being picky with your Couples Health Cover could pay off in the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are premiums calculated for Couples Policies?
All Private Health Insurance Policies are community rated, even Couples Health Cover. This means everyone pays the same standard price for a policy, no matter their age or health history – a little like how everyone gets the same Medicare rebate on the same items. Of course, prices can vary between policies and insurers.
The only key difference is that multi-person policies, like those for couples or families, may also take into account how many people are sharing the policy. After all, it wouldn’t be very fair for people who’ve been less lucky in love or simply love their own company to have to pay more.
Is a Couples Policy cheaper than two Singles Policies?
While bundling items together often makes things cheaper, this isn’t always the case in Health Insurance. As Health Insurance Policies are community-rated – everyone pays the same standard pricing for the same policy – your Couples Health Cover may just be double the cost of a similar policy for one person.
However, depending on the level of cover you’re each after, and if you’re eligible for discounts or other perks, you may be able to shop around to find a Couples Health Cover that is cheaper than two different options for singles. It could even work out to provide you more value simply by meaning you only have one premium to pay.
Unfortunately, this is another one of those situations where you’ll have to do the maths to see what the case is for your unique circumstances.
If I have Couples Health Insurance, do I still have to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge?
If you’re hoping to avoid paying the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) – even if you’re on a shared policy with your partner – you only need to meet two criteria.
- You have an appropriate level of Hospital Cover (for couples and families that has an excess of $1,500 or less).Australian Taxation Office – Appropriate level of private patient hospital cover
- Your combined income from 1 July 2024 is $194,000 or less.Australian Taxation Office – Medicare levy surcharge income, thresholds and rates
If your combined income is over $194,000 and you don’t have Private Health Insurance or it isn’t classed as an appropriate level of cover, you will be charged MLS. So, while it might feel like an enormous task to search for or update your Health Insurance, it could pay off come tax time.
How does the Lifetime Health Cover Loading work with Couples Health Insurance?
If you were on a policy by yourself and had to pay the Lifetime Health Cover Loading (LHC), it would be based on your age and every year over 30 that you didn’t have Hospital Cover (based on your age on the 1 July prior to joining).But this gets a little trickier when you’re dealing with two people on the same policy.
So, instead, the loading is the average of your individual loadings (even if one of you has a 0% loading). For instance, if you have a loading of 2% while your partner has one of 6%, you’d be paying 4% on your Couples Health Cover.
If you’re a younger couple, this could be a good incentive regardless to get covered sooner rather than later.
Can a divorced couple share a policy?
When you’re divorced, you may still share much of your life with your former partner, like taking care of children or fur babies, or even continuing to live together. Unfortunately, you probably won’t be able to keep sharing your Couples Health Cover. While each insurer has their own definition of a couple, divorced is unlikely to make the cut. It may even be enough to invalidate your policy if your insurer found out the two of you were no longer together-together.
If you still wanted to have shared Health Insurance with your kids, you could look at Single-Parent Family Policies instead.
Can you add dependents or children to a Couples Policy?
Couples Health Cover could be one of the steps you take when you’re looking to grow your family, like getting cover to help with the pregnancy and birth. However, once baby is born (or if your baby is already walking and talking), it’s unlikely you’ll be able to add them to the same shared policy as it suddenly won’t just be insuring a couple anymore.
If you still want to keep things streamlined and everyone on the same cover, you may instead be able to switch to a Family Health Cover Policy. You can then continue to add dependents and children to the policy if you’re looking to expand your family further.
What if one person has a pre-existing condition on a Couples Policy?
Legally, a Health Insurer can’t refuse to insure you simply because of a pre-existing condition. While this is definitely a big win for everyone’s health, you might want to pause the celebrations before breaking out the Champagne. That’s because your insurer is allowed to put in a waiting period before you start claiming. This can’t be longer than 12 months for Hospital Cover, but your insurer can set any length of waiting period for Extras Cover.
If you’re taking out a new policy with your partner and one of you has a pre-existing condition, it’s usually only that person who would have to wait out the pre-existing waiting period before they can claim, rather than both of you. It really all depends on the policy, so don’t be afraid to speak with your insurer or go through your policy documents.
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Health Insurance & Tax
Tax Implications on Health Insurance
About the Medicare Levy Surcharge
About the Life Time Health Cover Loading
Government Rebate & Means Testing
iSelect does not compare all health insurance providers or policies in the market. The availability of policies will change from time to time. Not all policies available from its providers are compared by iSelect and due to commercial arrangements, your stated needs and circumstances, not all policies compared by iSelect are available to all customers. Some policies and special offers are available only from iSelect’s contact centre or website. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers
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- 1.Australian Taxation Office – Income thresholds and rates for the private health insurance rebate
- 2.Australian Taxation Office – Appropriate level of private patient hospital cover
- 3.Australian Taxation Office – Medicare levy surcharge income, thresholds and rates