Yes, but it will depend on the agreement we have with your chosen hospital.
Benefits are available towards boarder accommodation fees (ie the cost of your partner or support person staying with you), as long as it is in the contract between your chosen Private Hospital and Phoenix Health.
If you’re considering having someone stay with you in hospital, get in touch with the hospital or us prior to your admission, so the contract arrangements can be checked, that way you’ll know if your support person’s stay with you will be covered by Phoenix Health or whether it will be an out-pocket expense.
To assist our regional and rural members who perhaps don’t have access to Private Hospital facilities in their area, Phoenix Health offers a Hospital Assistance Package.
If you’re required to travel over 300 km return for medical treatment or the delivery of your baby, a benefit up to $200 for your travel expenses can be claimed. In addition, a benefit of $60 per night for the duration of hospitalisation can be claimed to assist with your support persons travel and accommodation costs (this benefit cannot be claimed where the Boarder Accommodation is paid to the Hospital).
Please note the Hospital Assistance Package is not available under the closed product Public Basic Hospital Cover.
| How to claim this benefit… If you are eligible for the Hospital Assistance Package, to claim for travel costs like petrol and your support persons accommodation, you’ll need to submit your itemised invoices for assessment – you can do this through the Phoenix Health App. Once we’ve received your claim, a member of the Phoenix Health team will be in touch. |
We want you to feel confident that your baby will have no waiting periods and be covered straight away, as long as you add them to your policy within 60 days of their birth – because if your baby comes early, there will be enough for you to think about without worrying if they are going to be covered or not!
If your baby is unwell when they are born, or they are premature and born between 32 and 37 weeks, they will be admitted into the nursery of the hospital for care. Phoenix Health will always waive the excess for your baby, but to ensure that their hospital stay and treatment can be claimed through your health insurance, make sure you add them to your membership within 60 days of their birth. (See Section 4.1)
What happens if your baby comes early and you’re still within your waiting periods? If you are still within your waiting periods on the day you give birth, as long as the estimated date of delivery of your baby is after your waiting periods are up, you’ll be covered by your Private Health Insurance. We’ll just need something in writing from your Obstetrician stating the estimated delivery date to confirm this.
Each hospital’s facilities are different, as is their capacity to treat premature babies born earlier than 37 weeks. We recommend talking with your Obstetrician about the arrangements and the hospital if your baby does come early – just to be prepared!
Whether you are planning on having a Caesarean delivery, or if you have an emergency one, all Caesarean deliveries are covered under Pregnancy and Birth – so as long as you are covered for Pregnancy and Birth (and have served all your waiting periods), then you’ll be covered with your private hospital cover.
As with any admission, you need to be aware of any out-of-pocket expenses that you may be responsible for when you are a private patient, including Anaesthetists and attending Doctors fees. Where you have a caesarean – planned or emergency, you will need to receive treatment by an Anaesthetist – who like any other Specialist Doctor may charge you an out-of-pocket expense for their services. (See Section 1.6)
When you’re expecting twins – or any multiple births, each baby after the first to be born will be always be admitted into the hospital as an in-patient. Phoenix Health will waive the excess for your baby/babies, but to ensure that their hospital stay and treatment can be claimed through your health insurance, make sure you add them to your membership within 60 days of their birth. (See Section 4.1)
There may be some incidentals that you may need to pay when you’re discharged from hospital – things like if there is a charge for hire of TVs, meals for your support person (where they are not covered under any hospital agreement) and any pharmaceuticals that are provided to you on discharge.
Have a chat with your hospital as they will be able to give you more information about whether or not to expect any extra costs.
