If you’re travelling overseas or going through financial hardship, you may be able to temporarily suspend your private health insurance rather than cancelling your membership.
Suspending your membership can help you keep waiting periods you’ve already served and may help protect your Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) status.
Understanding how health insurance suspension works can help you decide whether suspension or cancellation is the right option for your situation.
Key Points
- Suspending your membership temporarily pauses your cover and contributions for an approved period of time.
- Suspending your membership helps protect waiting periods you’ve already served
- You won’t be able to claim benefits while your membership is suspended
- Eligibility criteria and suspension limits apply
Can you suspend your health insurance?
Yes. In some situations, you may be able to temporarily suspend your private health insurance rather than cancelling your membership.
Suspension is available when travelling overseas for an extended period or if you’re experiencing financial hardship.
Why suspend your membership instead of cancelling?
Suspending your membership can help you keep benefits you’ve already built up under your policy.
For example, waiting periods you’ve already served will remain in place when your membership is reactivated.
Suspension also helps protect your Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) status compared to cancelling your membership completely.
Can you claim while your membership is suspended?
No. You won’t be able to claim benefits while your membership is suspended.
Your membership is effectively paused during the suspension period, which means benefits are not payable until your cover is reactivated.
Can you suspend your membership while travelling overseas?
Phoenix Health Fund allows eligible members to suspend their membership while travelling overseas for an extended period.
To be eligible, you need to hold Hospital cover and provide evidence of your overseas travel.
Overseas travel suspension is available for more than 21 days up to a maximum of 2 years.
Travelling overseas?
Your Phoenix Health insurance won’t cover you while you’re overseas, so it’s important to consider travel insurance before you leave.
Phoenix Health Fund members receive a 20% discount on travel insurance policies through our partner PassportCard Travel Insurance.
Can you suspend your membership due to financial hardship?
Phoenix Health Fund offers temporary suspension for eligible members experiencing genuine financial hardship.
Financial hardship suspensions are available for a period of 1 month up to a maximum of 1 year.
Applications are assessed individually based on eligibility requirements.
What happens when you reactivate your membership?
When your suspension period ends, your membership will usually be reactivated from the agreed return date or suspension end date.
If your membership wasn’t paid in advance before suspension, you may need to make a payment to bring your policy up to date before claiming benefits again.
If you were travelling overseas, you may also need to provide proof of your return to Australia before your membership can be reactivated. You can learn more about suspension requirements on our membership suspension page.
How do you apply to suspend your membership?
If you’re considering suspending your membership, it’s important to contact Phoenix Health before cancelling your policy.
Phoenix Health Fund members can contact our team to discuss eligibility requirements, suspension periods and how suspension may affect their cover.
You can also learn more about suspension eligibility and requirements on our membership suspension page.