Yes, you can certainly suspend your policy while travelling and we hope you have a great trip!
If you're going overseas for more than two months and less than two years, you can certainly suspend your policy until you return to Australia.
Here's a few reasons why suspending your policy is a smart idea:
- You won't have to re-serve any waiting periods you've already served
- It won't cost you anything to suspend your policy and you won't have to pay a cent towards it while you're not in Australia
- You get to keep your length of membership, which is a huge advantage! For example, if you hold one of our Extras Cover products you'll be rewarded over time with higher annual limits and higher benefits payable on a number of services including chiro, osteo and complementary therapies (all of which increase after 3 years) plus dental, optical, physio, speech therapy and occupational therapy, which all increase after 5 years. By suspending your policy, you will retain these higher benefits.
- If you're aged 31 and over and already have hospital cover in place, you won't need to worry about incurring or increasing the governments' Lifetime Health Cover Loading.
Please note that different rules apply though depending on your current membership status and whether you're a permanent or temporary resident. Here's everything you need to know about policy suspension for travel purposes:
| DETAILS | Australian Citizens & Permanent Residents | Temporary Residents & International Visitors |
|---|
| DURATION | Minimum 2 months, maximum 2 years. | Minimum 14 days, maximum 4 months. |
| FORM | Policy Suspension Form (Overseas Travel) | Policy Suspension Form (Overseas Travel) |
Terms and conditions apply, please note:
- Your membership must be paid up to your departure date.
- You must have held at least three months continuous membership prior to requesting a suspension for travel purposes.
- A policy suspension for travel purposes can only be requested once in any 12 month period.
- All suspension applications must be lodged on the appropriate form and submitted to HIF at least ten days prior to leaving Australia.
- Travel documentation must be submitted with your application as evidence of your date of departure/anticipated return date to/from Australia. Accepted documentation includes an electronic/paper itinerary/ E-ticket or a Certificate of Movement from the Department of Immigration.
- During the period in which a membership is suspended:
- The Member will not be taken into account for the purposes of calculation of Premiums
- Benefits are not payable for Treatment received by the Member, and
- The period does not count for any purpose in relation to the Member, including Waiting Period, Benefit Limitation Period and Benefit Replacement Periods.
Important Information:
Are there any tax implications if I suspend my policy whilst overseas? If you are defined as a high income earner by the Australian Taxation Office you may be liable to pay the MLS if you suspend or cancel your private health insurance whilst travelling overseas. We recommend that you contact us to query if the amount of premium you expect to save by suspending your policy so that you can compare this to the possible surcharge you may have to pay.
What do I have to do to reinstate my membership when I come back to Australia? If you submitted an application to suspend your policy after the 20 December 2018 you do not have to do anything at all! We will look after all of this for you.Your policy will be automatically reinstated on the date you advise us on your application. Immediate cover will apply from the advised date of return to Australia and contributions will be payable from this date. If you applied for a suspension prior to 20 December 2018 though, you will need to complete our reinstatement form and provide a copy of your boarding pass or email itinerary for verification
Did you know that HIF also offers travel insurance?