The specific extras services you’re covered for depends on your health fund, level of cover and the specific policy you choose. Here are some examples of common services extras insurance can cover:

• Dental treatment
• Physiotherapy
• Optical - Glasses and contact lenses
• Chiropractic treatment
• Podiatry

There are some situations where your health fund cannot pay a benefit (because they legally can’t), but Medicare will.

For example, a visit to a doctor outside of hospital, like a General Practitioner (GP), will never be covered by health insurance, no matter what fund you’re with – that’s covered by Medicare.

Consultation fees for a doctor or a specialist appointment outside of hospital, tests and examinations like x-rays or blood tests and eye tests by an optometrist are common situations where your health fund won't pay a benefit but Medicare will.

A lifetime limit is the total amount you can claim for a service over the course of your lifetime. That means, once you’ve claimed up to your lifetime limit, either at HBF or through claims at another health insurer, you won’t ever be able to claim again, even if you upgrade your level of cover with HBF. Each person on your policy has their own lifetime limits. A lifetime limit applies to orthodontics on some HBF Extras covers.

An annual limit is the maximum amount of money you can claim for a service within a calendar year. Each person on your policy has their own annual limits.

When you buy extras insurance for the first time, if you haven’t had continuous cover, or if you’ve just upgraded to a higher level of cover, there will generally be a waiting period you need to serve before you can claim.

Waiting periods for extras vary between health funds, but with HBF most services have a 2-month waiting period, while more high-cost services (like Major Dental) have a waiting period of 12 months or more.