Which Private Health Insurance Companies Will Cover Your Laser Eye Surgery

personalEYES | 6 Jun 2019

Which Private Health Insurance Companies Will Cover Your Laser Eye Surgery

Though the initial cost of laser eye surgery can seem high, it is possible to use private health cover to reduce the cost.

Of course, this is entirely dependent on who your insurer is, how long you’ve had your policy for, and what level of cover you have.

Looking Up Close

When you take out private health cover, there are a range of different options you can choose from. At the lower end of the scale is basic hospital cover. This gives you access to private hospitals, covers you for ambulance pickups, and provides general cover for emergencies.

Though laser eye surgery is, as it sounds, an operation, it is not covered under private hospital insurance. So if you only have this type of cover, you won’t be able to get financial assistance from your insurance company for LASIK or any other surgery.

Though hospital insurance is perhaps the most common form of private health, many people simultaneously take out ‘extras cover.’ This generally provides financial support for physiotherapy, chiropractic work, dental, and more. How much coverage you receive depends on the extras plan you take out.

It is worth looking at what your policy provides, as you might be covered for laser eye surgery in addition to the services listed above. Though every insurer is different, as a general rule, premium policies are the ones that provide this cover.

Medibank, for example, offer a $3,500 lifetime limit to for eye surgery as part of their ‘Ultra Health Cover.’ The lifetime limit applies as the surgery is something that only needs to be done once. Bupa offer a similar level of cover under their ‘Ultimate Health Cover.’

Duck for Cover?

If you are thinking about eye surgery and don’t have private health insurance, consider your options before rushing out for a policy. Many insurers have mandatory waiting periods – some for as long as three years – before certain benefits can be used.

In all cases, it’s best to talk to a private health company and discuss the options with them.

Whether you have private health or not, it’s important to keep the cost in perspective.

Though it is a large initial outlay and restores eyesight permanently. Over time, it is actually cheaper than having glasses, as glasses have to periodically updated, with new prescriptions needed to keep up with deteriorating eyes.

Laser eye surgery is an investment that pays for itself in the long run.

Calculate how much you could save with LASIK
Calculate how much you could save with LASIK