PrivateHealth.gov.au

Leaving your insurer

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Cancelling your policy

If you decide to cancel your policy, your health insurer should pay back any contributions you have paid in advance. The insurer may deduct a small administration charge.

Moving to another insurer

You can transfer from one health insurer to another, at the same or a lower level of benefit, without serving extra waiting periods. 

Your new policy may impose waiting periods before you are eligible for any new or higher benefits which were not part of your old policy.

Your new insurer must give you credit for the waiting periods you have already served. For example, if you have already been with your original insurer for a year, you could claim immediately on your new policy for the same services and benefits.

Benefits paid by the previous insurer may be taken into account by your new insurer when it determines your annual benefit limits.

Transferring between insurers will not affect your Lifetime Health Cover entitlements, provided that you transfer from hospital cover with your existing health insurer to hospital cover with the new health insurer.

More information

The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman website has a brochure on changing your health insurance policy. The Right to Change (PDF 240KB)