Do I have to pay the Lifetime Health Cover Loading if there has been a gap in my Hospital Cover?

Yes. You will have to pay the Lifetime Health Cover Loading if there was a gap in your Hospital Cover.

However, if you had Hospital Cover on your Base Day and then cancelled or suspended your Hospital Cover, and the gap in your Hospital Cover is less than 1,094 days (3 years minus 1 day) during your lifetime, then you will not have to pay the Lifetime Health Cover Loading. 

The 1,094 days are known as your ‘Days of Absence’.

Your ‘Days of Absence’ exclude gaps in your Hospital Cover such as switching between health insurers.

Suspending your Hospital Cover (if your insurer agrees) because you have gone overseas is not included in your ‘Days of Absence’.

If you have a gap in your Hospital Cover of 1,094 or more days, you will have to pay a Lifetime Health Cover Loading when you take out Hospital Cover. Your Lifetime Health Cover Loading is 2% for every year outside the 1,094 days without cover.

Here are some examples of how the ‘Days of Absence’ work in practice: