As part of the Australian Government private health insurance reforms, health funds were given the option to offer discounts to members aged 18–29 years holding hospital cover.
The age-based discount is available to eligible members on all GMHBA Hospital products.
How does the discount work?
These discounts are tiered based on age and set by the Government. They range from 2% to 10% of a private health insurance hospital premium.
If you're eligible for an age-based discount, we'll apply it until you turn 41 (providing you retain your hospital cover). After you turn 41, the discount is gradually phased out and will decline by 2% of your private health insurance premium each year until the discount no longer remains.
Age-based discounts are optional for health insurers to implement, meaning not all health funds offer them, GMHBA offers age-based discounts on all hospital covers.
If you’d like more information about how it works, please see the FAQs below or Age-based Discount (privatehealth.gov.au)
What discount am I eligible for?
The level of discount you will be eligible for is based on the age you are on 1 April 2023, when GMHBA made the discount available on all Hospital products.
For example:
If you’re 27 years old as at 1 April 2023 and are currently on a GMHBA hospital cover, you would be eligible for a 6% discount on your premium (single policy), applied from 1 April 2023 onwards. That 6% discount would remain applied to your premium until you turn 41 (as long as you retain eligible hospital cover). It then reduces by 2% each year until the discount no longer remains.
Discount % that health insurers can offer:
| Age on 1 April 2023 with existing GMHBA Hospital cover | % discount that a health insurer can offer |
|---|---|
| 18-25 years old | 10% |
| 26 years old | 8% |
| 27 years old | 6% |
| 28 years old | 4% |
| 29 years old | 2% |
| 30 + | 0% |
For members already receiving the age-based discount on GMHBA Hospital products (prior to 1 April 2023), your discount level will remain the same.
For members who join after the age-based discount is implemented on 1 April 2023, the level of discount you will be eligible for is based on your age when you first joined GMHBA hospital cover.
FAQs
If you were receiving an age-based discount from your previous fund, your current discount will come across with you to your new GMHBA hospital cover. This is called a retained age-based discount. To be able to retain your current age-based discount, there can’t be any more than a 30-day gap in cover between leaving your previous insurer and joining GMHBA.
Once your clearance certificate arrives from your previous health fund, the level of discount you receive will be verified and automatically applied to your premium.
If you’re on a couples or family membership, both you and your partner can each receive the discount if you’re aged 18-29. The discount is averaged out across the policy.
Only the main member and the spouse on the policy are eligible for the discount.
If your dependant is over 21 and no longer studying, or they have turned 25, they'll need to take out their own membership to remain covered. The good news is that they would then be eligible for the age-based discount on their new hospital policy. They would also be eligible to receive any offer available to new members at the time they join (as long as they meet the terms and conditions of the offer).
Get more information about student dependants.
If you cancel your hospital policy or remove it from a combined hospital and extras policy, the discount is removed. If you add hospital to your policy again in the future, the discount will be applied in line with the age you are at the time, if you’re still eligible.
If you suspend your policy within fund suspension rules, your discount as it was at the time of suspension will still apply when you reactivate. The only time it will reduce is if you are over the age of 41 when you reactivate.