Keeping your children covered
Maintaining cover for your children as they grow up is just as important to us as it is to you. We offer a range of cover options for dependants, so you can have the peace of mind that they’ll be covered when it’s most important.
Child dependant
Child dependants can be covered on your family or single parent membership until they turn 21 years of age regardless of their student or employment status.
Prior to your child turning 21, you will need to let us know if they are to remain on your policy as a student dependant. You can do this by completing a student declaration. If a student declaration is not completed prior to their 21st birthday, they will be automatically removed from your membership.
Student dependant
Student dependants who are single and completing an apprenticeship, traineeship or studying full time can continue to be covered on your family or single parent membership until they turn 25 years of age, provided a student declaration is submitted each year.
Registering a student dependant
If your child is between 21 and 25 years of age, you will need to submit a student declaration to ensure they remain covered by your membership. This declaration needs to be completed prior to 1 April each year to confirm your child’s status as a student.
For current student dependants, if we don’t receive a student declaration prior to 1 April, they will automatically be removed from your membership. Don’t worry, we’ll remind you to complete a student declaration each year.
If a student dependant completes their full-time study or eligible apprenticeship/traineeship mid-year, they’ll remain covered on your membership until 31 March the following year or until they turn 25, whichever occurs first.
Ensuring your child is covered once they come off your policy
If your child is over 21 and not eligible or ceases to be eligible to remain on your membership as a student dependant, they will need to take out their own cover. They will also need to take out their own membership if they turn 25, regardless of their student status.
To avoid re-serving waiting periods your child’s new cover will need to:
- be taken out within 60 days of them coming off their parent's cover; and
- start* within 30 days of them coming off their parent's cover; and
- be equal to or lower than the level of cover you hold as a family.
* Backdating of the policy will be required if cover is taken out between 31 and 60 days after a dependant is removed from the parent's cover.
Please note that in order to claim benefits their cover must be active on or before the day of treatment.
If your dependant has missed the cut-off date for transferring waiting periods already served, contact our customer service team to understand what options are available.
Age-based discount
Your child may be eligible to receive up to 10% off their hospital cover premium when they take out their own cover, and this discount will be applied until they turn 41 (provided that they retain eligible hospital cover until this time).
Find out more about the age-based discount.
How to sign your child up to their own cover
- To make this transition as easy and seamless as possible, call GMHBA on 1300 446 422.
Your child will need to be present to sign up, so have your child call us themselves, or have them sitting with you for the call. - We will help your child to find an equivalent cover, or one more suitable to their needs.
- Parents can be set up with authority to enquire about their child’s cover, however they won’t be able to make changes.
- As your children grow, your health insurance needs may also change. This may be a good opportunity to review your own cover with GMHBA. Contact us for a personalised cover review today.