Health aids and extras cover: what you can claim and how

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Health aids and extras cover: what you can claim and how

Updated on November 2025
Expert contributor Patricia Kennedy Smythe, Senior Operations Manager, RT Health
Words by Sabrina Rogers-Anderson 


From CPAP machines to glucose monitors, health aids can help you manage a chronic illness or recover from injury. Here’s how to claim them on your extras cover.

According to the latest figures from the ABS, nearly 50% of Australians live with at least one chronic condition, and many people rely on health aids and devices to help manage conditions like asthma, arthritis or diabetes.

But with cost of living on the rise, paying for essential health aids can feel like a stretch. That’s where RT Health extras cover can help, contributing towards a wide range of health aids and devices.

Here’s everything you need to know about our extras cover benefits and how to make a health insurance claim for health aids.

What are health aids?

“A health aid is an item that can help manage a medical condition,” says Patricia Kennedy Smythe, Senior Operations Manager at RT Health. “Examples include a wheelchair, a blood glucose monitor for diabetes management, and a CPAP machine for obstructive sleep apnoea.”


Which health aids does RT Health cover and who can claim them?

The following basic health aids are covered by RT Health’s Top Extras, Smart Extras, Value Extras, Deluxe Extras*, and Bronze Core Hospital Fit & Healthy Extras*.

  • Artificial eye or limb: Replaces a body part missing due to a birth defect, accident or surgery.
  • Blood glucose monitor: Helps people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes monitor their blood sugar levels.
  • Blood pressure monitor: Helps people with high blood pressure and heart conditions monitor their blood pressure.
  • Braces and splints: Protects and helps heal joints and limbs after injury or due to medical conditions.
  • BPAP and CPAP machine: Helps people breathe properly when they have conditions including obstructive sleep apnoea (when the airway becomes partially or completely blocked while sleeping) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, a group of lung conditions including chronic asthma). These are claimable once every three years.
  • Compression garments: For conditions like lymphoedema (chronic swelling in the soft tissues of the body) and varicose veins (enlarged and twisted blood vessels, usually in the legs). Sports compression garments aren’t included.
  • Crutches: Help you stand, walk and move around while you recover from an injury or surgery.
  • External breast prosthesis: An artificial breast worn under clothing after mastectomy (when one or both breasts are surgically removed).
  • Nebuliser: Turns liquid medication into a mist that can be inhaled. Nebulisers are often used to treat conditions like asthma and COPD.
  • Oral appliances: Help with snoring or sleep apnoea.
  • Oxygen concentrator/cylinder: Delivers oxygen to people with breathing difficulties.
  • TENS machine: Applies gentle electrical impulses for pain relief (does not include circulation boosters, massagers or reflexology devices).
  • Wheelchair: For people with a disability, injury or illness that affects their ability to walk.
  • Wig: For people with hair loss due to medical conditions like cancer.


Additional health aids are claimable on selected extras covers only:

  • custom-made orthotics and orthopaedic shoes
  • CPAP masks
  • low-vision aids for age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)
  • hearing aids (claimable once every three years).

Our Healthy Choice Extras cover* and the Bronze Plus Essential Hospital and Combined Extras cover* do not include any health aids.


How to make a health insurance claim for health aids and devices

First, check your extras cover includes the health aid/s you need. Your RT Health Cover Guide is a good place to start, or you can give us a call on 1300 886 123.

Once you know you’re covered, make sure you have the right documents. “For a benefit to be payable, you need to provide a letter from a medical practitioner stating the medical condition the health aid is treating. And the device must be purchased in Australia,” says Patricia.

“We don’t pay any benefits for disposable items that are used with the health aids, such as syringes, bandages and sensors. The one exception is CPAP masks, which are payable on selected covers only.”

There’s usually a 12-month waiting period before you can claim for a health aid. No benefits will be paid on health aids you buy before then.

The best way to claim your benefit is through the RT Health app (download it on Google Play or the App Store). All you need to do is to upload your doctor’s referral letter stating the medical condition the health aid is for, plus a copy of the receipt for the purchase of your health aid. Your receipt must include:

  • your name and address
  • the name of the company the health aid was purchased from, and their address
  • a description of the health aid you’re claiming 
  • the date the health aid was purchased 
  • the total cost of the service (the health aid must be paid for in full before a benefit can be paid).


When and how to upgrade your cover

If your current extras cover doesn’t include the health aids you need, give the friendly RT Health team a call on 1300 886 123.

A team member can help you upgrade to the level of cover you need, but keep in mind there will be a 12-month waiting period before you can purchase and claim your health aid. If you think you may need a health aid or device in the future, it’s worth upgrading now to make sure you’re covered when you need it.


Still have questions?

Unsure which health aids and devices you can claim as part of your extras cover? If you need some advice or want to know more, we’re here with you every step of the way to help you get more value from your cover.

Our Member Care team can answer any questions you have. Give them a call on 1300 886 123, or get in touch via email at help@rthealth.com.au


* These extras covers are only available to existing members who already hold the cover.
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