8 ways older Aussies can get value from their extras cover

Every life stage means something different when it comes to your health cover. There’s no ‘set and forget’ when it comes to making sure your cover is doing the hard yards when your lifestyle or stage changes.

Getting older brings a lot of freedom. Often the kids are less dependent on you, you may be considering retirement. It’s a stage where health comes into focus, so knowing you’ve got great extras cover to support you is important.

Even if you’re not at this life stage, here are some great tips to help you use your extras cover to your advantage.

What are health insurance extras?

Extras cover supports your health and wellbeing by covering some of the costs of a wide range of services, from things like dental and optical, right through to services like massages, alternative therapies, health aids and prescription medications (depending on your level of cover). Getting older is a great opportunity to take a step back to assess what it is you can get from your extras cover.

Here are 8 ways older Aussies can improve their general health and wellbeing – just by using their extras cover.

Investing in health aids

Health aids are medical devices and equipment that help you manage a health condition. They include items like custom-made orthotics, blood glucose and blood pressure monitors, wheelchairs, wigs, BPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines and masks and compression garments. Depending on your level of cover, you may be able to claim custom-made orthotics and orthopaedic shoes, as well as benefits for monitoring equipment to help you with a health issue – devices like blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, CPAP masks, nebulisers, crutches and TENS machines may be included in your cover. If you’ve got a letter from your medical practitioner stating the health aid they’re recommending for you (and the reason), you’ll be able to claim.

Cover for prescriptions and vaccines

Prescriptions and medications are expensive. Your extras policy may provide a benefit for some of your high-cost prescription medications and for certain vaccines. If you’re covered, you’ll find them listed as ‘pharmaceuticals’ on your cover guide.

Help with your joint pain

As we age it can be normal to get sore joints (backs, knees, hips, necks). But you don’t have to put up with it. You can use your extras benefits to get pain relief or advice through physio, chiro, podiatry or osteopathy. If it’s covered by your extras, you’ll be able to get benefits paid up to your service and annual limits.

Treat those aches and pains

Pesky aches and pains can stop you from living your best life. Massage can help. Most RT Health extras covers provide benefits for remedial and Swedish massage (as long as it’s with a registered provider) and, if so, you’ll be able to get benefits paid up to your service and annual limits.

Looking for an alternative?

Alternative therapies may just be one of the ways you could use your extras cover to improve your health and wellbeing. They include services like myotherapy, acupuncture, exercise physiology and Chinese medicine. If alternative therapies are included in your cover, you’ll get benefits for consultations with registered providers, but we can’t pay for products like remedies and oils. Remember, it’s important to speak with your GP if you’re not sure about how alternative therapies can help with your personal health concerns.

Claim your gym membership

Moving more as we age is vital. Older Aussies often use their local gym to help meet their fitness goals. If your extras cover includes gym membership (take a look under the ‘Health Improvement’ section of your RT Health Cover Guide and you’ve served your waiting periods, you’ll be able to claim a benefit by getting your GP to fill out the RT Health gym benefits authorisation claim form. If you stay covered, you can claim a benefit every year.

Get mental health support

Maintaining our mental health as we age is important for wellbeing. Knowing you’re covered with access to mental health support and services under your extras cover is reassuring. Psychology is covered by extras (depending on the level of cover you choose). There are benefits under most RT Health’s extras.

You can claim for visits to accredited and approved mental health social workers under your psychology and/or hypnotherapy benefit (depending on your cover). This is in addition to claiming for visits to a psychologist. You may also be able to claim for counselling and social worker sessions for yourself or your family, or group sessions, up to your annual limits.

Eligible RT Health members^* can also claim for online cognitive behavioural courses delivered by This Way Up. These evidence-based programs have been developed by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists and help you manage depression, generalised anxiety, social anxiety, health anxiety, panic and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – just to name a few.

Check your RT Health Cover Guide to see what’s available to you.

Don’t set and forget

Knowing what you’re covered for is important. The more you know about your benefits and what you can claim, the better your extras cover will work for you. If you’ve reached a new life stage, or if you’re focused on ways to improve your health and wellbeing, checking that your health cover still suits your needs can pay off.

With a bit of planning, you'll always be covered, so be sure to take a look at your cover regularly.

How to claim extras on health insurance

We make claiming simple. You can claim on the spot for many service providers and our mobile claiming app makes submitting your claim fuss-free.

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