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Published August 2026 Words by Angela Tufvesson Appointments with medical specialists can feel daunting – but once you know what to expect, it’s much easier to navigate. A trip to the GP that ends with a specialist referral can catch you off guard. Maybe it's a skin irritation that needs a closer look or a backache your doctor wants to get to the bottom of. Either way, seeing a medical specialist can be daunting, especially if you aren’t feeling your best. Research shows one in five Aussies who need specialist care delay or skip it, often because of wait times or cost. This can mean missed diagnoses, conditions that get worse and more medical expenses down the track. If you’ve received a referral or aren’t sure if you need one, here’s what to know about medical specialists. First, what are medical specialists? A medical specialist is a doctor who’s an expert in a particular field of medicine. Specialists are found in all areas of medicine, with some of the most common including: cardiologists dermatologists gynaecologists obstetricians oncologists paediatricians urologists. Other health professionals like psychologists also offer specialised care and may require a referral. Do you need a referral to see a specialist? Generally, you will need a referral to see a specialist. Some specialists won't see you without one. A referral also lets you claim a higher Medicare rebate, which means lower out-of-pocket costs. How do you get a specialist referral? Your GP is the best place to start. They can assess your situation, recommend a specialist and write you a referral. GP referrals to specialists can be ‘open’, which lets you choose your own specialist. You can also change specialists and keep your referral, as long as they’re within the same medical field. Most referrals last for 12 months from your first appointment (not from the date it was written). For ongoing or chronic conditions, your GP may give you a longer-term or ‘indefinite’ referral so you're not constantly renewing it. What about medical fees? If your specialist charges more than the scheduled fee set by the government (which is common), normally Medicare covers part of the cost and you pay difference, or the "gap". Your first appointment usually costs more, but it also comes with a higher rebate. Follow-up visits usually have lower fees and a lower rebate to match. If your out-of-pocket costs reach a certain threshold in a calendar year, Medicare will give you higher rebates for the rest of the year – handy if you're seeing doctors regularly. The quickest way to claim Medicare rebates is at your specialist’s office – when you pay, just ask the receptionist if they can make an electronic claim for you on the spot. You can also submit an online claim (usually reimbursed within seven days), send a claim form via mail, or visit a service centre to claim in person. Choosing the right specialist One of the benefits of private health cover is you can choose which specialist you see. RT Health members can use the Find a Doctor tool to search specialists by specialty, suburb, postcode or hospital. Your GP can also help point you in the right direction. When weighing up your options, consider: their qualifications and experience availability and wait times location cost. The Medical Costs Finder is a free Australian Government website where you can look up specialist fees, see what Medicare usually covers and get an idea of what you may need to pay. Questions to ask your specialist If you're treated by a specialist as a patient in a public or private hospital, your health cover may cover some of the costs. Asking these questions can help you understand your care and any out-of-pocket costs. Do you participate in RT Health’s Medicover program? Choosing a doctor who participates in our Medicover program can reduce what you’ll pay out of pocket. If your specialist participates in Medicover, you'll either have no out-of-pocket costs or you'll know exactly what you'll need to pay before your appointment, so there are no surprises. Do you work from a Medicover-participating private hospital? RT Health members can reduce or avoid out-of-pocket costs by choosing a Medicover-participating private hospital. Your specialist might work across several hospitals and it’s worthwhile checking if any of them participate in Medicover. Will there be any other doctors involved in the treatment? Other doctors involved in your care (like anaesthetists or surgical assistants) may bill separately. Ask who else is involved and what their fees are. Are there any extra costs involved and what are they? Some procedures involve surgical implants or devices, like a stent or an artificial hip, or single-use parts used during robotic surgery. These aren't always fully covered, so it's worth checking with your specialist beforehand so you know what to expect. What are the total fees of the procedure or treatment? Before you go to hospital, ask for a confirmed total (not just an estimate) from each specialist involved. It’s the best way to avoid unexpected medical expenses after your procedure. Not sure if your hospital treatment is covered? We get it. Private health insurance can be complicated, but we’re here with you every step of the way. If you have any questions about your cover, our Member Care team can help you find the answers. Call us on 1300 886 123 or email help@rthealth.com.au This wellbeing message is brought to you by the team at RT Health, a division of HCF, The Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia Limited (ACN 000 026 746). This communication contains information which is copyright to HCF. It should not be copied, disclosed or distributed without the authority of HCF. Except as required by law, we do not represent, warrant and/or guarantee that this communication is free from errors, virus, interception or interference. All reasonable efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of material contained on our website. It’s not intended that this website be comprehensive or render advice. The information provided on this website is general information only and may not be suitable to your individual circumstances or health needs. Please check with your health professional before making any dietary, medical or other health decisions as a result of reading this website. 

Published August 2026 Words by Sabrina Rogers Expert contributor: Nicole Dynan, accredited practising dietitian Food labels can be hard to decode – that ‘healthy’ snack might not be as good as it seems. Discover how to read food labels and what people often miss. Have you ever picked up a packet of food at the supermarket, flipped it over and had absolutely no idea what you're looking at? You're not alone. Ingredients, nutrients and health claims can sometimes be tricky to decipher, but understanding how to read food labels can help you make healthier choices. “While packaged foods can be low in nutrition, many are convenient,” accredited practising dietitian Nicole Dynan told Heath Agenda. “If you know what to look for, they can be a part of a healthy diet.” What is a food label and what does it tell you? The nutrition information panel (NIP) is a box found on packaged food labels that lists the average amount of: energy (in kilojoules and sometimes also in kilocalories) protein fat saturated fat carbohydrate sugars sodium (salt). If there’s a health claim like ‘good source of fibre’ or ‘high in calcium’ on the package, the NIP must also list the average quantity of that nutrient to back up its claim. Where it can get confusing is the ‘average quantity per serving’ and ‘average quantity per 100g/100ml’ columns. What do they mean and which one should you use? If you want to know the nutritional value of a single product, start with the serving size. You'll find this just under ‘nutrition information’ in the NIP (along with how many servings are in the package). Then check the ‘average quantity per serving’ column for a breakdown of kilojoules and nutrients per serve. Keep in mind that serving sizes are set by the manufacturer and can vary a lot between products. That's where the ‘average quantity per 100g/100ml’ column is handy – it helps you compare two products side by side. If you’re trying to cut back on sugar, for example, you might compare two brands of yoghurt and choose the one with less sugar per 100g. Or, if you’re trying to eat more fibre, you might opt for a breakfast cereal with more per 100g. The ingredients list is a separate section on food labels. It tells you exactly what's in a product, listed in order from the largest amount to the smallest. It also includes the percentage of key ingredients. For example, a strawberry yoghurt that lists the first three ingredients as ‘skim milk, sugar, strawberry (6%)’ contains a high amount of sugar and not much of its key ingredient, strawberries. You’d be better off finding another yoghurt that has sugar further down the list. How to read food labels Now that you know the basic requirements for food labelling in Australia, here are a few other things to look out for. Allergens After the ingredients list, you may see another list starting with: ‘contains’ (ingredients that are definitely in the product) ‘may contain’ (ingredients that could be present in small traces, usually because the product was made in a facility that also handles them). These indicate ingredients that can cause allergic reactions, including potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis in some people. Common allergens include egg, milk, wheat, peanuts, several types of tree nuts, sesame, soy, lupin, fish, mollusc, crustacean, sulphites, and cereals like wheat, barley, rye and oats that contain gluten. Free sugars Free sugars (sometimes called added sugars) are types of sugar that are added to foods by manufacturers, as well as sugars that occur naturally in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. They don’t include the sugars naturally found in whole fruits, vegetables and milk. Other names for free sugars to watch out for on food labels include: dextrose fructose glucose golden syrup maple syrup sucrose malt maltose lactose brown sugar caster sugar raw sugar. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that less than 10% of your daily energy intake (equivalent to 50g) should come from free sugars. For better health outcomes, limit your free sugar intake to 5% of your energy intake (25g). As a quick rule of thumb, try to avoid or limit foods with more than 15g of sugar per 100g. Fats Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats found in avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil and oily fish can help improve your cholesterol levels, lower your blood pressure, decrease inflammation and reduce your risk of heart disease. Saturated fats and trans fats, on the other hand, can increase bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and heart disease risk. They’re found in butter, cream, cheese, coconut and palm oils, fatty meats, poultry skin, bacon, salami, cakes, pastries, deep-fried foods, processed snacks and many takeaway foods. The total fat listed on packaged foods includes both healthy and unhealthy fats, so it can be hard to know whether a food is good for you just by looking at that number. Australian manufacturers are required to list the amount of saturated fat separately on food labels, but they don’t have to list trans fats. You should limit total fat to a maximum of 30% of your total daily energy intake, with no more than 10% coming from saturated fats and no more than 1% from trans fats, says the World Health Organization. Be careful of ‘low fat’ products, Nicole cautions. When fat is removed, extra sugar may be added to make up for lost flavour or texture. “That means the total kilojoules in that food may be the same as a full-fat product,” she says. Decoding common health claims To make health claims like ‘low fat’ or ‘source of fibre’ on food labels, manufacturers have to adhere to standards set out by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand. Here are some of the most common claims you’ll see – and what they actually mean. Light/lite or reduced The product contains less energy or less of a specific nutrient (like sugar, fat, salt, carbohydrates or cholesterol) than the regular version. Check the NIP and compare to similar products. Low sugar and no added sugar ‘Low sugar’ means no more than 5g of sugar per 100g (or 2.5g per 100ml for drinks). ‘No added sugar’ means no sugars, honey, syrups or fruit juice concentrates were added during manufacturing.  Low salt No more than 120mg of sodium per 100g or 100ml. Low fat No more than 3g of fat per 100g (or 1.5g per 100ml for drinks). Low cholesterol No more than 20mg of cholesterol per 100g (or 10mg per 100mL for drinks). Source, good source and excellent source of fibre ‘Source of fibre’ means at least 2g of fibre per serving, ‘good source’ indicates at least 4g per serving and ‘excellent source’ means at least 7g per serving. Adult women should have at least 25g of dietary fibre a day and men 30g a day. Source and good source of protein ‘Source of protein’ indicates at least 5g of protein per serving. ‘Good source’ means at least 10g of protein per serving. Adult women should aim for at least 46g of protein a day and men 64g a day. How to stay on top of your nutrition The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating is the best source of evidence-based nutrition information. You’ll also find more about how to read food labels there. A dietitian can help you better understand food labels and how to make healthy food choices. If you’re an RT member with eligible extras cover, you won’t have to foot the whole bill – you may be able to claim some benefits towards the cost of dietetics appointments. Need some support with your diet? If you sometimes struggle to know what’s healthy and what’s not, a nutrition program can help take the guesswork out of it. We’ve partnered with Digital Wellness to give eligible RT Health members access to the evidence-based CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet*. Join over 500,000 Aussies who have improved their health and wellbeing with these easy-to-make recipes. * Eligibility criteria apply. For more information, see rthealth.com.au/csiro-total-wellbeing-diet This wellbeing message is brought to you by the team at RT Health, a division of HCF, The Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia Limited (ACN 000 026 746). This communication contains information which is copyright to HCF. It should not be copied, disclosed or distributed without the authority of HCF. Except as required by law, we do not represent, warrant and/or guarantee that this communication is free from errors, virus, interception or interference. All reasonable efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of material contained on our website. It’s not intended that this website be comprehensive or render advice. The information provided on this website is general information only and may not be suitable to your individual circumstances or health needs. Please check with your health professional before making any dietary, medical or other health decisions as a result of reading this website. 

Published: July 2026 Words by: Angela Tufvesson Regularly reviewing your private health cover can help you make sure it’s meeting your needs and giving you value for money. Private health cover is one of those things many people sign up for and then forget about. But as your life changes, so do your needs – and your cover should keep up. In Australia, there are four private health insurance tiers: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic. It's a good idea to review your health cover every now and then to make sure it still suits your needs, especially if your family, work or health situation has changed. Reviewing (and, if necessary) changing health insurance tiers at the right time can help you get more value. Here are some questions to ask to help you work out whether your current policy is still the right fit for you. Has your household situation changed? Perhaps you’re newly single, moving in with a partner or you’ve recently separated and are co-parenting. Your young adult children might have moved back home or maybe you’ve become part of a blended family. Whatever the change in your household, it’s a good time to take a look at your health cover. If you and your partner are on separate policies, you may want to consider taking out couples cover. The benefits of this include less admin (as there’s one less policy to manage) and a simpler tax return process. If either of you has Lifetime Health Cover loading (LHC), it gets averaged between you both. However, if the two of you have different healthcare needs, sticking to two singles policies could be a better option. If you or your partner have children, family cover could be a good option. With RT Health, adult dependants who are studying full-time and are dependent on you for maintenance and support can stay covered under a parent's policy at no additional cost until they turn 31. Adult dependants who are working, not married or in a de facto relationship, and are dependent on you for maintenance and support can also remain covered until they turn 31 for an additional premium that is less than the cost of an equivalent single-person cover. Adult dependants should talk to their financial or tax adviser to make a choice that's best for their individual financial circumstances. Are you approaching a major life milestone? Starting a family is an exciting time and it’s helpful to plan ahead to avoid any unnecessary out-of-pocket expenses. To be covered for pregnancy and birth, you’ll generally need to have Gold cover. And because there’s a 12-month waiting period, you’ll  need to have it for at least three months before you become pregnant. If you’ve recently changed jobs or been promoted, your salary may have increased, and you may need to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge (an extra fee at tax time) if you don’t have an appropriate level of private hospital cover. It’s usually cheaper to take out basic hospital cover than to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge, which, if applicable to you, is based on the percentage of days in the financial year you do not hold eligible hospital cover. When did you last use your cover – and what for? It’s worth taking a moment to think about the last time you used your private health cover. Was it for a dental check-up, new glasses, a physio appointment or a hospital stay? Looking back at your claims history can help you work out whether your current policy still matches your needs. You might realise you’re not taking advantage of benefits you’re paying for or that your current policy no longer reflects the services you need the most. Reviewing how often you claim and which services you actually use can help you decide whether it’s time to make changes to your private health insurance. Has your health status changed? If you (or someone included in your policy) has a health condition,  cover that meets your needs can help with out-of-pocket costs, give you more choice of hospitals and doctors, and get you treated sooner. But a policy that worked for you in the past might not suit your needs now. If your health needs have changed, it might be time to upgrade – just keep in mind that some treatments carry a 12-month waiting period. You also don’t need to wait until you’re sick to use your health cover. Some of our programs may be able to help you prevent or manage any health concerns before they start to impact your everyday life. For example, if type 2 diabetes is a concern, exercise and weight management programs can be a great way to stay on top of your health. Eligible RT Health members have access to 12 weeks of free access to the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet*, exercise physios via their extras cover and they may even be able to claim a benefit for their gym membership. Reviewing your cover Your health needs, finances and lifestyle can change over time, so it’s a good idea to review your health insurance regularly to make sure you’re getting good value – ideally once a year or after a major life event. The first step is to check out your Cover Guide or visit online member services.  Before deciding on any cover, make sure to review the full terms and speak with us to discuss your specific needs. Still have questions? For help and more advice on reviewing your private health insurance, our Member Care team are here to help you get more value from your cover. Give them a call on 1300 886 123 or get in touch via email at help@rthealth.com.au * This offer is available to RT Health members with hospital cover, who also: are aged 18 or over have a Body Mass Index of 28 or above have multiple lifestyle risk factors like smoking, physical inactivity and poor nutrition. As you get older and consider semi- or full retirement, services like dental, optical and hearing become more important. These services are not always fully covered by Medicare and can come with out-of-pocket costs. Having extras cover can save you money on your check-ups and give you peace of mind in case you need additional treatments. This wellbeing message is brought to you by the team at RT Health, a division of HCF, The Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia Limited (ACN 000 026 746). This communication contains information which is copyright to HCF. It should not be copied, disclosed or distributed without the authority of HCF. Except as required by law, we do not represent, warrant and/or guarantee that this communication is free from errors, virus, interception or interference. All reasonable efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of material contained on our website. It’s not intended that this website be comprehensive or render advice. The information provided on this website is general information only and may not be suitable to your individual circumstances or health needs. Please check with your health professional before making any dietary, medical or other health decisions as a result of reading this website.