Extras cover to safeguard your health

A key highlight of HCF’s story of innovation is when we introduced extras cover in 1975, helping Australians access services for better health and wellbeing. 

The 90-year story of HCF is marked with many industry firsts and uncommon acts of care for our members, our people and communities. We’re proud to celebrate our pioneering spirit and recognise our rich history and legacy of community service.

It all began on 16 June 1932, with HCF opening its first office in Sydney with contributions set at sixpence a week for a family and three pence a week for singles. Within two years of opening, HCF had more than 100,000 members. It changed its name to Hospitals Contribution fund of NSW in 1946, then to Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia in 1967. In 1965 HCF expanded into Victoria, and by 1967 offices had been established in Queensland and Tasmania.

Fast-track to 2022, and HCF has grown to become Australia’s largest not-for-profit health fund, putting the health and wellbeing of 1.8 million members first.  

HCF, the first health fund to introduce extras cover

One of the milestones we’re proud of is that on 1 July 1975, HCF was the first fund to introduce its ancillary product, called Multicover, to cover a range of services including dental, optical, physio, chiro.

Julie Macey, Head of Ancillary Benefits at HCF, explains: “By introducing our ‘Multicover’ plan for members in 1975, we changed the way Australians look after themselves and their families. We began to help them with the cost of important check-ups – getting their teeth cleaned regularly and encouraging eye checks – as well as treatment by physios becoming more accessible with the Multicover plan.”

Other health funds followed with their own version of ancillary cover and this type of health insurance has now become a pillar of the private health insurance industry.

Today we call this ancillary product extras. It’s the cover our members use as a preventative tool to future-proof their health. With services ranging from podiatry to physio, there are a range of health providers that can be included in your list of private health insurance extras, depending on your cover. These providers are there to support your physical health and to ensure your future wellbeing.

HCF’s More for You network

HCF continued to innovate with the launch of its More for Teeth network in 2001 to give members the chance to get 100% back on their dental check-ups. A cornerstone of HCF’s extras today, the More for Teeth program provides no-gap dental check-ups and saved members $65m in out-of-pocket expenses in the FY 2020-21.

We believe prevention is an important part of staying on top of your health which is why we’ve developed a nationwide network of participating providers with further More for You programs launching from 2012, including More for Hearing and More for Muscles.

Julie says, “The More for You programs encourage our members to see a clinician [dentist, physio, chiro, osteo, podiatrist] early, by removing the concern about a gap payment. An early intervention generally leads to a better health outcome and that’s why we cover 100% of your first consultation.”

Our 100% back^* services include dental, optical, hearing aids, physiotherapy, chiropractor and osteopaths, and podiatry when you see a provider in HCF's no-gap network (up to your annual limit). With extras cover refreshing on 1 January each year, it’s a good time to nip health issues in the bud.

“Extras cover can really nudge people to get seen early,” says Julie. “No one wants to go to the hospital to get value from their health insurance, but we all want to know that we can keep our teeth healthy, access a physiotherapist, get glasses or contacts if we need them, or have a remedial massage when we’re all tensed up and wonky.”

What am I covered for?

As an HCF member, it’s important to know what More for You programs are included as part of your cover. To find out which no-gap services you’re covered for, log in to online member services to find your Product Summary under ‘Cover details’.

Our More for You programs have higher benefits so participating providers don't charge a gap for selected services. This means you’ll get 100% back^* on that service, up to your annual limit.

Extras doesn’t stop at our physical health – throughout the history of HCF we have shown a commitment to improving the mental health and wellbeing of our members.

Early intervention with matters of mental health, particularly in young people, can help create more positive outcomes, meaning you don’t have to have a diagnosed mental health disorder before you ask for help.

Eligible HCF members^{^} can access the HealthyMinds Check-in through PSYCH2U, providing access to  online video support and navigation to other mental health services as needed. 

Continuing to innovate

Julie says HCF will continue to find ways to meet the needs of our members into the future: “We’re really excited to be launching a new extras product in the near future and we’ll continue to put the needs of our members before profit, finding ways to give back and help members be their healthiest selves into the future as a holistic health partner and leader in the health insurance industry.”

Don’t want to pay the gap for extras?

Our 100% back^* services include dental, optical, physio, chiro, osteo, and podiatry services. Find out more here.

Published September 2022