Special features
Access to hospitals across Australia
We have agreements with many private hospitals across Australia and offer cover in each of them dependant upon your chosen level of cover.* We also provide full cover in all public hospitals in Australia.
The private hospitals we have agreements with fall into two categories:
Members First hospitals
Members First hospitals are selected private hospitals from our Participating hospital network. At Members First hospitals you receive 100% cover for your hospital expenses, including accommodation, theatre and intensive care fees. You will also receive special benefits, including a single room or money back,# free daily newspaper, local telephone calls and TV in your room.
Participating hospitals
Participating hospitals are private hospitals where you receive 100% cover for your hospital expenses, including accommodation, theatre and intensive care fees. If you go to a private hospital that isn’t in our network of Participating hospitals, you may incur large out-of-pocket expenses
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Find a Members First or Participating hospital near you |
* Please note that Classic, Essential and Standard Visitors Cover give you access to shared room accommodation as a private patient in public hospitals across Australia only.
# To receive a single room for an overnight stay at any of our Members First hospitals, simply book at least 24 hours before your admission and ensure that you request a single room. If there’s no single room available, you’ll receive $50 a day from the hospital for every day you’re not in one. This applies to any overnight admission - excluding nursing home type patients, emergencies, or where a single room is medically inappropriate.
Covering the gap with Ezyclaim
If you go to hospital and your doctor or specialist charges more than the Government Schedule fee, it’s up to you to pay the 'gap'. But with our Ezyclaim system, your doctor or specialist agrees with us the fee charged for services and to bill us directly, so in most cases there's no gap and you don't even see a bill. And if there is a gap, you'll be told about it before treatment. So there are no unwanted surprises. Simply ask your specialist about Ezyclaim.
Members First provider network
We have agreements with thousands of dentists, physiotherapists, chiropractors and optical outlets across Australia.* They are part of our Members First network. At these providers, you get bigger benefits from us than at providers who are not part of our Members First network. Visit our extensive dental, optical physiotherapy and chiropractic Members First network and receive:
- Higher benefits than at non-Members First providers – between 60% to 100% back on the cost of the treatment in most instances
- Certainty about any out-of-pocket expenses
- On-the-spot claiming
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Find a Members First dentist |
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Find a Members First optical outlet |
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Find a Members First physiotherapist |
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Find a Members First chiropractor |
*Currently there are no Members First dentists or chiropractors in Tasmania or the Northern Territory, and no Members First physiotherapists in Tasmania.
Visible value on optical
Make your extras cover go further at Members First optical outlets with higher annual limits and rebates of at least 20% more than an outlets not part of the Members First network. Choose a Members First optical outlet and get:
- At least 20% off frames and great discounts on lenses*
- Full cover on selected frames at some Members First outlets*
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Find a Members First optical outlet |
*When purchased with prescription lenses. Not available with any other offer. Excludes Chanel and Bulgari frames.
No gap dental for kids
We offer cover for all the cost of your kids’ dental at Members First dentists, right up until they turn 25.* That means you’ll benefit from no out-of-pocket costs for your kids on more than 250 dental services when you visit a Members First dentist – including check-ups, teeth cleaning, fillings, x-rays and more!
This feature is available when you take out packaged overseas visitor cover or Gold, Classic, Essential or Standard Visitors Cover with one of Platinum, Gold or Silver Extras.
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Find a Members First dentist |
* On benefits payable. Excludes orthodontics (normal benefits apply). Available on family memberships. Excludes dental treatment in hospital. Waiting periods and normal fund dental rules apply. Child dependants only.
Natural alternatives
Many of our extras covers provide benefits for alternative health services including acupuncture, Chinese herbalism, homoeopathy, massage (Bowen Technique, kinesiology, reflexology, shiatsu and Therapeutic massage), naturopathy and Western herbalism.
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More about cover for natural therapies |
A-Z of health
HBA has put together a useful range of health tips and articles to help members understand the what, how and why of many health issues.
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More about the A-Z of health |
Flexibility to suit you
If you’re leaving Australia for a period of between one and three months, we can suspend your cover until you return. This means you won’t have to pay for cover while you’re not in the country. Conditions do apply, so please contact us to find out more.
Great discounts with Pharmacy Saver
Add Pharmacy Saver cover to any overseas visitor cover and you can enjoy some impressive savings on your pharmaceutical and health care purchases at National Pharmacies outlets. In short, you get a 20% discount on a variety of health-related products.* You can visit your National Pharmacies store to find out exactly what you’re entitled to.
* These are products designed to manage or prevent disease, injuries or a condition, or prescribed in connection with an episode of hospital treatment. Pharmacy Saver may not be available if you are on a Corporate plan.
