Editorial policy

Health insurance content ages badly. Thresholds move every July, rebate percentages move every April, and premiums change when the Minister approves a rise. Much of what is wrong online about private health insurance was correct when it was written. This page explains how we write and check ours.

Every figure comes from a primary source

We do not take numbers from other comparison sites, press coverage or a fund's marketing pages. Thresholds, rates and rules come from the body that sets them; product detail comes from the fund's current Product Disclosure Statement. The sources we use most:

• PrivateHealth.gov.au
• ATO
• Department of Health
• APRA
• AIHW, for public hospital waiting times

Each figure on a page is cited to the source it came from, and the page shows the date its figures were last checked. If we cannot source a number, it does not go on the page.

Who writes and who verifies

Guides are researched, written and checked in-house and published under the Plain Cover name rather than an individual's. Plain Cover is responsible for everything on this site. Every figure is cited to the source it came from, with the date that source was checked, and the worked examples state the rates they use.

We use drafting tools, including AI, to help structure and tighten copy. The figures are not taken from those tools. They come from the sources listed on the page.

How pages are dated

Each guide shows the date its figures were last checked. When we change a page because a threshold, rate or rule has changed, or because we got something wrong, the change and its date are recorded against that page, and anything that was wrong when published is listed on our corrections page.

Figures can go out of date between checks. If a figure on this site conflicts with the ATO, the Department of Health or the fund's PDS, the official source is the one to rely on.

How we are paid

• Health funds do not pay us to write about them.
• Where a page can earn us a fee, that is disclosed in the footer of every page on this site.

If you think something is wrong

Email [email protected] with the page and the figure, and we will check it against the source. If a figure is wrong, we fix it and note the change on the page. If you want to make a complaint, contact the Plain Cover complaints team. Our complaints page explains how.

What this site is not

Plain Cover gives general information only. It does not take your income, health or circumstances into account, so it is not financial or health advice, and it is not a substitute for the fund's Product Disclosure Statement. That document, not this site, is what you are actually buying.