Our methodology

A figure is only worth reading if you can see where it came from. This page sets out how the guides on Plain Cover are researched. If a page departs from it, the page says so and explains why.

Where the data comes from

• Thresholds, rebate rates and loadings: the ATO.
• Premiums and policy information: the government's PrivateHealth.gov.au data and each fund's current Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
• Tier inclusions: the Department of Health's clinical category definitions.
• Complaints: the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman's published data.
• Waiting times: the AIHW's most recent elective surgery release.

We do not take figures from other comparison sites, press coverage or a fund's marketing pages.

How figures are checked and dated

Every figure in a guide is cited to the source it came from, with the date that source was checked. Each guide shows the date it was last updated, and when a figure changes, the change and its date are noted on the page.

How worked examples are built

Where a guide works through a sum, such as whether cover costs less than the Medicare Levy Surcharge, it uses a stated example, a named premium, excess, income and age, rather than an average, so you can redo the sum with your own numbers. Premiums vary by state, age and fund, so an example shows how the calculation works, not what you will pay.

What we deliberately leave out

• Star ratings and awards. We do not republish ratings we cannot audit, and we do not buy any.
• Member review scores. They are easily gamed and we cannot verify the reviewers.
• Projected savings. We do not tell you what you will save over ten years.

Quotes

Plain Cover does not compare policies for you or produce quotes. If you request a quote through this site, it comes from a commercial partner, and we may be paid a fee. How that works is set out in our terms.

The limits of general information

A guide cannot tell you how a fund will treat your particular claim, whether your surgeon takes part in a gap scheme, or what your premium will be after your fund's next rise. Before you buy, read the PDS and check that your own doctors and hospitals are covered.

This is general information only: it does not take your circumstances into account and it is not financial or health advice. How pages are written and checked is on our editorial policy. Think we have something wrong? Email [email protected].