Keep it up to date

Premiums vary depending on where you live and what your situation is. For example, they differ among the states due to ambulance cover. The service is free in Queensland, Tasmania and regional Western Australia. In other states it is usually factored into private health care. If you move interstate, notify your fund so it can adjust your cover and inform you of any changes.

When your circumstances change, notify your fund, especially if you plan to have a baby. Although your premium will rise, it’s important to follow the fund’s rules to make sure mother and baby are properly covered.

“The funds all have different rules as to how far in advance you need to notify them to add a child to the policy to make sure they’re covered from birth,” says iSelect’s Laura Crowden. “For kids to be included, a lot of people don’t realise that you basically have to have the cover three or four months before you fall pregnant. So as soon as you think about trying, you have to upgrade.”