If you’re facing temporary financial difficulties and are unable to pay your premiums, we have a few options that could help.
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If you’re facing temporary financial difficulties and are unable to pay your premiums, we have a few options that could help.
If you’re eligible, you can choose to suspend your private health insurance. You can suspend your cover for a minimum of 1 month at a time, and up to 12 months for the lifetime of your policy.1 During this time you won’t need to pay premiums, but you will not be covered.
You could be eligible to suspend your policy - up to a lifetime limit of 12 months - if you have experienced a sudden loss or reduction in income due to:
You’ll need to have held a Bupa domestic hospital or extras policy for at least 12 months. We cannot apply a financial hardship suspension on Overseas Student Health Cover and Overseas Visitors Cover. Restrictions apply for ambulance only policies.
Everyone’s situation is different. Contact us to talk through your circumstances and options that could help.
You won't have private health cover while your policy is suspended, which will impact what benefits and services you can use.
Here are a few other important things to know before you suspend your policy.
Talk to one of our cover specialists to find out if you're eligible, and to discuss your options.
As life changes, we’re here to help you discuss options with your budget and health needs in mind. Get in touch for a cover review and we can work with you to find possible solutions for your situation.
Suspending your private health insurance policy means that we will put a temporary stop to your cover, and you won’t need to make payments for the duration of the suspension. Financial hardship suspensions apply to the entire policy and all members covered on it. Once you recommence your payments, you won't need to re-serve waiting periods that you have already served.
While your policy is suspended, you won't be able to make claims. You are not considered to have hospital cover for tax purposes while your policy is suspended, so you may not be exempt from the Medicare Levy Surcharge. We recommend you get independent tax advice to understand any implications for you.
No, you can’t keep part of your policy active with a financial hardship suspension (for example, if you have a hospital and extras policy, you can’t suspend just your extras cover). Financial hardship suspensions apply to the entire policy and all members covered on it.
If you suspend your policy, you won't be able to use Life Rewards for the duration of the suspension period.
Have a question? Choose from one of the many ways to contact us.
1 Subject to our approval, we will, on your request, apply a financial hardship suspension to your membership, provided you:
Suspension of membership only relates to premiums, and it does not extend to other types of payment support, such as excesses, co-payments and out-of-pocket costs.
Membership suspensions for financial hardship reasons must be at least one month in duration, and not last longer than 12 months. Suspension will begin the day after we accept your application. Your policy will resume on the date following the end of the period of financial hardship. You can also choose to start the policy again earlier than this, a period not less than one month from the start date of the suspension period.
Losing your job or facing a sudden loss in income is often a stressful time. If you find yourself in temporary financial difficulty and are unable to pay your premiums, we may be able to help. We’ll work with you to discuss your options, including checking your cover and whether you may be eligible to suspend your policy.1
Falling more than two months behind on your payments can put your policy at risk of lapsing. So it’s a good idea to consider potential options as early as possible.
No, it won’t impact your LHC loading. The government still considers you as having private hospital cover while your private health insurance is suspended. If you’re paying your LHC loading, the suspension period doesn’t count towards your permitted days of absence, and your LHC loading won’t increase while your membership is suspended.
Suspending your hospital cover does extend the end date of your LHC loading. Learn more about how pausing your private health insurance can impact your LHC loading on the Australian Taxation Office website. We recommend you get independent tax advice to understand any implications for you.
If you suspend your private health insurance and your circumstances change, you may need to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge depending on your income. You are not considered to have hospital cover for tax purposes while your health insurance membership is suspended. Learn more about the Medicare Levy Surcharge on the Australian Taxation Office website. We recommend you get independent tax advice to understand any implications for you.
Yes, the minimum period of suspension is one month, so after this if your circumstances change, you can call us at any time to reactivate your cover. If you reactivate your cover early, you must have an active policy for at least 6 months before you can apply for another suspension. You can only apply for another suspension if you haven’t reached the lifetime limit of 12 months.
Once you resume making payments, you won’t need to re-serve waiting periods you served at the beginning of your membership.
You can only suspend your policy if you are experiencing temporary financial hardship. This means you can’t suspend your membership if:
To save you time, there are plenty of things you can do using your myBupa account.