HBA

Pathetic cover and claims department – Quite simply the worst insurer I have ever been with. A $40 extras claim has now been with them for over 2 months. They have lost it, found it again, escalated it but the claim has still not been processed. I would hate to go through this process if the claim was actually significant. Recently got a quote on how much I would be out of… Read more

pocket for a hospital admission. Out of the $4k operation fee, they were going to cover $20.40 in addition to what I could claim from Medicare and will still be out of pocket $2k plus my excess.

The level of service has gone backwards since the merger and has not been managed well. Amounts covered have not moved in years and things keep getting removed from my cover however I just received advice my premium will be going up 9% this year. I have left this sinking ship before it gets any worse. Was fantastic years ago when i joined Non-existent customer service, pathetic claims department, shrinking amounts of cover

Poor customer service – I just recently transferred to HBA. As a new member, I want to know who are the available providers for natural therapies as I want to make use of my extras cover. I emailed them asking for a list in Melbourne CBD, and they told me they can't provide any. I have to give them the name and they'll check if it is an accredited provider. For me,… Read more

it is too much of a hassle to call every time or email to find out if the provider is accredited. Currently I don't have any yet so for me I want to limit my search to only those who are accredited.

They told me to give them the registration number, name, address, etc. Then I have to do this for all the providers I have searched on the net just to verify. At least the previous health insurance I had was able to give me a list, and they have a search facility online. If only my previous health insurance has more coverage for IVF, I wouldn't have transferred.

Very Inefficient, poor service, poor website

BEWARE!! HBA (BUPA) WILL NOT PAY FOR YOUR HOSPITAL ADMISSION FEE!! – I was with HBA/BUPA for nearly 4 years, I was from a top visitor cover for 3 years and move to the best corporate cover in the last 9 months (as advised by my employer). I have been advised from sales rep from BUPA that all my waiting period and all the covers will be transferred from my old cover to my new one, so I dont have to wait for anything… Read more

to go to hospital.

Couple of months laterI will have a surgery and need to get into the hospital soon. I went to the BUPA center and the person said that it all will be covered. Then I quoted the membership number to the hospital as per admission requirement. however, the hospital call back that I will not be covered by BUPA and they ask me to all BUPA.

Then I called BUPA and ask for explanation, the person hospital cover department then told me that it will not be covered because it is a pre-existing illness based on their assumption (*is he or she a doctor or what? why dont he or she just work in a hospital then?), and pre-existing symptom before the date I switched my cover to the corporate level will not be covered unless I have passed my one year waiting period. I told them that it is not pre-existing, and I did the first consultation with the doctor after I switched my cover, an I have been in HBA/BUPA for nearly 4 years and I had been promised that my waiting period and benefits will be transfered to the new cover level. And again the person hospital cover department made an excuse that the cover before is only cover for public hospital although my current cover is covering the private hospital, so pre-existing will not be covered. I told them that this is not a pre-existing condition and I CAN PROVIDE THEM WITH ALL THE DOCUMENTS, and why everyone assure me to switch and suddenly I am trap to this situation? and she said that is doing as per BUPA procedure. And she did not mention that there is another way to make a claim not before I yelled for half an hour, the way is asking the doctor to fill in medical certificate and send it back to them, however it will be reviewed again by them and the decision will be made by them after that is final.

Honestly, this is NONSENSE!! ALL THEY TRYING TO DO IS FINDING EXCUSE EXCUSE AND EXCUSE OF NOT PAYING OUR HOSPITAL COVER!!

Currently I am still fighting for it. I currently disappointed with them and looking for switching to another private insurance that serve the member better than HBA(BUPA).

Inefficient Claims Department! Uninformative website – I was with HBA (Now BUPA) for 2 years. The hospital claims department is totally useless. They take forever to process your claims Once I was admitted in hospital and paid AUD$1970 upfront. The claims department made a mistake!!! They only paid back AUD$985 back to the hospital They then asked med to check with the hospital on the remaining… Read more

fees and keep tossing the balls around.

It has already been almost 3 months and I have not got my money back!

and last month they increased the premium cost again. What a joke!!

The website is also very poor and uninformative. You can barely get any information from there. Any information we need have to call them up and queue which takes ages. And don't even bother putting down your phone number down cause they will NEVER call you back!! The fact that I can just scan and email claim forms to them rather than having to send things by mail. Inneficient Claims Department, Uninformative Website. No means to track claims.

I love HBA (BUPA) – HBA (BUPA) are fantastic, I am never out of pocket for anything, I have been with them for 10 years. I have had many covers with them including an excess and top cover. I have ultimate health cover & I just love it, they are so helpful and always put you through to someone that can help with any questions. It is such great cover.

Excellent – Always had medium cover (20yrs). Opted for full cover due to physiotherapy needs (no waiting period) And that's on top of most other services) YIPPEE! I'm impressed! Thanks HBA! Ask & they deliver sometimes their website is a little hard to navigate around Instant payments to healthcare fund as in premiums should be accepted in real time.

Terrible – I have been with HBA for 9 years and continually encounter low level of service over the phone and at their branches inspite of high premium. I have used an excellent dentist for 15 years but get a low refund on his fees because he is not an HBA preferred provider. A staff told me over the phone to change to another health insurer when I asked… Read more

whether they accept American Express.

High premium with low reimbursements. Staff at branches and over the phone have a "don't care" attitude. Confined to using HBA's preferred providers to get better refunds.

Terrible – With HBA for 3 years instead of joining MBF. Due to misleading info from MBF! We were told they don't cover us in Queensland. Took their word for it. We changed cover after a year to include a family member. She is covered for private hospital but parents aren't. Trusting that we still had the same cover as before, albeit a higher premium, we went… Read more

ahead with change of cover. Over the phone!! There are no branches in North Queensland and their website is appalling. Every year the fund sends you a summary. Both of us scanned over it and could not see anything wrong. Now if we look for the mistake it is quite obvious. Thinking of joining Medibank Private. Unless the HBA resolutions centre comes up with a solution; I am still waiting....

Lack of service and empathy; they don't return calls. Misleading information with high premium. Due to misleading info over the phone - now $5000 out of pocket! Don't join over the phone if you can avoid it!

Terrible – When you choose a health insurance, it is good idea to get item number from your doctor. Then check with insurance company, see how much they can cover. Plan ahead for your health cover. Dont make decision on the information they giving you when they want you to join in. e.g. wisdom teeth removal, item no. 324 and 311, belong to general dental,… Read more

before I thought HBA would cover 60% if they are the HBA provider. No! when you ask them, they always could think of reason not to cover you. Carefull! The girl worked in Southland HBA branch is rude. Check over the phone, so you dont get to see their 'I hate you' face. the only good service you can get is from sales. bad customer service over the phone and at branches. missleading information on the covers.

Terrible – My opinion was fairly neutral until now having only claimed once or twice in the five or more years I was with them. That has now obviously changed, not just for the reasons above but the fact that their premiums are so much more than NIB on a like-for-like basis (which is the reason I switched). Today (7/7/2010) I have called them twice to… Read more

cancel my policy, both times being told I will have to wait up to 48 hours for them to phone me back to action that due to customer loads. I'm not sure how this should be my problem or where in my terms and conditions I'm required to have to continue paying premiums until they are in a position to cancel my policy.

My third call now and after speaking to a supervisor, I'm informed that they can backdate it. How this information is recorded I know not. I can envisage the situation now when they finally call me back (if they do) in the days to come: "What, we have no record of you wishing to cancel your policy a week ago".

Now after insisting to speak to a supervisor ([name censored]) they've finally agreed to make a note of me calling and advised that they'll cancel my monthly deduction and that I won't be charged from today. WTF couldn't they have done that in the first place rather than having me go to this trouble?

This sounds like a cash grab by HBA. Absolutely appalling service.

Terrible – Very angry. My account was overdrawn due to their error and I do not know how long it will take for me to be re-imbursed. Not to mention the bank fees. I just tried to join and within a few minutes found this practice of debiting your account double then what it states in the quote. I cannot find any pros in HBA. I joined HBA on line and was told… Read more

that my monthly premiums will be $70 dollars per week and I had 14 days to send them by mail the 30% rebate. Within ten minutes of giving HBA my bank details, they debited my bank account with $460 for one month's premium. After phone calls and going to their office, I was given many excuses one of them being that the site has a problem for new members. Please do not join on line or you will also be surprised.

Excellent – I've been with HBA for about 8 months now and have found them to be perfect for my needs. I have the Active Sports Saver coverage and get plenty of general hospital cover and useful extras. Extras include major & general dental, orthodontics, mouthguards, physio, chiro, massage, dietary & podiatry Cost with the 30% government rebate for me is… Read more

less than $50 per month. I'm mid 20's and a non-smoker.

The first time I swiped my card to claim at the dentist I save nearly $100.

I shopped long and hard for my health cover - HBA was perfect for me.

Also, you can manage everything about your account via their user-friendly website. Great rate, great inclusions, easy to claim Nothing yet

Bad – I have been with HBA since I lived at home with my parents. Over the years I have raised and lowered cover but have never been entirely happy. When I go to a branch there always seems to be a reason why they can't give me back the full amount eg don't have sufficient details, have reached yearly cover, have reached lifetime cover. Too large a… Read more

range of covers which are confusing and make it difficult to compare different covers and different providers. Have tried to change previously but felt 'locked in' because I was receiving orthodontic reimbursements and would have had to wait another 12 months if moving to new provider. many branches available, company has been around for years high premiums with poor returns, staff act as though they are doing you a favour when you go to claim money for services paid, yearly price hike of premiums

Excellent – i first joined HBA because i needed to have surgery, when i called the HBA phone number i spoke to one of the ladies for quite some time and she advised me of the best option for me. As it happened i was able to use a loop hole in my personal situation and i did not have to wait the standard 12 months befor making a claim. So i was able to join… Read more

HBA and book in for my surgery 1 month after joining. This has been wonderfull, not to mention it saving me thousands of dollars! Great price, friendly staff nothing bad about it

Good – I got this insurance on a special deal of one month free, which i have seen since on other occasions too, making it a good deal. I love that I can make my claims online whenever suits me and they just deposit the money into my bank account. There are no stores in QLD though so far I have had no need to go into a store. Their hospital + extras… Read more

insurance was one of the cheapest that i found for my partner & myself. The coverage is not that high, though you can always pick the level of coverage that you want (for the price that you're willing to pay!)

OK – I've been generally happy with HBA over a long period of time (10 years plus). We have only made a few claims during this time, but have not had any problems with claims. We have needed to change our type of cover over time and HBA provided particularly helpful advice regarding best cover for adult children who have moved out of home. Overall… Read more

however, I thinik that if I shopped around I could find better cover at a comparable cost. Good service, very clear information on the web page. Generally easy to contact by phone. Advice is accurate and provided promptly. Cover is not as high as some comparable funds.