HCF Health Insurance

I love HCF! Life has been hard since 2014, many operations and hospital
Stays. HCF has been my partner and saviour on this journey. The staff have treated me with respect, made me feel like a person and not a number. Am SO grateful! Thank, thank you from the bottom of my unwell heart - you took away a big stress in what has been a horrid time. Happy to send you proof send me an email and I will and I to you.

We attended the HCF console at the Westfield Belconnen Mall and spent some very valuable time with the staff member. We had not reviewed our policy for quite some years and it was an eye opener to see what arrangements were far more suitable for our age group under the new private health care arrangements. The staff member was very friendly and gave us a new insight into how best to use our HCF health cover.

We came away very impressed and very pleased with the outcome which also fitted well into our p[rivate health care budget.

Previous HCF and moved to Melbourne, found myself switching to Medibank. Found out that HCF dental recently opened in MLB CBD and again now back again to HCF. Dental service is remarkable, having anxiety issues was addressed professionally by Michael and left with a bright smile. Dr. Sandi was also great and will see them again soon! A+++

The time of the year comes around again when you need to compare health insurance prices.
After speaking to a HCF operator over the phone, I received the best service and they were also very helpful and they quickly understood my needs perfectly compared to the other providers. Happy to continue being a HCF member.

Recently I learnt that my son is entitled to a mouth guard provided by a dentist at no cost to me. This was not specifically outlined in my policy but am happy of the outcome. Very happy with HCF, compared to my previous health insurer and glad I made the change....better late than never.

I had an accident on the 2nd of September 2018, which has caused me significant pain and inconvenience in my day to day life. I reassured myself that at least the operation would be covered by my accident cover with my health insurer, HCF.

I was wrong.

When I spoke to the HCF claims consultant, I was denied coverage for the operation I needed. HCF’s reason for denying cover? I was not presented to an emergency department within 24 hours. I did, however, present to a medical center, to my own doctor, as recommended, immediately after the injury, and easily within the 24 hour period. This is apparently not good enough for HCF.

I am in absolute disbelief and obviously devastated. My injury was extremely painful, and the quickest access to medical treatment I could get was at my Medical Centre - a place I have attended for over 20 years. I was born there!

It was here I discovered I would require major surgery if I was to gain full mobility of my shoulder ever again. Because the medical centre does not have an emergency department, I am denied cover, and forced to wait up to 2 years for surgery in the public sector. I discovered this 7 days before my surgery, which will cost me $18,500.

I am so shocked at my mistreatment by HCF, who has denied any support all because I decided to go to my own doctor. Their cover even states the following "Accident means an unforeseen event, occurring by chance and caused by an external force or object, which results in involuntary injury to the body requiring immediate treatment from a registered medical practitioner." But when you ring to make sure you are covered, you get hit with the "For accidents: applies to treatment resulting from an accident when you have been admitted to hospital via the accident and emergency department within 24 hours of the accident" The next step for me will be the Ombudsman, and luckily as I live in Melbourne, my local Green member of parliament has chosen to assist.

I discourage anyone from signing up with HCF. They’re very quick to take your premium, and even quicker to refuse to provide you cover for any excuse they can find. Worst insurance cover on the market.

Our family have been members with hcf for 9 years & pay almost $3000 per year. We are customers who barely ever claim & for example I didnt visit the dentist, physio, chiro, optometrist or any other health provider last year whatsoever. I finally went for a dental check up this year & was told I need a filling & a crown. I was made to pay half the $185 filling myself, half the $125 consult & have just been told hcf will cover a measly $159 of the $1600 crown. Our dentist said that is the lowest paying benefit they have seen in their time & believed it was incorrect. I rang hcf to find it was all they were willing to pay! What a joke & an insult as a ‘silver’ member. I am now cancelling my membership & going to Bupa as I am told their benefits are far greater than hcf. So disappointed, I do not recommend anyone sign up to hcf!

Love that Chiro & physio extras are separate.
Extras plans have lots of options.
Claims are really quick & easy to submit & money comes in quickly.
Staff are friendly & helpful
With HCF for over 4 years - I did leave for a year but returned to HCF as even though my monthly premium was higher - I got more value for money from it.

we have been since 1972 members and overall it is not bad i wish they give you more incentive and better rates for long standing members ,they increase lately is taking is bitting to the members ,also claims get paid soon as you lodge in to the bank account i have never had problem with it .thank you .

My family and I have been with HCF for since 2014 now having switched from Bupa (due to the fact they were slightly more than twice the cost for the same benefits at the time and they didn't really cover Tassie very well). Initially I checked the market every year then due to the below I decided to only do it every 5 years.

HCF were the best I found for the following reasons:
- There was no hard sell from HCF. I didn't get the feeling that the representative was working on commission (If they were they did a good job of hiding it). This is very good in my opinion. When I was looking at other companies I got slimed by salesmen (exclusively men I might add) doing the whole 1980s sales routine on me they were either not as competitive or broadly the same price but with indeterminable benefits.
- The policy and list of benefits are laid out in a very easy to read manner. It is very easy to work out what you are covered for and what you are not. If there is any confusion a quick call will set you straight.
- It is pretty quick to get through to help on the phone.
- The pricing (if you can get a straight list of benefits out of the other companies)
- We have made claims both on hospital cover and on extras. The hospital claim was dealt with in the back ground we just paid the excess and the extras are either handled on the spot or if you forget your card (as I do) you take a picture of the receipt using the mobile app and it gets sorted.
- Neither my wife or I have had a problem with claims.
- Having compared my existing cover to whats out there with similar coverage annually HCF is still competitive. I am switching to 5 yearly.

HCF staff are always ready to help! As a long standing member I recently sought a quote on travel insurance, what a pleasant surprise! Competitive pricing and a quick transaction!

Well over 7years with HCF, for the first time used ambulance during an emergency to ED in a hospital, my mrs had to stay for 1 day in observation.for fainting few times during the day, vomiting green biles and extremely weak, unable to walk even. The paramedic tried to take blood sample couldn't find the vein and said the ED will complete the process, as he couldn't find the vein as my mrs was highly exhausted/dehydrated and weak.
St John's ambulance sent an invoice stating the type of service as ' non emergency'. Called up HCF to to submit the claim, HCF told me to call st. johns to change the description of the service type if possible to emergency.
When i called St.john's, they stated that the service type is purely meant for their despatch unit, and does not define the condition of the patient. They advised me to describe to HCF the situation and condition and they would still honour the invoice.
I called up HCF after submitting the invoice from st. John's, as the claim process only asked to take picture of the of the invoice to upload, didn't have anywhere I could explain the circumstances.
HCF 'middleman between the customer and the claims dept said they would not honour the claim as it does not say emergency. I explained the entire script from st.john's ambulance and the circumstances and the condition of my mrs in.
I was told the ambulance is only when its an emergency! since the invoice doesn't say that it is not covered.
A. Even for an average intelligent person, why would the ambulance take the patient to emergency dept if it was not an emergency?
B. why would the ED admit my mrs for overnight stay in hospital?
C. are the customers paying for private health insurance harassed by health insurance companies and the medical system?
Will submit this ordeal imposed on our family to ombudsman and media to investigate the loopholes that the insurance companies and the ambulance / medical systems plays on hardworking people.

Great provider. Easy and hassle free claims process. Not for profit organisation that are about their members not shareholders. Highly recommended. I’ve been a member for 15 yrs and would not change.

If you want to claim podiatric items with HCF, you are wasting your time. Check the items with HCF before you make the decision. Apparently same items have been claimed by other providers but HCF has been very difficult. All consultants are robotic-trained and not willing to talk you even though the podiatrist wrote them a letter to explain the treatment.

We've been with HCF for many many years and been totally happy with everything. Until I tried to claim for new glasses in early January under my Multicover Extras policy.
I was originally told that if you didn't claim in a year then the $250 benefit would roll over till the next. Hence 2017 there was no claim. 2018 I claimed to receive $500 back from HCF. Very happy with that until this year when I would think that at the beginning of the new year I would be able to claim the $250 again.
Not so! If you don't claim in one year - YOU LOSE IT! The $500 I received in 2018 was for the 2018 and 2019 years. They paid me in advance but just didn't tell me that. So this year is nothing. Their rules stated that benefits were for "any two consecutive years" but now they have denied me of that and my partner. After spending much wasted time on the phone, their staff agrees that the wording is correct but the rules are definitely this year and the next. No provider has ever heard of any fund paying benefits a year in advance. These seem to be double standards and I am very disappointed.

I made a claim from a public hospital in Gympie 2 months ago, called 5 times already and every time I call there is a different story from HCF and no coordination or communication with me at all. One month ago they told me the claim was already processed and it would take one week and now they are telling me they need a provider number from the hospital.
When I made a claim from BUPA, 2 years ago, it was resolved in one week so I'm definitely coming back to them.
I gave 2 starts just because the customer service team was very supportive and helpful every time I called trying there best to help.

Great experience at TTP branch. Excellent customer service with exceptional help and knowledge. No questions too difficult. Thank you for making something difficult so easy. Highly recommend HCF at TTP.

I have been with HCF for 14 months and have been very happy with the service. The call centre staff are easy to deal with, friendly and professional. The magazine has quite comprehensive coverage and I especially like the fact that HCF is a not-for-profit organisation.

I have been with HCF for over ten years now and have found them very affordable and when it comes to claims they have a quick turnaround time for payments. Staff are always friendly and helpful

I changed to HCF 15yrs ago as was cheaper and have had no issues at all making hospital claims. I added extras 6yrs ago as all 3 of us wear glasses and my daughter plays sport, best decision i made as we use chiro, physio, optical and dental regularly. I recently looked at other funds but found i was getting a better deal for our needs with Hcf. Call centre staff are friendly and app is super easy to use.