The Federal Government introduced the Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) initiative on the 1st of July 2000.
From this date, anyone who joins a hospital cover of a registered health fund will be given a Certified Age at Entry (CAE) status – which represents their age when they first joined a hospital cover after the 1st of July 2000.
If you joined a hospital cover before this date you are assigned a CAE of 30 and you'll pay the base rate (the lowest premium) for your hospital cover (the premiums listed in GMHBA's rate charts are quoted at base rates).
If you joined after this date and therefore have a CAE of over 30, you'll pay a 2% loading for each year your CAE is above 30 to a maximum loading of 70% at age 65. Where you have had to pay a LHC loading, and have done so for a continuous period of 10 years, the loading will no longer apply on the day after the last day of the 10 year period. People born on or prior to the 1st of July 1934 are exempt from the CAE requirement.
If you're over the age of 30, the sooner you take out hospital cover, the less you'll pay later.
In summary, the Federal Government’s Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading applies if you were aged 31 or over on the 1st of July just passed and are taking out hospital cover for the first time. Under LHC, in addition to the rates listed in GMHBA's rate charts, a 2% loading is applied for each year you are aged over 30 when you join. The Private Health Members' Rebates apply to your total premiums, including any LHC loading.
Lifetime health cover applies to hospital cover and does not apply to extras. To use the LHC table below follow these easy steps.
- Determine your age as at the 1st of July just passed.
- Find that age on the table to find your lifetime health cover loading.
- Add this percentage increase to the hospital rates quoted in GMHBA's rate charts or the online quote calculator. If your hospital cover has two adults aged over 30, just add 1% for each year you are both over 30 to the base hospital rates quoted in this member guide.
| Your age on the 1st of July before taking out hospital cover |
Lifetime Health Cover Loading % |
| 30 |
0% |
| 31 |
2% |
| 32 |
4% |
| 33 |
6% |
| 34 |
8% |
| 35 |
10% |
| 36 |
12% |
| 37 |
14% |
| 38 |
16% |
| 39 |
18% |
| 40 |
20% |
| 41 |
22% |
| 42 |
24% |
| 43 |
26% |
| 44 |
28% |
| 45 |
30% |
| 46 |
32% |
| 47 |
34% |
| 48 |
36% |
| 49 |
38% |
| 50 |
40% |
| 51 |
42% |
| 52 |
44% |
| 53 |
46% |
| 54 |
48% |
| 55 |
50% |
| 56 |
52% |
| 57 |
54% |
| 58 |
56% |
| 59 |
58% |
| 60 |
60% |
| 61 |
62% |
| 62 |
64% |
| 63 |
66% |
| 64 |
68% |
| 65 and over |
Capped at 70% |
Periods of absence
As members may need to discontinue their hospital cover membership for brief periods, lifetime health cover allows a period or periods of absence through a member's lifetime without affecting their CAE. Lifetime Health Cover rules provide members of private health insurance who need to drop their membership, for whatever reason, a cumulative period of 1094 days absence through their lifetime without affecting their CAE. Members will need to re-serve waiting periods when they return to the fund.
Membership suspension
Approved periods of suspension, which will not affect a member's CAE are explained in the Important Information section of the GMHBA Member Guide under Suspensions.