Manchester Unity Policy Change - Not including Reproduction services any more

[Cuddlepie]

Hi ladies,

I got a hell of a shock when receiving a letter from Manchester Unity yesterday, not only telling me the increase on my cover (yeah, no surprise here...what is Not increase ) but also a few policy changes:
1. access increase from $200 to $250
2. Instead of 2 maximum access per year, now 4 from 1st May 2008, which means $1000 per year
3. No Obstritic or reproduction service will be covered after 1 Jan 2009

I called to enquire today and they said reproductive service such as IVF etc. are completely taken off from all of their policies, so basically I will either have to get pregant before or change cover to another healthfund to cover IVF cost if that exists.

I am feeling the Universe is giving me a deadline from all directions. It feels really unfair. Apart from the unsaid stress from all of TTC, this is the last thing I need.

Oh, well, deep breath, I will find another one will cover this. Can anyone tell me which angel Health fund is doing this for us LTTTCers?

Thanks ladies!

[butterfly_warrior]

BeiBei, can't help you out with any answers, but I do share your frustration!

We've been muddling through without assisted reproduction cover, but with the way my current health fund has messed us around with respect to the time I spent in hospital last November/December, and the fact that they just closed the branch closest to us... I've been looking for a new fund - hopefully one that will give us cover for assisted reproduction...

Strangely enough, iSelect was listing all the MU policies pretty highly - guess the removal of assisted reproductive services hasn't filtered through to them yet!

I suspect that we'll continue to muddle through with cheaper cover that doesn't help out much with EPU costs and pay for that side of things ourselves...

BW

[smiles4u]

Hi BeiBei,

.... Hope alls okay in taking the herbal formula ... Mine tastes a bit like gin, LOL ... What a wake up lil drink to have especially in the morns

Anyway, touching on your current subject ... I too yesterday nearly fell over when I read my letter from Medibank Private telling me of the increase

My same level of cover has 'way more than doubled' in cost since I joined about 8yrs ago.

This time I've had enough & I'm gonna shop around, maybe checkout the Iselect website & see what they can come up with.

I tried them about 3yrs ago but my cover at the time was the cheapest BUT I'm hoping someone out there now might have a cover cheaper.

... My concern is the waiting period

Fingers crossed for US both with the Herbal Formula

[sushee]

I thought that if you changed funds, you didn't have to wait out the waiting periods again. Check that out, coz I clearly remember being told that by my health fund.

[smiles4u]

Thanks heaps Sushee I will certainly check that out

... Just last time I checked thru iselect few yrs ago there were actual waiting periods with the 'some'

I feel bit more hopeful now ... Thanks again !!

*** So sorry Beibei I can't be of any help with you concern

[Cuddlepie]

Hi thanks for the posts ladies, Smile, I think Sushee is right, you shouldn't have to serve the waiting period if you move parallel to another cover for the things you previously covered, hope that is making sense.

I joined MU about a year and half ago, purely for the benefit that they 100% cover IVF day surgery cost..well, now I only have till 1 Jan 2009 to enjoy this...I personally hate the 'shop around' exercise, as you need to know all the details of the cover, I am a bit annoyed that I have to do this again so soon...

BW, I don't think we would be able to afford EPU & Transfer day surgery cost if without a private healthcover, I think it would cost me $845 for EPU+ $464 for Transfer only for Theatre/accommodation cost...currently it is 100% covered by MU...maybe that's why they realized it costing them so much money, ha!

Ah..we will see...I hope someone will give us all an answer...

[melbel]

With regards to hospital and theatre cost they should not be able to dicriminate based on the procedure. That is law. What they may mean is that you will no longer be able to claim the mdicare gap for the doctors part of the EPU?
Hospital cover is hospital cover pure and simple...they cannot dictate why you are there. Medical cover is different if that makes sense.
I would ask for clarification from them cos from what I know of private health you should still be able to claim the bed fee etc.

It's all very strange...my policy does not have a specific IVF clause but it covers all the bed and theatre fees regardless. The only gap we have is the basic IVF fee everyone pays upfront each cycle.

ETA: Just checked my provider. HBA covers all in hospital stuff as long as it is eligible for a medicare rebate. The only exclusion is if you are and overseas corporate visitor they wont cover IVF. So if you are a resident you are fine.

[dusty]

wow beibei that seems very restrictive. i hope you can get more clarification.

i hear you on the cost of EPU and ET. my health fund covered these until my old clinic, Sydney IVF Canberra, moved to their new premises where they were now able to carry out the procedure (previously they were done at a cosmetic surgenry facility) and the new facility had not been approved by my health fund (and i expect a lot of others)- to my shock i had to pay it all up front and got only a small proportion amount back. it is very expensive ($1500). something we hadn't been told about or planned for. this was after upping the price of an IVF cycle 30%only days before.

it pays (saves) to ask the right question and be persistent.
Good luck!

[Cuddlepie]

Thanks for sharing Melbel and dusty...

Melbel, I think they made it very clear that none of the reproduction service will be covered...but I might give them a call just to ask about the accommodation/theatre fee...thanks for the information about HBA, I will check it out. Do you minding me asking what cover you are on and how much you pay monthly?

Thanks heaps!

[melbel]

I have the ultimate package cover so pay quite a bit but then I have other health issues so need the extra cover.
the cover I looked at on the website was just the standard hospital with excess bonus..i think the middle of the road one.

Okay just checked the bottom one with an excess of $500 is about $30 a week for couples and will cover IVF. But then it has an excess so kinda defeats the purpose. Top Hospital no extras no excess is $50 a week and there are heaps of variables in between as well.

[nic]

BeiBei, our health fund (Westfund) paid towards our FS fee for EPU and transfer, plus some towards the anaethetist, between them and medicare our out of pocket for FS was about $90 and the anae. was $129. Their covers are all no excess, which is what I wanted since I knew we were going to look into why we were having trouble.
When I checked a couple of years ago their waiting period for IVF was 2 years, but in June last year when we were told we would have to do IVF, they informed me the waiting period was now only 12 months. They don't pay out any money towards the big IVF cycle fee, but I don't think many (if any) actually do.

Our family cover is the classic gold, $200.20 per month including the 30% rebate and with extras, not sure on how much it will increase though? they usually increase less than the other funds % wise, and best of all no excess. I think they may pay out a little less with some of their extras than other funds, but i don't mind at all. Since my lap in June last year, and then our cycle, we have claimed for 3 lots of hospital bed fees which have amounted to almost what we have paid to them in the last year! That's not to mention what they've paid out for the FS visits etc and our extras!

Goodluck with finding another fund, it's so hard, time consuming and confusing!

Nic

[Loula]

What a great thread to get some ideas without having to go through the pain of phoning around!!!

How frustrating for you to have all this at the moment, GL with tfing you cover and there is no need why you would have to serve your waiting times again!

wow Nic

you policy sound great

I am with HCF and had no choice with that as i TF my policy from the UK and they were the only company that were happy to 'take me on' without having to serve the waiting time and TBH i have been very happy with them. i knew before i arrived that IVF may be our only option so took this into consideration.

I think we pay $191 or thereabouts and have top hospital but minimal extras.

I don't pay any excess, although don't claim all natural therapies.

So when you say your policy covers you to see your FS do you mean the consult between cycle?

I though that PHI only really covered for hospital? which was very hard for me to adjust to as in the UK my fund covered me for everything- bt, ultrasounds, consults, the lot!! was hoping to find one her that would do the same!

[Visitor9]

I asked at the MBP retail office about the coverage on IVF and he kinda smirked and said it doesnt pay much does it!! Bed and anaestists, it really depends on whether the clinic does procedures as an inpatient or an out patient. PHI picks up a small tab on in patient, medicare threshold does it as an out patient. I'm much happier that most of my cycle is treated as an out patient and the only part that is PHI is OPU and anaest which PHI has no gap so I never get a bill except my damm excess.

[briggsy's girl]

so far (and i know i'm not really too far into the EPU/transfer side of things) i've not paid a thing for the in-patient side of IVF. our helth fund covers everything when it's an inpatient service at a participating hospital (so no excess) - and given that all of my procedures will be at the local hospital, i don't know that i'll ever have to pay. having said that, i think my health fund has a limit on the number of times we can claim on my particular plan - i used to be with another fund that was taken over/bought out, so i'm on an obsolete plan. if it comes to the point where i've used my limit, i will transfer to one of their current plans that covers unlimited ART.

we just got our letter about the rate increase - it's gone up $1.13 per fortnight - to about $90 - we have max hospital and most extra's. the excess is $50 in a non-participating private hosp, nothing in a linked one. in the 06/07 fin year, we paid about $2200 for PHI - and claimed over $13000 for hospital and extras, so well worth it for us. we pay an extra amount as DH was an old coot before he claimed PHI too - if not for that, it would be about $80 a fortnight at the moment...

FWIW - i'm with Latrobe - they also do general insurance - and on a quote i just got from them, to increase the insurance from what i have at the moment, it will ost me about 20% less than my current insurer... me thinks when my insurance is up for renewal in june we might do some reshuffling!

[nic]

pitapata, I think our PHI pays out for the FS EPU/transfer fee only. I can't remember if they paid out for our other visits in between? I know that we can claim for travel if we have to travel something like more than 180klms return, so when we saw our FS they paid us about $47, and then when we drove the big distance for pick up, they paid the majority of the other FS' fee and also paid out around $170 for our travel/fuel costs, it would've been more, but we had hit our limit with claiming for travel.

BG - It's nice to see figures work out like that for you hey. Makes you feel like that even if you don't claim another single thing from them for another 10 years, you're still in front.

Nic

[Cuddlepie]

Wow, BG, I want the fund you are with! But don't know if it is possible since I am in Sydney....but good information.

Currently I am paying around $135 per month, and if calculating all the day surgery fees that we claimed in the past 18 months, I think we are also got quite of a bit value as well...It seems that the top hospital cover is around $200 per month across the market, I might have to increase my budget on this...

ah, another project on top of my reproductive project...

[Hollybolly]

Just wanted to bump this thread after spending what seemed an eternity on the phone today with Manchester Unity!

They haven't taken off IVf etc from their policies - just changed the names of their policies and what is involved with various cover etc... Its still there in their top cover, instead of being called Healthmate Executive I think its now called Healthmate Ultimate??? Or something!!!

I've done some calling around myself (we've been with Manchester Unity for 6yrs) - and still deciding - atm HCF looks like the best one for IVF cover - we'd be looking at $252 per month wher Man U is $242 per month... but with Man U you have to pay a $200 excess twice a year for hospital (even with day surgery, which is EPU)... where as HCF you only have to pay the excess of you have an overnight stay... and even there you pay per night ($50 per night)... so if you consider the excess issue, HCF is a better deal.

I tried negotiating with a Man U phone person today - no luck at this stage, but we'll see! I keep asking them what they can offer me in order to stay with them as opposed to switching funds.. they haven't com eup with anything major yet!

HCF also takes your cover over which means no waiting periods as long as your current policy is up to date...

HTH!!!!!