Hospital costs

If your hospital cover includes pregnancy and birth–related services, with no restrictions or exclusions, you’re fully covered for:

• accommodation charges

• theatre charges

• labour ward charges

when you are admitted as a private patient to any of our contracted hospitals or a public hospital.

Check your product guide to see if any restrictions and exclusions apply to your cover.

Medical costs

Inpatient medical services provided by your obstetrician, gynaecologist, anaesthetist, or other specialist medical practitioner are covered when you are admitted to hospital, except where exclusions apply. You may be out-of-pocket for pathology and radiology. You will be out-of-pocket for any incidentals. This includes phone calls, meals for your partner, and television hire, as well as any medications not directly related to your hospitalisation.

Medicare pays 75% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee for eligible inpatient services, and we pay the remaining 25%. If you are charged more than the MBS fee, you will be out of pocket for this additional amount unless billed under Access Gap Cover.

Waiting periods

There is a 9 month waiting period for all pregnancy and birth-related services if you are:

• joining TUH as a new member

• upgrading your existing policy with TUH

• transferring from another fund, unless you already served the full waiting period for these services under your previous cover.

Hospital visits before or after the delivery

Current legislation prevents us from paying any benefits for appointments with your obstetrician, gynaecologist, or other specialist, including scans and doctors’ management fees except while you are a hospital inpatient. Medicare will usually pay a benefit for these services.

Length of hospital stay

Each of our contracted hospitals defines its own standard length of stay for admission to give birth, so please check directly with the hospital. If your stay is extended for a valid medical reason, we will pay accommodation benefits.

Cover for your baby

Your newborn child is immediately covered and deemed to have served the same waiting periods as the adult member with the longest period of cover. You’ll need to contact us to add the baby to your policy within 12 months of the baby being born. Additional premium may be required from the date the baby being born.

Multiple births

Your theatre charges and labour ward charges are already covered, and we will pay the hospital’s additional accommodation charges for your second and subsequent babies.

Home birth

We can only pay benefits under your hospital cover when you are admitted to hospital, so home births are not included. However, depending upon the level of extras cover you’ve chosen, you may be eligible to receive benefits for some pregnancy and birth–related services, such as home nursing and lactation nursing. See your product guide for details.

Paediatrician fees

We hope your baby is born happy and healthy, and so long as that’s the case, your newborn won’t be admitted as an inpatient. We are therefore unable to pay benefits relating to paediatric services while your baby is in hospital with you, including any charges for the pre-release checkup.

However, if there is a medical reason for your baby to be admitted at the time of birth, you can claim benefits for paediatrics and other eligible services for the duration of your baby’s stay in hospital.

We do not pay a benefit for visits to the paediatrician after discharge. Medicare will usually pay a benefit on these services.

Ante and postnatal physiotherapy

Ante and postnatal physiotherapy is not covered under your hospital policy. If you have extras cover, you may be able to claim a benefit for ante or postnatal classes conducted by a registered physiotherapist in private practice. Check your product guide to see if you are eligible.

Childbirth education classes 

Many private and public hospitals run childbirth education classes. You may be able to claim a benefit for these if you have extras cover which includes the Health Management benefit. Check your product guide to see if you are eligible.

Pregnancy cover for dependants

If your daughter is a dependant on your policy she is covered for all the pregnancy and birth-related benefits outlined above, assuming it's included on your cover and provided she has served the waiting periods.

However, your daughter’s baby will not be eligible for benefits under your cover. To ensure her baby is covered from birth, your daughter will need to:

• transfer to family policy or single parent policy in her own name within twelve months of the baby’s birth

• pay the additional premium from the date of the baby’s birth