A health insurer that supports members through the pandemic? Well, well, well!
We’re freezing premium increases until 1 July 2022.
St.LukesHealth is here to support members through COVID-19, not benefit from it.
Throughout the pandemic, we have looked for ways to help our members manage. We continually monitor our financial performance to sustainably and responsibly maximise returns to members. Over this time, we have continued to grow which allows us to positively impact the health of more people and continue improving service delivery to members in more efficient ways. In addition, we recognise that the pandemic has made it more difficult for some members to utilise the full value of their health insurance during 2021.
So, we’re giving back to members by freezing the current premiums until 1 July 2022.
We’re pleased to have been able to defer premium increases for the third year running, because we know this has a big impact. We have now supported members with more than $5.6 million in rate deferrals since the start of the pandemic.
Other ways St.LukesHealth is supporting members through COVID-19:
Helping you access healthcare: We made sure members could access the care they needed through 2021. We supported members with $108.8 million for hospital admissions, an 8.3% increase on 2020, and $40.7 million for extras, a 5.4% increase. St.LukesHealth continues to pay above the industry average in benefits for every member contribution dollar.
Making rapid antigen testing more accessible: Widespread testing is one of the most important measures for stemming the spread of COVID-19 and will become even more important as borders reopen. To help support our members with this cost, St.LukesHealth has introduced a one-off $20 benefit per eligible membership for the purchase of RAT kits, available to claim till the end of 2022. This additional benefit will not reduce any existing benefits on members’ current policies.
Managing financial hardship: During the pandemic we have provided support to many members experiencing financial hardship, proactively reaching out to those who have been most severely impacted. We have a number of initiatives to support members who are doing it tough. Please call 1300 651 988 to discuss an option that might be right for you.
We all have a vital role to play in limiting the spread of the virus. We encourage you to stay up-to-date with vaccination booster shots, get tested and isolate if you feel unwell, and remain kind and connected for your mental health. This is the best way we can protect those most vulnerable in our community, help reduce the strain on our health system, and show our thanks to our incredible health professionals.