Extra extras – ahm customers get another year to use any unclaimed extras annual limits

Hundreds of thousands of ahm customers will have any unused extras annual limits rolled over into the following year for services such as dental, psychology and physio, as a result of not being able to use some of their health services during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The customer giveback, valued at around $10 million, recognises the timing of the COVID-19 lockdown which was close to ahm’s annual limit reset date of 1 July, unlike the majority of other health funds which reset limits on 1 January each year.

Chief Customer Officer David Koczkar said any unused annual limits on an ahm customer’s extras cover this financial year, excluding optical and non-annual limits, will automatically be added to customers’ limits.

“The COVID-19 pandemic made it challenging for ahm customers to use some of their extras cover as normal by 30 June, with some face-to-face health services reduced during the peak COVID-19 lockdown,” he said.

“To help our customers maximise the value of their health cover, we are rolling over all unused annual limits for most extras services, giving customers more time to use their cover.”

ahm has already supported its customers during COVID-19 through initiatives such as the postponement of premium increases, financial hardship measures and extending access to the 24/7 Medibank Nurse Phone Service and Medibank Mental Health Phone Support for those with eligible hospital cover.

“Eligible ahm customers will now have more time to use any unclaimed extras annual limits on services like a remedial massage, physio and psychology to take care of their health and wellbeing,” Mr Koczkar said.

“We’ve focused the extras annual limit rollover on services that were most difficult for our customers to access during the peak COVID-19 lockdown period, and where we saw some of the biggest drops in claims such as in dental and natural therapies.”

Since 30 March, ahm customers with extras cover have also been able to claim for an expanded range of services delivered by phone or video, giving them a new way to use their cover while helping to stop the spread of COVID-19 in their community.

“We’ve had a really positive response to physiotherapy, dietetics, occupational therapy, podiatry, exercise physiology and speech therapy being available via telehealth, with psychology the most utilised service by customers,” he said.

“With most health service providers open again, customers can now also access their usual face-to-face care, which is great news.”

Medibank and ahm have committed more than $170 million in customer relief and support during COVID-19 and we are continuing to monitor the situation to assess whether we will have additional permanent savings which we commit to give back to customers. 

Further information:

The limit rollover excludes optical where it has a separate annual limit, pre and post-natal services and joint fluid replacement injections rolling year limits, orthodontics and laser eye surgery lifetime limits and hearing aids limits that reset every 3 financial years.

Any ahm customer with extras cover at 30 June 2020 will be eligible for this rollover.

Customers will be able to view any rolled over annual limits online by 31 August.