WITH less than two weeks to go before the Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) deadline, customers continue to join Australia's largest and only national health fund - Medibank Private - in record numbers.
The week of 10-18 June saw a staggering 19,394 new members join the fund.
Last week's membership figure easily eclipses the previous record set in the week prior, when nearly 13,000 people became Medibank Private members.
Of the 19,394 new joins, 437 came from the ACT, 5,854 from NSW, 250 from NT, 4,666 from Queensland, 1416 from SA, 847 from Tasmania, 5,274 from Vic and 1,253 from WA.
For the month of June to date, over 40,000 people have joined Medibank Private. The 30-54 age-group accounts for the lion's share of new joins.
Medibank managing director Mark Burrowes said that it was gratifying to see so many people letting Medibank Private solve their health cover needs.
"While the Federal Government initiatives have convinced many people to take out private hospital cover, we are delighted in the number of people turning to Medibank Private," Mr Burrowes said.
"The record join-ups have also demonstrated that we've gotten it right with our product offerings.
" He said the fund's PackagePlus (hospital-cum-extras) packages has especially struck a chord with those looking for something extra with their health insurance and this range offers both flexibility and value-for-money.
"Our figures show that over 70 per cent of new members are choosing a packaged product ahead of stand-alone hospital products.
" Mr Burrowes said that Medibank was doing its utmost to ensure prompt and efficient customer service during this time of unprecedented demand.
"We are determined to maintain our high standards of customer service during this very busy time and additional staff have been brought on to cope with the increased demand. We are committed to ensuring our customers' transition to private health cover is simple, convenient and rewarding."