Artificial aids and healthcare aids
Artificial aids and healthcare aids can help you manage ongoing illness, support your rehab after surgery or improve conditions such as hearing loss. We can pay benefits for items you buy and items you hire.
Artificial aids and healthcare aids to hire or buy
Healthcare aids and artificial aids can help your health and wellbeing in multiple ways. They can support you through illness or disease, help with the challenges of a disability and make managing a chronic condition such as asthma or diabetes easier. Artificial aids can also support your recovery after surgery and improve your safety and wellbeing at home after a hospital stay.
Benefits for artificial and healthcare aids will depend on your Extras or packaged cover limits. Check your policy for more details or call our Member Care team on 1300 654 123.
Healthcare appliances
You might need artificial aids to help with rehabilitation after a surgical procedure, these could include a splint or cast, shower chair, crutches, walking frame or wheelchair.
Some artificial aids can help you manage a chronic health condition, such as a heart rate monitor or CPAP machine to help treat sleep apnoea.
We can also help with prostheses or compression garments following surgery, or orthotics to improve mobility.
If you’d like to lodge a claim, you’ll need a referral letter from a healthcare professional confirming you need the artificial aid to help treat or monitor your specific health condition. This letter is valid for three years from the date of any previous referral.
You won’t need a referral if you have a receipt from a healthcare professional such as a physiotherapist, chiropractor, podiatrist or occupational therapist.
Healthcare appliances
Healthcare appliances can help you manage illness or disease.
You might need a nebuliser or vaporiser to help treat asthma, a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGM) to monitor diabetes or a blood pressure monitor to take regular readings.
If you’d like to lodge a claim for a healthcare appliance, you’ll need to send us a letter from a healthcare professional confirming you need the appliance to help treat or monitor your specific health condition.
Hearing aids
Modern hearing aids can be worn in or on the ear to help improve hearing. If you have this benefit in your Extras option, you’ll receive between 70-100% of the service cost up to the per service benefits, depending on your cover.
More information
Benefits for aids and appliances vary depending on your level of Extras or Package cover. Check your Extras or packaged cover limits for details.
For more information on the type of artificial aids, healthcare appliances and hearing aids we can help you hire or buy, contact our Member Care team on 1300 654 123.
Sources for stats: https://www.and.org.au/pages/disability-statistics.html, https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/ear-health, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/asthma/contents/asthma