I’m Accident Prone

Hi Scott,

I am 28 years old, earning $55k, and curious whether I should get private health insurance. I injured my ankle and had surgery through the public system after waiting a year. Even if I had bought insurance immediately after I hurt myself, there would still have been a year’s wait because my injury was ‘pre-existing’. So should I just continue to set aside some savings to cover my accident-prone tendencies, or should I take the plunge and get private health insurance before I turn 31?

Emma

Hi Emma,

I wouldn’t bother. You’re earning below the threshold for the Medicare surcharge slug, and you’re below the age of the lifetime health cover loading slug. Besides, you already have health cover -- it’s called Medicare -- and it’s one of the best healthcare systems in the world. My advice would be to do two things: take out a membership with Ambulance Victoria ($44.90 a year), and keep saving up your Mojo.

Scott

Reminder: I first wrote about this years ago and highlighted the low costs. Today there are better deals on offer. How do I know? Because my readers constantly email me about them! So before you do anything, do a quick google.