Why shouldn’t I just cancel my membership while I’m overseas?
If you’re eligible to suspend (rather than cancel) your membership, here are 3 reasons to do so:
- Waiting periods: suspension doesn’t wipe out Hospital or Extras waiting periods you’ve already served. Provided you reactivate your membership within 30 days of your return to Australia, your waiting period status will be the same as when you left!
- Increasing limits: members with Top Extras accrue higher annual limits on Major dental and hearing aids (which come under Aids and appliances) over time. As with waiting periods, these entitlements are preserved during a suspension period.
- Lifetime Health Cover (LHC): if you have Hospital cover, LHC may be an important consideration. Cancellation may well impact your continuous cover status, but suspension won’t. See more on LHC
Be aware that you may be liable for the Medicare Levy Surcharge during a suspension period. See the ATO’s advice on this