If you’re in Australia, most of the major private health insurers now offer some form of online / telehealth services or partnerships that make virtual health convenient. Which services are available to you will depend on the insurer and your specific product (hospital vs extras, level of cover, waiting periods and limits). Below are the common providers and the online services they advertise:

• Bupa — Blua (Bupa’s digital health platform) gives eligible members 24/7 access to online doctors (video consults, e-scripts, referrals, medical certificates) and other digital services; eligibility depends on your product. (Blua.Bupa.com.au)

• Medibank (including ahm products) — Medibank offers 24/7 nurse webchat/phone support, a Virtual Psychology Clinic and other telehealth options; ahm (part of Medibank) also promotes online doctor access and health advice via apps/lines for eligible members. (Medibank.com.au)

• HCF — HCF members can access GP2U online GP consults (secure video/phone consults, scripts and referrals) and several digital mental-health services; some consults are fee-based and some rural/remote members have free or reduced-fee access depending on the cover. (HCF.com.au)

• NIB — NIB promotes telehealth / GP telehealth options (they link members to telehealth platforms such as hub.health and offer discounts and cover rules depending on membership type). (NIB.com.au)

• ahm (Medibank brand) — ahm supports telehealth for many extras services (psychology, physio, dietetics, etc.) and its OSHC app provides 24/7 online doctor access for eligible student policies; check your product guide for limits/waiting periods. (help.ahm.com.au)

Other notes and tips

• Many funds pay benefits for telehealth versions of extras (psychology, physio, exercise physiology, dietetics, etc.), but whether a specific provider’s telehealth consult is claimable depends on your extras package and any annual limits. Always check your product guide. (help.ahm.com.au)
• Insurers often partner with third-party telehealth platforms (GP2U, Blua, hub.health, Amplar/Virtual Psychology, etc.). Access, covered number of sessions and out-of-pocket costs vary by policy. (Blua.Bupa.com.au)
• If you want a quick comparison for your situation, check each insurer’s “telehealth” or “digital health” page (or log into your fund’s app) to see exactly what’s included for your membership level.

If you’d like, I can:

• Check telehealth options for a specific insurer and policy you have (tell me the insurer and product), or
• Pull together quick links and the likely out-of-pocket examples for a given insurer (I’ll confirm current details).