When the orthodontist took Rochelle’s Mum aside to recommend that her 14-year-old daughter be fitted with braces, the mother of four agreed. It was for these ‘what if’ moments they had private health insurance. Some years later, a now soon to be married Rochelle was pleased she did.

Rochelle, now 28, met fiancé, Fred, 33, 10 years ago when Rochelle was beginning Uni, studying for a degree in public health promotion. Now a Digital Marketing Officer for Territory Health Fund Rochelle has more incentive than most to make sure she has the right health cover, but still questioned whether she and Fred should invest in private health insurance.

“I’ve always been aware of private health insurance; I suppose the braces experience introduced me to it. Right up until I graduated I was covered under my Dad’s policy. Dad told me to make sure that I prioritized my health and take out my own policy.

I’m one of four children, without private health insurance I don’t think I’d have got those braces. Fred and I don’t have a family though, yet. I don’t play sport, but I’m active and relatively fit. I guess my hesitation, being under 30, is whether we needed it now.

It’s something we talk about with friends and I’d say there’s a 50:50 split in our group for and against. Maybe you’re ok if you’ve got savings. I had a colleague who had an infected wisdom tooth and had to pay $3,000. We don’t have that kind of savings.

So that’s when my Dad’s advice kicked in. We took out a Couples policy with one of the big national private health funds. Over the next three years we paid our monthly fees, and each year as premiums went up we questioned its value. We had Extras Cover but we never used it. We’re both busy people, we don’t have time for massages, neither of us needs glasses, and I wasn’t expecting to have a sporting injury any time soon. And we’ve got a great public health system, right?

And then I started working for Queensland Country who Territory Health Fund is backed by, and I compared my existing policy against Queensland Country’s and I really noticed the differences. Needless to say we switched and I’m so pleased we did. Thankfully I haven’t had to use the Hospital Cover yet, and that’s thanks to our Extras Cover.

When we got engaged, we celebrated with friends. We were having a great night. We were dancing, possibly too enthusiastically, and I fell, dislocated my knee and tore a ligament. I consulted two surgeons for their advice and they agreed that the best treatment I could get, to avoid surgery, was regular rehabilitation treatment with a physiotherapist.

I visited the physio once a week for the next three months, subsidised by the Extras Cover in my Health Fund. If I hadn’t had private health insurance, I might have had no choice but to have the surgery, and I might still be waiting for it as public waiting lists continue to grow – and that wouldn’t be a fun walk down the aisle.

I suppose we all think we’re invincible. But there are so many ‘what ifs’ in all our lives. I’m pleased we have private health insurance. You never know when you’re going to need it.”


For further information on Teritory Health Fund's health insurance products phone 1800 623 893.

The information provided or views expressed in this article by third party contributors are not necessarily those held by Territory Health Fund.