Supporting you, our members

Throughout the past two years, we’ve all been impacted by COVID-19. For some of our members the pandemic had a huge impact on finances, employment, mental health or being able to access healthcare easily such as extras services or elective surgery. 

Latrobe Health Services is a proud not-for-profit private health insurer. For the past 70 years of operation, we have existed solely to support you, our members – especially through COVID-19. 

Health insurance industry and COVID-19 

Many health fund members were restricted throughout lockdowns in accessing elective surgery or allied health services like your physio or dentist.  

It’s estimated that across the entire industry a total of $2.8B of expected claims did not occur in 2020 and 2021 (this represents a 7% reduction in expected claims)*. This has meant many health insurers have not had to pay all expected claims to their members that we would ordinarily have paid had it not been for COVID-19.  

Latrobe Health Services does not intend to profit from the pandemic and will continue to return funds to members and invest in community health initiatives. 

So far, we have provided $9.7M of support to our members in the form of financial hardship, six-month deferral of our 2020 and 2022 premium increases, roll over of 2020 and 2021 unused extras limits and community donations to support family violence, youth and mental health. 

There’s more member support coming! 

Throughout financial year 2023, we will be communicating with our members a range of initiatives to continue to support our members and community. We’re planning to return more than $5M in cash back to our members, invest in member wellbeing and health promotion, establish increased women’s services in Gippsland, and partner with providers to deliver increased posttraumatic mental health services in regional Victoria. 

In addition, we’re investing $16M into the redevelopment of Maryvale Private Hospital, Gippsland’s only private acute medical and surgical hospital which we built 30 years ago and solely own today. 

More information 

We will communicate with our members directly on further announcements, and we’ll be sure to publish updates on our website. If you would like to ask a question or get more information, you can contact us or send us an email, info@lhs.com.au. 

*Source; APRA deferred claims data November 2021 release.