Last year, the government proposed to allow health funds to let dependants stay on family memberships until they turn 31, and to remove the age limit for dependants with a disability.

Currently, dependants can only stay on a family membership until they turn 25 (subject to eligibility).

While the reform was initially slated to apply from 1 April 2021, the Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (Age of Dependants) Bill 2021 still has some way to go before it’s passed, and health funds can make any changes.

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We appreciate that members who stand to benefit from this reform are keen for the government, and then UniHealth, to get on with it!

However, health funds can’t take action until the government does its bit, then shares the details of the legislation with us.

When this happens, we’ll get to work. We won’t bore you with all the details, but this includes:

• making (and then testing) widespread changes to our systems
• updating our Fund Rules
• updating our websites / brochures / reference material
• staff training.

While we’re unable to provide a timeline for the above steps, rest assured we’ll do our part as soon as we can. Thanks in advance for your patience.

We’ll update this page when there’s further info to share. In the meantime, you can follow the progress of the bill via the government’s Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (Age of Dependants) Bill 2021 page. To receive email updates direct from Parliament, click on the Track button and register your details.