Big Switch campaign to win discount health insurance for all Australians

A NEW campaign has been launched to open discount health insurance which could help save your family $400 each year.

A NEW campaign aims to open up discount health insurance for all Australians.

The goal is to secure 10 per cent off a range of policies from a major provider using the collective buying might of at least 25,000 consumers.

That would save a family covered for hospital, optical and dental treatment more than $400 a year.

Join the campaign today at www.bighealthinsuranceswitch.com

At the moment discounts of this size are only available to people who pay to be a member of a union or motoring group, or staff at large workplaces such as banks, universities and government departments.

For everyone else, the best saving currently available is about four per cent.

The campaign for a much bigger, permanent discount - available to all - reunites News Limited and One Big Switch, which last year delivered the most successful consumer campaign in the country's history.

Leveraging what News Limited branded "People Power", the Big Electricity Switch led to an estimated $33 million in annual savings for about 80,000 households and businesses.

The Big Electricity Switch also created unprecedented levels of competition - in addition to those who switched, tens of thousands used their discount offer to negotiate a better deal with their existing supplier.

The Big Health Insurance Switch aims to trigger a similar price war.

Relief is much needed. The cost of private health cover has doubled since 2000 - twice the pace of general price increases. The is because the average age of the population is rising, which means more people are requiring treatments with increasingly expensive technology.

From April, premiums will rise yet again, this time by an average of 5.6 per cent.

A family with comprehensive cover will have to find another $230 on top of the average $4100 a year they are already forking out. Singles face an increase of $115, bringing their annual bill to $2190.

One Big Switch campaign director Christopher Zinn - formerly the public face of consumer group Choice - said private health insurance was now the no.1 concern among its more than 300,000 members.

"We want to the give private health insurance market the shot in the arm it so desperately needs," Mr Zinn said.

He called on the 12.5 million Australians with some form of health cover - and those who have been contemplating taking out insurance - to join the campaign.

"Together we can get a better discount than you could get alone," Mr Zinn said.

There was no cost or obligation, he added.

The organisation that represents the interests of Australian healthcare consumers has thrown its support behind the campaign.

Consumers Health Forum CEO Carol Bennett said there was "high need" for relief, with recent changes by the Federal Government making insurance less affordable.

Ms Bennett welcomed the Switch campaign because it was an alternative to downgrading or dropping cover."If you can find a better product and it's cheaper - especially in this sort of campaign - by all means we'd encourage people to do that," Ms Bennett said.

"This Switch campaign gives people a chance to get a cheaper price but not exclude treatments."

Data from the Federal Government's Private Health Insurance Administration Council shows the number of policies with exclusions trebled to 1.3 million over the five years to the end of 2012.

Ms Bennett said the Switch campaign would also alert people to the need to regularly review their policy to make sure they have the one that is most cost-effective.

Join the campaign today at www.bighealthinsuranceswitch.com