Permanent Residency

If you become a permanent resident of Australia, it is important that you contact IMAN to cancel your IMAN Australian Health Plan.

How do I cancel my IMAN Australian Health Plan?

To cancel your IMAN Australian Health Plan, please call our Customer Care Consultants on 1800 22 11 33.

What do I do next?

You will need to decide if you would like to continue to be covered by Private Health Insurance now that you have access to Medicare. If you take out Private Health Insurance with nib health funds limited, they will recognise comparable waiting periods already served under your IMAN membership if you take out cover with them. Contact nib health funds limited or call on 13 14 63 to find out more information about their cover options.

Why have Private Health Insurance when Medicare exists?

Private Health Insurance will offer you additional cover such as treatment in a private or public hospital as well as some services that Medicare doesn’t cover such as dental care and optometry. Public hospitals often have long waiting periods if you require non-emergency treatment.

Medicare Tax Levy

If you are a resident in Australia for tax purposes, you will be required to pay a Medicare levy which is 1.5% of your taxable income. This amount is deducted by your employer and paid to the Australian Taxation office.

Medicare Levy Surcharge

The Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) is an initiative that encourages high income earners to take out Private Health Insurance. If you hold a Medicare Card and your income exceeds the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) thresholds, you may have to pay an additional 1% to 1.5% in tax.

For information on how to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge, contact nib health funds limited or call on 13 14 63.

Lifetime Health Cover Loading

Lifetime Health Cover Loading is an initiative to encourage people to take out hospital insurance earlier in life.

To avoid this loading, a person must purchase Australian domestic hospital cover from an Australian registered insurer such as nib before the loading deadline. The deadline is generally the 1st of July following the person’s 31st birthday. The loading applies only to premiums for hospital cover, not for ancillary (extras) cover.

New migrants to Australia who are already over the age of 31 do not pay this increased cost if they take out hospital insurance within 12 months of being eligible for Medicare. For information about the Lifetime Health Cover Loading, visit the Australian Government website.

Australian Government Private Health Insurance Rebate

The Australian Government Private Health Insurance Rebate reduces the premiums for Australian private health insurance cover, including hospital and ancillary (extras).

Depending on your age and income, you could be eligible to claim up to 40 cents back for every dollar spent on private health insurance premiums. For further information about the rebate, visit the Australian Taxation Office.

How do I take out Private Health Insurance?

If you are a permanent resident and looking to take out private health insurance, contact nib health funds limited or call on 13 14 63.

nib health funds, a registered health benefits organisation, can help you through the decision making process of applying for ongoing private health insurance, now that you have a Medicare Card. Let them know which IMAN plan you are on and they will be able to advise you of a suitable plan based on your needs.

You need to join nib health funds with no gap in cover and this to occur within 30 days of cancellation of your IMAN cover for continuity of cover to be recognised