Editorial policy

Health insurance content ages badly. Thresholds move every July, rebate percentages move every April, and premiums change when the Minister approves a rise. Much of what is wrong online about private health insurance was correct when it was written. This page explains how we write and check ours.

Every figure comes from a primary source

We do not take numbers from other comparison sites, press coverage or a fund's marketing pages. Thresholds, rates and rules come from the body that sets them; product detail comes from the fund's current Product Disclosure Statement. The sources we use most:

• PrivateHealth.gov.au
• ATO
• Department of Health
• APRA
• AIHW — public hospital waiting times

Each figure on a page is cited to the source it came from, and the page shows the date its figures were last checked. If we cannot source a number, it does not go on the page.

Who writes and who verifies

Guides are currently written by Lachlan M. Every figure is verified by Exolead Media, the company that operates Plain Cover, against the source cited next to it, and the worked examples are checked against the rates they use. Verification is the company's responsibility rather than any one person's.

We use drafting tools, including AI, to help structure and tighten copy. The figures are not taken from those tools — they come from the sources listed on the page.

How pages are dated

Each guide shows the date its figures were last checked. When we change a page because a threshold, rate or rule has changed, or because we got something wrong, we add a dated note to the page's What changed section saying what was changed.

Figures can go out of date between checks. If a figure on this site conflicts with the ATO, the Department of Health or the fund's PDS, the official source is the one to rely on.

Independence

• Health funds do not pay for a rating, a ranking or a place in a table.
• Where a page can earn us a fee, that is disclosed at the top of the page, before the first table or button.

If you think something is wrong

Email hello@plaincover.com.au with the page and the figure, and we will check it against the source. If a figure is wrong, we fix it and note the change on the page. If you want to make a complaint, contact Lachlan M. — our complaints page explains how.

What this site is not

Plain Cover gives general information only. It does not take your income, health or circumstances into account, so it is not financial or health advice, and it is not a substitute for the fund's Product Disclosure Statement — that document, not this site, is what you are actually buying.