If you need kidney dialysis, private health insurance and Medicare can both help with the costs. Compare health funds offering the cover you need from just $40 per week.
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Step 1/2 - About your cover
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*Prices updated November 2024, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices reflect the cheapest available for a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
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These products offer a balance between low pricing and more features.
7+
Great
Competitive products within their group.
5+
Standard
Usually these products would either have fewer treatments covered or higher pricing.
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Basic
Offering basic cover with limited features or higher pricing.
Key takeaways
Gold level policies cover dialysis for chronic kidney failure, along with some silver policies.
Policies start at about $160 and all have a 12-month waiting period, so consider buying now if you have chronic kidney failure.
Medicare can cover kidney dialysis, but the current benefit for home dialysis is just $130.85 (for up to 12 claims per year).
How much is private health insurance with cover for kidney dialysis?
Below you can find sample quotes from Finder partner funds. All policies include treatments for chronic kidney failure. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney.
Finder survey: Which conditions have Australians made hospital claims for?
Response
Female
Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
0.38%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023
Finder Score - Hospital cover health insurance
Each month we analyse over 10,000 hospital insurance products and rate each one on price and features. What we end up with is a nice round number out of 10 that helps you compare hospital cover a bit faster.
Before we start scoring, we need to make sure we're comparing like-for-like. Just as it doesn't make sense to compare a bicycle with a Ferrari, it doesn't make sense to compare basic hospital policies to top-tier Gold policies. Each policy is given a price score and feature score. These are then combined to determine each policies's Finder Score.
Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
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You'll pay the same price as going direct - we don't
charge fees
We don't ask for your phone number to see prices
Hang tight - we're fetching policies just for you!
Comparing quotes from 40+ funds...
What is a kidney dialysis?
A kidney dialysis is a type of treatment that's used when a patient develops end-stage kidney failure. Dialysis helps to return the body to balance by preventing waste, salt and water from building up in the body. It also helps to maintain a safe level of chemicals in your blood and helps to control blood pressure.
How can I cover the cost of chronic kidney disease and dialysis treatment?
There are a number of ways for you to potentially receive benefits for chronic kidney disease and dialysis, both through the public and private health systems.
Medicare Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDM). If you are suffering from kidney disease for six months or more and require ongoing, structured care, your GP may suggest a CDM plan, and you may be eligible for rebates to cover the ongoing cost of your treatment.
Below you can see the various types of dialysis treatment and surgical procedures covered by Medicare.:
Dialysis for chronic renal failure
Haemodialysis
Haemofiltration
Haemoperfusion
Peritoneal dialysis
Surgical procedures
Explorative kidney surgery
Private health insurance. The amount of cover you receive for kidney related treatments will depend on how comprehensive your hospital insurance is:
Top hospital policies must pay a benefit for all procedures covered under the MBS, which includes dialysis.
Medium hospital policies may include dialysis treatment and renal surgery but will only pay a restricted benefit.
Basic hospital cover generally excluded dialysis treatment and renal surgery.
You can use the table below as a quick reference for seeing which levels of health insurance fully and partially cover, or exclude, kidney related treatments:
Kidney treatment
Top hospital
Medium hospital
Basic hospital
Dialysis for chronic renal failure:
Haemodialysis
Haemofiltration
Haemoperfusion
Peritoneal dialysis
This policy type should always include cover
May be partially covered with a restricted benefit
Typically excluded
Surgical procedures:
Explorative kidney surgery
This policy type should always include cover
May be partially covered with a restricted benefit
Chronic kidney disease can often go undetected in the early stages due to lack of or few symptoms. Some symptoms are indicative of kidney failure, while other symptoms such as high blood pressure can be confused with other conditions. Symptoms can include:
Kidney pain
High blood pressure
Headaches
Swelling in the legs and ankles
Change in the frequency and appearance of urination
Bad breath and a metallic taste in the mouth
Disturbed sleep and tiredness
Appetite loss and problems concentrating
Chronic kidney disease has five stages. Stages one to three can be managed with medication, while stage five is the most severe and requires a kidney transplant or ongoing dialysis treatment.
Disease progression
Physiological changes
Physical symptoms
Stage 1
No decrease in GFR*
No symptoms
Stage 2
Small reduction in GFR*
Defects in other organ systems
High blood pressure
Usually no symptoms
Stage 3
Significant reduction in GFR*
Defects in other organ systems
High blood pressure
Increase in proteins in urine
In some cases no symptoms
Stage 4
Significant reduction in function of kidneys
Defects in other organ systems
High blood pressure
Significant increase in proteins in urine
Abnormal function of organ systems
Stage 5
Kidney failure
Abnormal function of organ systems, fatigue, swelling, change of skin colour
*GFR: Glomerular Filtration Rate is an indicator used to measure kidney function.
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Chronic kidney disease treatments vary based on the severity of the condition. However, patients suffering end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) will require kidney replacement therapy (KRT). Haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are two types of KRT treatments:
Haemodialysis. Although this can be done at home with assistance, haemodialysis is generally carried out at a medical facility. A patient's blood is filtered using an external machine and transferred back into the body. Patients requiring this type of treatment may be required to visit a hospital or clinic multiple times per week and the procedure can last up to six hours each session.
Peritoneal dialysis. This type of dialysis is performed in the home and can be done by the patient. Unlike haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis filters the patient's blood using PD fluid in the stomach. Two types of peritoneal dialysis exist:
Home continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), which is performed during the day.
Home automated peritoneal dialysis (APD), which is performed overnight while the patient is asleep.
Early access to preserved superannuation is available in the event of financial hardship. Superannuation savings can help pay for the cost of chronic kidney disease treatment if:
You have been receiving Centrelink benefits for six months or longer and you can no longer pay your living expenses.
You need your superannuation to cover loan payments so you can keep your home.
You require palliative care resulting from chronic kidney disease.
If your superannuation fund includes benefit payments for total and permanent disablement, you can claim these if your chronic kidney disease prevents you from returning to your regular job. You may also be able to claim a disability benefit lump sum if your chronic kidney disease reaches stages four or five and you have to stop work.
Additional sources of financial support may be available to you if you are undertaking home dialysis treatment. These include:
Water and electricity cost reimbursement from the state government.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 648 Finder guides across topics including:
James Martin was the insurance editor at Finder. He has written on a range of insurance and finance topics for over 7 years. James often shares his insurance expertise as a media spokesperson and has appeared on Prime 7 News, WIN News, Insurance News, 7NEWS and The Guardian. He holds a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, both of which meet the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
James's expertise
James has written 212 Finder guides across topics including:
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Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
Email me my results (optional)
To get a copy of your results for later, add your email below
