In addition to the government subsidies that help cover the cost of home care services, you can also claim against your private health fund to cover the cost of support services. What's available differs based on

Home care in private hospital cover

  • Hospital substitute services. Often referred to by names such as hospital at home or hospital in the home, hospital substitute services are included in hospital cover policies from many private health funds. 

    They allow you to access treatment from specialists such as nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists so you can reduce the length of a hospital stay.  Some patients may also qualify for domestic assistance (such as help cooking and cleaning) that will be covered by their health fund.

  • Home nursing. Often included as part of top-level extras cover policies, home nursing services cover things like wound management, catheter care and medication administration after you have been discharged from the hospital, or in some cases, can be provided instead of being admitted to the hospital.

  • Home rehabilitation services. From wound management to physiotherapy and other therapies, some hospital cover policies will help cover the cost of home rehabilitation services following surgery, an injury or illness.

  • Palliative care at home. Cover for palliative care is a standard inclusion in hospital cover health insurance, and in many cases, it may be possible to receive the care you need in the comfort of your home.

  • Telehealth. Several health funds offer free Telehealth services with their hospital cover. 
    For example,  nurse hotlines or mental health support phone number you can call. This isn't really provided under hospital insurance, though; it's more like a perk based on your fund.

Home care on extras cover

Some insurance funds offer extra benefits that can be taken at home. These can vary wildly, as they're not typically covered under the core list of extra treatments that the government publishes data on each month. 

To see the inclusions of your private health insurance, check your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and cover details that are attached to your policy, or call your insurer and find out what in-home support services you can claim.

*original article from finder.com.au