Changing Health Cover

Hello everyone! Hopefully someone will help me be enlightened as what to do next. This whole thing about having a medicare and private insurance is driving me crazy. So here's my story. We're on 489 visa and just applied for 887 visa last week. Went to centrelink to apply for medicare. We're given the Interim Medicare. During the 489 visa, we were paying for Private Health Insurance which is IMAN (Parent company is NIB) for 118 every forth night for 2 adults and a kid. I was supposed to have a surgery last november but that did not happen so I am planning to push it through this month. I called IMAN confirming what they will cover as the surgery will be done by a private doctor in a private hospital, thus there will be out-of-pocket cost for me. Having a medicare, i was kind of hoping that I will be paying less.

When i called IMAN, i was told that I should be changing my cover already because i have medicare now. According to IMAN staff, it's like i am paying for a cover that will not benefit me.

So my question is, how will i move forward from here. If I change cover, should i still stay with NIB or should i go to another company like BUPA? I am in the impression that there wont be any waiting period anymore once i change cover/company. If i change cover/company, went through my operation, would it be ok to cancel the insurance afterwards?

TIA

Have a look at a Health comparison site, I think there is a govt. one to see what is available to you.

My take on it is this:

Private health enables you to have your procedure at a time to suit you, in the place you want, by the doctor you choose

If you rely on Medicare, you are subjected to waits, for an appt. to see the doctor, for a hospital bed. Some wait lists are long.

You can choose different levels of private health, Top down, and with an excess of your choice.

I think you first need to look for the features you need in health cover which will make the choice of a provider easier.

Generally, if you transfer from fund to fund there is no waiting period, but if you are changing cover level up, there may be.

The fund you choose will let you know that.