Standardise health insurance policies - consumer body

A survey has found only half of the people who take out private health insurance are confident they understand what their policy covers, and only one-in-four found it easy to compare policies.

The survey found that more than one-in-five policy holders reported having a claim denied by their insurer, and overall satisfaction of users with their policies was at only 38%.

With just over half of the population having some kind of private health insurance, the national health peak body for consumers – Consumers Health Forum - will present a new plan to the Federal Government.

The group hopes to persuade the Government to require private health funds to offer standardised policies, so consumers can easily compare and weed out "junk policies".