'I'm 27 and just got health insurance for the first time. Here's 3 things I never knew it could actually get me.’

Yes, I’m late to the game. I'm 27 and just got private health insurance.         

I was always willing to “wing it” in the hopes that nothing dramatic or expensive would ever happen to me (knock on wood, charge your crystals, etc etc).     

But it got to a point where my knees started hurting, I'm straining my eyes trying to read signs, and apparently I'm grinding my teeth in my sleep. Now I'm continually having to fork out large sums of money for the medical things I need, for what seems like a new body part to add to the list each year.

As I get older, these appointments I'm needing throughout each year are becoming more frequent and the sums they're hitting me up for are becoming larger. 

Such fun.

So, if you’re like me and was able to put off buying (or understanding the ins-and-outs of) health insurance 'til your late 20s: we had a good run. 

Now I'd prefer not to run anywhere with these knees.

Earlier this year, I decided to bite the bullet and buy health insurance which I've decided is probably the most “adult” thing I’ve ever done. I didn’t really understand what health insurance ACTUALLY got you, before I forced myself to look into it.

To my surprise (and joy), here’s some things I realised. Probably relatively late considering I'm only a few years away from 30, but hoping I'm not the only one who seemed to miss this memo?  

1. I'll start with my favourite (and most needed): the Optical stuff.

For over 10 years I have needed glasses for computer work and reading. But in most recent years (I'm blaming the pandemic), I got very lazy with updating my prescription. 

Even with private health insurance, glasses can sometimes be expensive. Don’t get me wrong: they’re A LOT cheaper than without; but for the price, you want to make sure you really love them, they look good with at least 90% of your wardrobe, they suit plenty of occasions (in your social and your work world), and are on trend. 

(Well, I personally care a lot about that last one).

So this is where I'm talkin' Specsavers.

I am always that person that tries on a million types of anything in any store and needs about an hour to pick one item for myself. My biggest pet peeve is when any retail store has quite a limited variety, especially when it's a high involvement purchase. 

This gal needs options. And I'm tell you that this is where Specsavers nailed it for me.

A few weeks back, I trawled their website and yes ma'am, I hit the jackpot. As I’m scrolling I’m seeing the latest styles from brands like Marc Jacobs, HUGO, Country Road, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY and plenty more. It took a while to scroll through them all, as there were SO MANY. 

A big yes from me.

Specsavers had a variety of shapes and styles, so I found so many pairs that suited my face shape, so tick, tick, tick. I've even been in-store at my local Specsavers store before where the staff have helped me figure out which styles match my face shape too, because who knew there was some sort of science behind this? (Definitely recommend getting the professionals to give you the answers here).

The thing about glasses is that I used to often feel “nerdy” or uncomfortable wearing them outside of needing them for their core purpose: to help me read stuff mainly on a screen. I felt as though I could never really find trendy glasses that suited my personal style or personality. You know, a pair you’d actually WANT to leave on and wear out socially to lunch with my friends, or to a client meeting, or even on some sort of date occasion?

I was honestly so happy with the selection at Specsavers, and felt like I could choose glasses that looked like me, and were like an accessory to my outfit, rather than a boring detractor of it.

I'd scrolled through the designer range and ended up clicking ‘add to cart’... twice.

My first pair were a cool tortoise-shell colour from Levi's, a statement pair (for me) if you will. I’d have no problems wearing these to the office and I even WANT to wear these to Friday work drinks, which is unheard of for me. 

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My second pair are a bit more understated: for the days I'm wearing a bolder colour in my outfit and I just want the glasses to complement, rather than be the hero piece themselves. 

They're an Alex Perry pair that have clear frames with a pink tint. So very “in” right now. All my friends are constantly asking me if they can try them on, as fellow glasses wearers with super cool specs will understand. One of my friends even bought a similar pair just for fun, with no prescription.

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I haven’t even mentioned the best bit yet. Specsavers are not only making me feel like my glasses are finally a part of my outfit, but what I realised is that for those customers with their private health insurance and the appropriate level of extras cover, they offer 2 pairs of single-vision glasses from their $199 designer range with NO GAP. 

Meaning the fund I'm with that has extras cover won't be charging me anything to cover any excess costs, hence there's "no gap" needing payment from me. (In your situation, make sure you check which funds offer No Gap at Specsavers first).

No. Heckin'. Gap. It feels like Christmas. Can you believe? 

Incredible. Love that for me. That’s not a deal, it's a steal.  

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I'm looking at screens daily for my job, and like so many others know, working off of computer screens can impact vision, and that was definitely when I first started noticing the headaches and tired eyes. 

What I didn’t know yet either was that Specsavers have an in-house optometrist so you can get your eyes tested in-store, which is very handy. So if you're reading this thinking you might need glasses, you don't have to go to multiple places (no thanks) and just get it all done at Specsavers.

(They even have a way to virtually try on their glasses online, if you want to play around with it before heading in-store too, which I thought was cool). 

But yes: definitely go forth and enjoy the benefits of your extras cover (just make sure you've actually got it first on your level of health insurance!).  

2. $700 for my dental? Yes please.

Now, I must admit that dental is something I often ignore. I brush my teeth twice a day, dabble in teeth whitening here and there but my regular check-ups aren’t so “regular”.  

Early last year I decided to take myself to the dentist to get the check up I’d been putting off for longer than I dare to admit publicly. 

I left the chair feeling fresh and happy, and then was presented with a rather large bill. I was asked the question, “Do you have health insurance?” to which I replied, “er....no”. 

My fresh and happy feeling disappeared as I transferred money out of my savings account and tapped away approximately $250 of my hard earned cash, for essentially, a really good teeth clean. 

Now with my health insurance, I get a pretty significant spend ($700) to use on any dental I need basically. Sometimes I do have to pay the gap however, in my experience, that's never been more than around $60. So quite a win I was unaware of before. 

3. Physio, as a proper die-hard netballer in heart, soul and spirit.

Anyone who knows me well (or even talks to me for 10 minutes) will be aware that I’m a massive netball fan. 

I will play on as many teams as possible in my local area (heck, I'll even travel if I can play), and watch ALL THE GAMES. So naturally, particularly the playing part, goes hand in hand with sustaining some injuries. 

Now, pre-private health insurance Maddie would have assumed that physios were included in Medicare. Ah the naivety. 

Here's the spoiler: that’s not a thing! Not. A. Thing. 

Always to my surprise (but also: fair enough. These people have serious skills), physio appointments can cost upwards of $150, and sometimes that only gets you a 30-minute session. Oof.

Some of you might be thinking, “I think it's just you who goes hard at netball, Mads. I don’t play sport, so why would I even need this?" 

Well, kind reader, we all know the feeling of waking up in the morning with a sore back or a frozen neck. I'm already familiar with it at just 27.

Or maybe it's more likely you’re working from home without an ergonomic set up, or even one of those office chairs that does more good than harm? Sometimes I sit on the couch in a weird position, and get up feeling 100 years old.  

Physiotherapy (truly) to my rescue.

So there you have it: the 3 things that I never actually knew health insurance could get me, now that I'm all aboard that (rather expensive) train on this side of 27. 

Now that's enough adulting for one day, thanks. I'm off to match my new glasses to my current outfit, and make that new chilli margarita recipe I saw on TikTok, like the true millennial I am.

Find the perfect pair (or two) from Specsavers to match every outfit, occasion and personality. Explore their Designer glasses and sunglasses range, and pick up 2 styles from $199. 

When it comes to claiming benefits of your health insurance, firstly make sure you've got the appropriate level of extras cover first. Any purchase you make using your extras, like optical, are subject to your policy’s waiting periods, available annual optical limits, fund rules and having the appropriate level of extras cover.

Feature Image: Supplied.