Australians can add digital health insurance cards to Apple Wallet

Australian iPhone users will be able to use their mobile devices as part of their healthcare experience, with HICAPS practitioners in the country now accepting digital health insurance cards held in Apple Wallet.

The change for HICAPS (Health Industry Claims and Payments Service) simplifies the claims process for Australian clients. Members of Medibank, Bupa, nib, and GU Health can now download their digital membership card from their health fund app, and add it to Apple Wallet.

Rather than swiping a plastic card, users will instead be able to tap their iPhone or Apple Watch on any HICAPS terminal to make a claim. Real-time notifications will be provided to the user, provided via their health fund's app.

As is standard for Apple's products and services, security and privacy are maintained with the new system. The health insurance membership card's customer identifier number is encrypted during transmission to the HICAPS terminal, before being decrypted and passed along to the customer's health insurer.

HICAPS terminals are found at over 25,000 healthcare practices and medical centers across Australia, and process over 114,000 claims every day.

According to NAB Executive for Business Everyday Banking Tania Motton, "Claims made using this method help reduce the time spent on manual processing for practitioners due to forgotten plastic cards, while putting money back in customers' bank accounts quicker."

7 Comments

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

About 3 years ago

Australian's can swipe their health cards? Wow! So, that makes the transition to the Apple Wallet fairly straight forward.

Here in the U.S. I have never had a medical card that could be swiped --- even Medicare who just spend millions to put out new cards a couple years ago put out mere pieces of non-swipable plastic.

And, even if Apple did load medical ID cards into Apple Wallet here, medical clerks would be befuddled because they all ask for the card and then run it through a copier. Without a piece of plastic they would turn you away.

So, like with credit cards, other nations appear to be well ahead of the U.S. in technology.

steveau 302 comments · 10 Years

About 3 years ago

GeorgeBMac said:

Australian's can swipe their health cards? Wow! So, that makes the transition to the Apple Wallet fairly straight forward.

Here in the U.S. I have never had a medical card that could be swiped --- even Medicare who just spend millions to put out new cards a couple years ago put out mere pieces of non-swipable plastic.

And, even if Apple did load medical ID cards into Apple Wallet here, medical clerks would be befuddled because they all ask for the card and then run it through a copier. Without a piece of plastic they would turn you away.

So, like with credit cards, other nations appear to be well ahead of the U.S. in technology.

The US is also way behind in health insurance generally. In Australia Medicare (the free*, universal health care service) covers everyone for:
GP visits;
some specialist visits;
visits to a public or private hospital emergency department;
out of hospital x-rays or other scans;
out of hospital blood tests or other pathology tests; and more.
Most private health insurance, such as those mentioned in this article, provide:
Additional hospital cover for things like accommodation and theatre fees;
General treatment cover for services like dental and physio;
The option to choose your own surgeon or other specialist;
The option to have treatment in a private hospital or as a private patient in a public hospital; and more.
*"Free" means that people who pay income tax pay for it through a 2% Medicare levy, but the cost of private insurance is tax deductible. Rich people who don't have private insurance (for heaven's sake why?) pay an additional levy of 1.0%, 1.25% or 1.5% according to assessable income.
In a 2013 Bloomberg study on the Most Efficient Healthcare Systems in the World, Australia ranked 7th overall, with a per capita cost about half of that of the US system.

kitatit 68 comments · 11 Years

About 3 years ago

HICAPS machines are at almost every doctor/GP clinic dentist, chiropractor, physiotherapist, remedial massage practitioner in Australia. They look like a credit card terminal.

Here’s an example of how a visit to say my chiropractor would go.

“That will be $52 thanks” ($38USD)
“have you got your private healthcare card?”

”yep”

Swipe card through HICAPS machine.

”HBF (my private health fund provider) has covered $27”($20 USD)

Apple Pay via your credit card and it charges you the gap payment of $25 ($18 USD)

”Thank you you, have a nice day”

”Thanks” Some Australian states have digital wallet versions of your drivers licence too. I’d say not carrying a wallet at all will be truely feasible in 2-3 years.

entropys 4302 comments · 13 Years

About 3 years ago

I think this has more to do with our finance system arrangements that the health system in particular. But definitely a side benefit of a well regulated private insurance sector.

On the matter of different health systems, Australia really does have a good mix of public and private.

An all public system, eg the UK NHS, manages demand through queues (waiting lists). That sucks.
an all private system (eg the US) manages demand via price. That sucks too.

A mixed system means that if the waiting list is too long for ones’ taste, you can just pay for it (or use your private insurer). This also means the pressure on waiting lists in the public system is shorter than it would otherwise be for those that can’t afford the private option.

But let’s face it, price is a very good way for driving innovation. The worlds health services overall have benefited from that incentive, largely driven out of the US. The public systems take advantage of technologies developed in private systems that may not have happened at all without that price signal.

the other thing about the US I find weird is the linkage of health insurance with the employer. That should not be the case, the relationship should be with the customer consumer. decoupling that little relationship should be the priority. Employers could still pay for the insurance as part of the package. But taking out the insurance should be up to the individual they do directly with the insurer.

entropys 4302 comments · 13 Years

About 3 years ago

Just set myself up with Medibank Private. The app sets you up in Apple wallet, can manage the rest of the family too. Quite easy.
A great feature as I almost never carry the card with me, or someone else has it after using it.