Putting members’ health before profit

Cessnock joins hirmaa as newest fund

hirmaa welcomes Cessnock District Health Benefits Fund as newest member

hirmaa, Australia’s peak body for member-owned insurers, has welcomed Cessnock District Health Benefits Fund (CDHBF) into its membership.

hirmaa now represents 19 Australian owned, not-for-profit and community-based private health insurance providers.

hirmaa CEO Matthew Koce welcomed CDHBF to the association, saying that their addition to the group is further evidence of how diverse Australia’s private health insurance industry really is.

“Australia’s member-owned, not-for-profit and community-based health insurers represent every facet of the Australian community and provide superior coverage and benefits to their memberships,” Mr Koce said.

“Unlike the for-profit funds, hirmaa not-for-profit and member-owned funds return 90 per cent of all the premiums paid back into improving benefits for their policyholders, instead of increasing dividends for shareholders.”

“Health insurance is about benefiting the policyholder first and foremost and CDHBF shares that community and mutuality ethos that is common among all hirmaa funds. Our membership is very pleased to have them on-board.”

Headquartered in Cessnock, New South Wales, CDHBF was founded in 1952 initially to provide affordable and dependable health services and benefits to the region’s coal mining industry.

Since then, the company has expanded its footprint and now has members in every Australian state.

Ted Jackson, CEO of CDHBF said  the fund continues to strive to provide the highest quality cover for its membership.

“Our company has a proud, 60-year history of providing the highest quality coverage for the Cessnock community, ensuring that every policyholder has the utmost peace of mind and confidence in their health insurance cover,” he said.

“hirmaa funds all have one thing in common; that is their customer-first focus. They are member-owned, not-for-profit and committed to achieving the best results and healthcare outcomes for their communities.”

Since its establishment in 1978, hirmaa has advocated on behalf of not-for-profit, member-owned and community-based health insurers.

hirmaa represents 19 member funds that provide private health insurance for over one million Australians. A listing of all hirmaa member funds can be found at https://membershealth.com.au/our-funds/.

22 March, 2016

Download PDF Media Release here: 2016 03 22 Cessnock Media Release Final