Couple o' things:
1. If you are under 30, healthy, and parcipitate in any active sports, and unless your employer provides the cover at a much reduced rate, then you really don't need private. (remember serious accidents and any tirage, casualty is carried by the public sector and not the fund provider you have paid)
Over 30, or really 31 , then you need to take into account of the tax penalties.
2. Read the policy, or the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) at least two to three times, and match it to what your expectation is.
3. Don't be put off by skimping on the excess, check hospital cover, ambulance and re-patriation, and especially outpatient consultancy benefits - these are often worded in such a vague way in the PDS as to exclude by default.
4. Read the PDS again.
5. If you have any doubts as to the cover, get it in writing, talking to call centre joan or jonnie in Hobart (soon to be Bangalore) is not going to cover you if you have mis-understood your cover.
6. Pay by month, that way if you are unhappy you can stop the payments, or delay them, in effect bringing a small but meagre financial clout to your dispute. (remember to state clearly that you intend to pay)
7. Work offered cover has this clout in buckets, as the fund provider will not wish to risk losing the corporate account by playing hard ball with one employee.
I learned this the hard way, and also recently by working for a major insurer on their system, remember the fact that just because you pay your premiums does not automatically guarantee cover, for example, a car accident where you were found to be 10% culpable could invalidate your cover, an alcohol reading (even under the limit) could also invalidate your cover.
8. Disclose everything, and I mean everything, even if you had mumps when you were 12 and measles at 14, then disclose them.
finally read the pds again.