Looking after your mental wellbeing is an important part of your overall health.
UniMed has made some changes to their Mental Health Benefit available through selected HealthCarePlus plans, making it easier for eligible members to access support when they need it.
These updates were outlined in a recent letter sent to UniMed policy holders and change how members can access support for mental health consultations.
If you have a UniMed Health Plan and received this communication, the information below explains how the updated Mental Health Benefit works in practice.
If you are considering one of these plans, it also gives a useful overview of how this benefit supports access to professional mental health care.
What’s changing?
The current Mental Health Benefit is changing from a session-based benefit to a dollar-based benefit.
At the moment, members can claim up to three sessions per policy year for mental health treatment. From 1st April 2026 this will change to an annual dollar limit instead.
This means members will be able to claim up to a set amount each policy year, rather than being limited to a set number of sessions. That gives more flexibility, so the benefit can be used in a way that better suits the type of support needed.
Members with the following UniMed Health Plans can access the updated Mental Health Benefit:
Another change is that psychology, psychotherapy and counselling services will no longer sit under the Complementary Medical benefit. These services are now covered under the dedicated Mental Health Benefit instead.
The benefit reimburses 50% of the cost of eligible consultations, up to a maximum of $1,000 of reasonable charges per policy year. That means members can continue claiming across multiple appointments until they reach their annual limit.
For example:
You can continue claiming until you reach the annual $1,000 benefit limit.
UniMed also notes that if you previously had access to the three funded mental health sessions, those will remain available until the new Mental Health Benefit is added to your Health Plan on 1 April 2026. Plus, if you have children included in the cover then children have a collective $1,000 annual limit rather than per child, which is in alignment with the other benefits.
UniMed continues to partner with 3 Big Things and Clearhead to make support easier to access.
3 Big Things have team of dedicated professionals to work alongside Members to enhance their wellbeing. They offer evidence-based psychological support, professional supervision, one-on-one counselling with both in-person and virtual options.
Clearhead makes finding the right therapist easy with their search and booking platform. Offering access to a high-quality network of hundreds of reputable therapists, appointments within 24 hours choice of video, phone or in-person sessions.
Importantly, Members are not limited to UniMed’s partners. Members can also choose their own provider, as long as that provider meets the eligibility criteria, and UniMed will reimburse an equivalent amount.
This benefit covers consultations with a psychiatrist, psychologist, psychotherapist or counsellor, who is registered under either the:
This ensures members can receive care from appropriately qualified professionals.
This updated Mental Health Benefit allows Members to access support in ways that suit their individual needs.
For example:
By providing a yearly benefit rather than a set number of sessions, members have more flexibility in how they use their mental health support.
These changes give Members more flexibility, improved access to professional support, and easier ways to connect with care.
If you already hold one of the qualifying plans, it’s worth taking a moment to understand how the updated benefit works and what support pathways are available.
If you don’t currently hold one of these policies but want to get access to the Mental Health Benefit. You can find out more about these plans and sign up below.