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What you need to know:
Gold tier hospital policies are the most comprehensive hospital insurance policies available in Australia.
The cheapest gold hospital policies start from around
$57
a week*.
Gold hospital insurance covers hospital treatments including childbirth, cataracts and joint replacements.
*Prices are based on a single person living in Sydney earning less than $90,000 per year.
Pros and cons of Gold health insurance
Pros
Comprehensive cover for treatment in a private hospital.
The only tier to include coverage for pregnancy and childbirth.
Covers rehabilitation, hospital psychiatric services and palliative care.
Cons
Gold cover is expensive, often costing well in excess of $160 per month.
If you don't need cover for a service like pregnancy, a Gold policy will still charge and cover you for it. Gold cover is often more coverage than people need.
Doesn't cover outpatient services without additional extras cover.
Compare more Gold health insurance policies
The following table shows insurers from Finder partners that offer Gold health insurance policies.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Australian Unity's Prime Hospital (Gold) policy is the 2023 gold hospital winner. It covers all 38 hospital treatments at a cheaper price than all of the other gold policies we analysed.
St. Lukes Health Gold hospital policy is the 2023 runner up in our gold category. It covers all 38 hospital treatments for less than almost every other health insurance policy on the market.
Medibank's Gold hospital complete is another highly commended brand in the 2023 gold hospital category. It covers all 38 hospital treatments and comes with several unique perks for families looking to get pregnant.
What are the hospital health insurance tiers?
Each of the different health insurance tiers has to cover a standardised set of treatments. Here's a quick summary of each tier.
Gold hospital cover
Gold-tier hospital insurance covers all 38 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like joint replacements, pregnancy and insulin pumps, as well as all services covered by Silver-tier policies.
Average premium:
$218.78
a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium:
$162.44
a month for a single policy.*
Silver hospital cover
Silver-tier hospital insurance covers at least 26 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like dental surgery, lung and chest, and podiatric surgery, as well as all services covered by Bronze-tier policies.
Average cost:
$147.89
a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium:
$102.5
a month for a single policy.*
Bronze hospital cover
Bronze-tier hospital insurance covers at least 18 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like joint reconstructions, gynaecology, and ear, nose and throat, as well as all services covered by Basic-tier policies.
Average cost:
$98.84
a month for a single policy.
Lowest premium:
$86.34
a month for a single policy.*
Basic hospital cover
Basic-tier hospital insurance isn't required to fully cover any treatments outlined by the Australian government, but it does need to have restricted cover for rehabilitation, hospital psychiatric services and palliative care. Generally, Basic cover is primarily used to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge and Lifetime Health Cover loading.
Average cost:
$84.13
a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium:
$76.9
a month for a single policy.*
*Average prices are updated monthly, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $90,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
If a policy is described as a 'plus' policy, then it will cover the minimum number of treatments for its tier, plus at least 1 treatment from the next tier up. For a full list of the treatments covered by Basic policies, click the link below.
Clinical category
Basic
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Rehabilitation
R
R
R
Hospital psychiatric services
R
R
R
Palliative care
R
R
R
Brain and nervous system
Eye (not cataracts)
Ear, nose and throat
Tonsils, adenoids and grommets
Bone, joint and muscle
Joint reconstructions
Kidney and bladder
Male reproductive system
Digestive system
Hernia and appendix
Gastrointestinal endoscopy
Gynaecology
Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy
Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy for cancer
Pain management
Skin
Breast surgery (medically necessary)
Diabetes management (excluding insulin pumps)
Heart and vascular system
Lung and chest
Blood
Back, neck and spine
Plastic and reconstructive surgery (medically necessary)
Dental surgery
Podiatric surgery (provided by a registered podiatric surgeon)
Implantation of hearing devices
Cataracts
Joint replacements
Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
Pregnancy and birth
Assisted reproductive services
Weight loss surgery
Insulin pumps
Pain management with a device
Sleep studies
How much is Gold cover in each state?
The cost of gold tier hospital insurance varies by state, because the cost of care is different across Australia. The table below lays out the average and minimum monthly premiums in the Finder health insurance database.
Average monthly premium
Lowest monthly premium
NSW
$218.78
$162.44
QLD
$231.78
$176.69
VIC
$239.6
$173.09
TAS
$211.86
$166.62
SA
$200.69
$158
NT
$137.48
$86.62
WA
$187.05
$138.56
*Average prices are updated monthly, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $90,000 income with a $750 excess.
If you're starting a family and want to have access to a private room during childbirth, you're going to want a Gold hospital policy. Benefits only available on Gold policies include:
Getting older means you're more susceptible to certain conditions – Gold coverage includes a range of treatments that are especially useful to older Australians. A few examples that are helpful for seniors include:
Cataracts
Joint replacements
People with complex needs
There are many other treatments only covered under Gold-tier health insurance policies which may be essential for some people. Here are a few Gold treatments that could apply to you:
Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
Weight loss surgery
Insulin pumps
Pain management with device
Sleep studies
Why you can trust Finder's health insurance experts
We're free
Our health insurance engine is completely free to use. You pay the same as buying directly from the health insurer. Better still, we regularly run exclusive deals that you won't find on any other site.
Unlike other comparison sites, we're not owned by an insurer. That means our opinions are our own and you can compare nearly every health fund in Australia on the site (and find a better deal).
We're here to help
Since 2014, we've helped 350,000+ people find health insurance by explaining your options simply. We'll never ask for your number or email to see prices. We're here to help you make a decision.
Gold hospital cover: Frequently asked questions
Medibank Gold Complete won the 2022 Finder award for best gold hospital policy. It scored the highest out of the 27 eligible gold hospital insurance policies we analysed. It won because it was the cheapest policy to cover all 38 hospital treatments.
The cheapest gold hospital cover may start from $48.48 per week with Medibank. That's according to our analysis of 16 Finder partners – we did not look at the full market. This figure was correct as of 30 June 2023.
In Australia, there are 4 different tiers for hospital cover: Basic, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Policies at each tier level are required to cover a standard set of treatments. Each tier covers everything in the lower tiers, plus several more treatments.
A Gold hospital policy will cover all of the 38 standard hospital treatments set out by the government. This includes treatments like pregnancy and birth, joint replacements, assisted reproductive services, weight loss surgery, insulin pumps and cataracts.
A product described as a 'plus' policy will cover all of the standard treatment options for its tier, plus at least 1 additional treatment from a higher tier. For example, a Silver policy that covers pregnancy and birth (a Gold treatment) would be considered 'Silver plus'. As Gold policies already include all of the standard hospital treatments, there are no 'Gold plus' policies.
All hospital insurance in Australia is required to provide cover for pre-existing conditions. However, there is a 12-month waiting period before you can make a claim for a pre-condition.
This article was reviewed on 30 June by James Martin. James is the insurance editor at Finder and he's written on a range of insurance and finance topics for over 7 years.
Tim Bennett is a Finder insurance expert. For over 10 years he's reported on news, politics, finance and other topics as a journalist and radio presenter. Tim's roles have included radio news reader and breakfast at the ABC, news producer for SBS and producer for Fairfax Media. Tim regularly appears as a health insurance expert on programs like Sunrise and SBS news, as well as in the Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and more.
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While private health insurance does not cover plastic surgery that is elective and performed for cosmetic purposes, it does provide cover for a wide range of reconstructive plastic surgeries.
If your doctor has recommended that you receive an insulin pump, check with your private health fund to find out whether the cost will be covered under your policy.
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