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Best health insurance – seriously sick options
We analysed 400+ health insurance policies in Australia. Some were junk. Loads were great. But these ones are excellent.
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Step 1/2 - About your cover
Which state do you live in?
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What's your age?
Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
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Under 65
65 - 69
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What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
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Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
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this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated July 2024, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices reflect the cheapest available for a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
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Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
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The best health insurance for you will depend on your budget and personal circumstances. Our experts have chosen a bunch of picks that will be great for a lot of folks, but these should only be used as a guide. You should always read the PDS to know if a product is a good fit for you.
Our top picks for the best health insurance - June 2024
The top picks were updated by our team of insurance experts after 80+ hours of research across 45+ health funds. They were reviewed by insurance publisher Tim Bennett on 20 June 2024.
ahm won the 2023 Finder Customer Satisfaction award. Out of the 750+ customers surveyed, it scored highly for customer service, value for money and application process. It also has some of the cheapest hospital policies on the market.
90% of hospital charges are covered. Several insurers including Bupa, HBF and St.Lukes are better.
83.8% of medical services have no gap. This is the 5th worst out of 23 health funds.
ahm's gold option isn't the cheapest gold policy available on the market.
We asked 765 Australian customers for their opinion about their health fund. ahm scored highly for ease of application and customer service. 86% of people said they would recommend it to a friend. No fund did better than this.
This combined hospital and extras policy could be good for complete families. Bupa's Top Extras policy covers orthodontics, dental check-ups are free with certain dentists and there's no excess for kids. You're also exempt from paying the Medicare levy surcharge if you earn over $194,000 a year as a family.
Pros
Kids can stay on the policy until 31. No insurer beats this.
No excess or co-payment fees if your kids end up in hospital.
$0 dental check-ups for the family at Member First Platinum dentists.
Orthodontics included with Top Extras.
Cons
Every family is different. Make sure this option covers what yours needs.
Insurers including Latrobe and Westfund can also cover kids up to age 31.
Bupa's Bronze Plus Simple is cheap but it wasn't a 2024 Finder Award winner.
Every family has slightly different health needs, so you should always do your own research and make sure the policy covers the treatments you and your family want.
We selected Bupa because it has several benefits for families. It has one of the largest hospital networks in Australia, no excess for kids, $0 dental check-ups for the family at Member First Platinum dentists, orthodontics are included with its Top Extras and your children can stay on the policy until 31.
Plus, 91.1% of Bupa's medical services have no gap. This is the 7th best out of all open membership health funds. There are 23 in total. Its Bronze Plus Simple Hospital option is also one of the cheapest bronze policies on the market. Out of 118 policies, it was the 4th cheapest, $1 more than ahm.
Average prices are updated monthly when we update Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income, $750 excess and living in Sydney.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Blood Bone joint and muscle Brain and nervous system Breast surgery Cancer Dental surgery Diabetes management Digestive system Ear nose and throat Eye excluding cataracts Gastrointestinal endoscopy Gynaecology Hernia and appendix Joint reconstructions Kidney and bladder Lung and chest Male reproductive system Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Pain management Podiatric surgery Skin Sleep studies Tonsils adenoids and grommets
Extras Treatments
General Dental Major Dental Endodontic Orthodontic Optical Non-PBS Pharmaceuticals Physiotherapy Chiropractic Podiatry Psychology Acupuncture Remedial Massage Hearing aids Glucose monitor
One of the only good value basic hospital policies on the market. Many basic policies don't cover any hospital treatments. HBF Basic Elevate covers 18. Bonus points – it lets you avoid the Medicare levy surcharge (MLS) (the tax you need to pay if you earn over $97,000 as a single). The not-for-profit also won Finder's 2024 best health fund of the year award.
Pros
92.5% of hospital services have no gap (out-of-pocket expenses) – the best of all open health funds.
It's only around $2 more than the cheapest policy in Finder's database of 480 policies.
If you solely want to avoid the MLS, there are some marginally cheaper options.
Bronze hospital cover may be better value depending on your health needs.
Some restricted funds, such as Doctors' Health (93%), have an even better no gap record.
It won the 2024 Finder Awards for best basic hospital policy for the second year in a row. These awards compared all eligible basic hospital policies on the market. It won based on value for money, covering more treatments in a private hospital for a lower premium than any other fund.
While basic hospital cover allows you to avoid paying the MLS if you earn over $97,000 a year as a single or $194,000 as a couple, it's often terrible value for money – many don't cover any hospital treatments at all. HBF's Basic Plus Elevate actually gives you some cover in return for your money.
Additionally, 92.5% of hospital services have no out-of-pocket costs, according to the latest ombudsman report. That's more than all 23 other open membership insurers, including the 4 major funds, Bupa, HCF, Medibank and nib.
Average prices are updated monthly when we update Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income, $750 excess and living in Sydney.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Blood Bone joint and muscle Cancer Dental surgery Digestive system Ear nose and throat Gastrointestinal endoscopy Gynaecology Hernia and appendix Joint reconstructions Kidney and bladder Male reproductive system Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Skin Tonsils adenoids and grommets
This won the Finder Award for best value bronze policy for the second year in a row. It scored higher than all 100+ bronze plans we assessed. It covers 25 hospital treatments – 7 more than a standard bronze policy. The not-for-profit also has a really strong record of giving its money back towards members.
Pros
Finder 2024 best value bronze award winner.
An average of nearly 90c back on every dollar spent on premiums.
HCF received a high proportion of complaints compared to other funds.
86.7% of medical services have no gap – Bupa, HBF, NIB and more all do better.
Cheaper bronze options are available but they give you less for your money.
HCF was the winner of our bronze category at the 2024 Finder Awards. It covered more treatments for less money than any other fund.
Average prices are updated monthly when we update Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income, $750 excess and living in Sydney.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Blood Bone joint and muscle Brain and nervous system Breast surgery Cancer Dental surgery Diabetes management Digestive system Ear nose and throat Eye excluding cataracts Gastrointestinal endoscopy Gynaecology Hernia and appendix Joint reconstructions Kidney and bladder Lung and chest Male reproductive system Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Pain management Palliative care Medically necessary plastic surgery Podiatric surgery Skin Sleep studies Tonsils adenoids and grommets
This comes with lots of benefits you don't get with other insurers. In addition to pregnancy cover, continuity of care and IVF cover, you get access to its 24/7 Medibank Nurse service, an OptimalMe program for mums-to-be and a pregnancy health concierge. The Growing Family Extras cover includes antenatal and postnatal classes.
Pros
Extremely comprehensive pregnancy cover.
The extras option includes antenatal and postnatal classes, pregnancy compression garments and an Australian Breastfeeding Association membership.
It's efficient. Medibank has the lowest management expenses of all open health funds.
Cons
You may still have out-of-pocket expenses.
Only 83.80% of Medibank medical services have no gap (e.g. out-of-pocket expenses). Many including Bupa, HBF, NIB and Westfund are above 90%.
It's not the only good value option. Finder 2024 Gold Award winners included St. Lukes, HBF and Health Partners.
Medibank offers a lot of pregnancy-related benefits that you won't get with other insurers, including 24/7 Medibank Nurse service, an OptimalMe program for mums-to-be and a pregnancy health concierge.
Additionally, the extras portion of the policy goes further than others we researched including ahm, Bupa, St.Lukes and HBF.
Medibank is also above average for percentage of extras charges covered (52.60% vs 49% overall) according to the latest ombudsman report.
Average prices are updated monthly when we update Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income, $750 excess and living in Sydney.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Assisted reproductive services Back neck and spine Blood Bone joint and muscle Brain and nervous system Breast surgery Cataracts Cancer Dental surgery Diabetes management Dialysis for chronic kidney failure Digestive system Ear nose and throat Eye excluding cataracts Gastrointestinal endoscopy Gynaecology Heart and vascular system Hernia and appendix Hospital psychiatric services Implantation of hearing devices Insulin pumps Joint reconstructions Joint replacements Kidney and bladder Lung and chest Male reproductive system Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Pain management Pain management with device Palliative care Medically necessary plastic surgery Podiatric surgery Pregnancy and birth Rehabilitation Skin Sleep studies Tonsils adenoids and grommets Weight loss surgery
Extras Treatments
General Dental Major Dental Endodontic Orthodontic Optical Non-PBS Pharmaceuticals Physiotherapy Chiropractic Podiatry Psychology Acupuncture Remedial Massage Glucose monitor
Qantas' silver hospital policy was highly commended in the 2024 Finder health insurance awards because it offered some of the best value coverage among other silver hospital policies. Qantas is also offering new customers up to 120,000 Qantas Points over 6 months when you join an eligible combined policy by 13 September – the more comprehensive your cover, the more points you'll earn. T&Cs apply. You also get 1 Qantas point per $1 spent on premiums.
Pros
Points lovers can earn big time by signing up before 13 September with up to 120,000 Qantas points over 6 months up for grabs. T&Cs apply.
Qantas' silver hospital policy was highly commended in the 2024 Finder health insurance awards. A silver policy with extras is great for those needing decent hospital cover and out of hospital treatments.
According to Finder research, Qantas' policies are on the more affordable end of the spectrum.
Cons
There are other providers with cheaper premiums.
It is a for-profit health fund which may not align with all customers' values.
Its complaints record could be better.
We picked Qantas health insurance for two reasons:
Its Silver hospital policy was highly commended in the 2024 Finder health insurance awards. It was ranked in third place out of all of the eligible silver policies we analysed because the fund's policy costs around $25 per week and covers a number of treatments including heart and vascular system, digestive system and dental surgery.
Qantas' points system offers customers more to enjoy beyond the insurance product itself. For serial points collectors, there is much to be gained here and this is a valuable benefit.
HBF won a lot at this year's Finder Awards, including health fund of the year and best value silver policy. HBF Silver covers 30 treatments (4 more than a standard silver policy) and is cheaper than its competitors. Government data also shows it has the best track record for no gap, hospital charges covered and benefits.
Pros
Finder 2024 health insurer of the year.
Not-for-proft. Profits go back to members, not shareholders.
87.9% of benefits paid (the best of all open funds).
Cons
No pregnancy cover (this is actually good if you aren't planning on having kids).
There are cheaper silver policies but you don't get as much.
Only restricted funds, such as Doctors' Health (93%), have a better no gap record.
It won the 2024 Finder Awards for best silver hospital policy. These awards compared all eligible basic hospital policies on the market. It won based on value for money, covering more treatments in a private hospital for a lower premium than any other fund.
Plus, 92.5% of HBF's hospital services have no out-of-pocket costs, according to the latest ombudsman report. That's the best out of all open membership insurers.
Average prices are updated monthly when we update Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income, $750 excess and living in Sydney.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Back neck and spine Blood Bone joint and muscle Brain and nervous system Breast surgery Cancer Dental surgery Diabetes management Digestive system Ear nose and throat Eye excluding cataracts Gastrointestinal endoscopy Gynaecology Heart and vascular system Hernia and appendix Implantation of hearing devices Insulin pumps Joint reconstructions Kidney and bladder Lung and chest Male reproductive system Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Pain management Pain management with device Palliative care Medically necessary plastic surgery Podiatric surgery Skin Sleep studies Tonsils adenoids and grommets
This product is well-priced for what it covers. There are cheaper policies but they don't include as many treatments. For example, you could pay around $68 per week and be covered for 10 extras treatments or, with Medibank, you could pay around $75 per week (just $7 more) and be covered for 14 treatments.
Pros
Gold hospital policy covers you for 38 in hospital treatment. The Top Extras 60 policy covers you for 14 extras treatments. Other providers only cover 10 extras treatments.
It's easy to make claims with Medibank health insurance. You can do it; online, on the spot in some cases where you have your member card, by phone, in store and by post.
Cons
Medibank has a sub-standard complaints record. Although it's worth noting that this could be largely attributed to its data breach rather than product related complaints.
There are cheaper products, although they also cover less treatments.
We picked this product for seniors because it includes thorough, comprehensive cover. Additionally, we picked it because it covers more than other combined gold and extras policies, yet remains competitively priced.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Assisted reproductive services Back neck and spine Blood Bone joint and muscle Brain and nervous system Breast surgery Cataracts Cancer Dental surgery Diabetes management Dialysis for chronic kidney failure Digestive system Ear nose and throat Eye excluding cataracts Gastrointestinal endoscopy Gynaecology Heart and vascular system Hernia and appendix Hospital psychiatric services Implantation of hearing devices Insulin pumps Joint reconstructions Joint replacements Kidney and bladder Lung and chest Male reproductive system Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Pain management Pain management with device Palliative care Medically necessary plastic surgery Podiatric surgery Pregnancy and birth Rehabilitation Skin Sleep studies Tonsils adenoids and grommets Weight loss surgery
Extras Treatments
General Dental Major Dental Endodontic Orthodontic Optical Non-PBS Pharmaceuticals Physiotherapy Chiropractic Podiatry Psychology Acupuncture Remedial Massage Hearing aids Glucose monitor
Best health insurance for mental health (gold + extras)
This product is particularly good for mental health as the extras portion of this policy does not have a waiting period to access psychology and counselling services — it's the only provider to do this.
Pros
This is a very comprehensive policy. Hospital psychiatric services are included in the gold policy and psychology services are included in the extras policy.
ahm's extras policies are the only ones to have no waiting period for psychology and counselling services.
ahm's extras policy can cover health improvement items that can help with your mental health, such as stress management courses and exercise classes.
Cons
ahm is on the more expensive side.
ahm was caught up in the Medibank data breach to it's complaints record could be better.
There are other extras policies with higher psychology benefit limits, however they come with a waiting period.
We picked this product because it offers comprehensive coverage when looking specifically at mental health benefits. While there are other policies with higher cover limits, ahm's extras policy waives the waiting periods and we believe that timely access to these benefits can be helpful to those needing access to mental health services.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Assisted reproductive services Back neck and spine Blood Bone joint and muscle Brain and nervous system Breast surgery Cataracts Cancer Dental surgery Diabetes management Dialysis for chronic kidney failure Digestive system Ear nose and throat Eye excluding cataracts Gastrointestinal endoscopy Gynaecology Heart and vascular system Hernia and appendix Hospital psychiatric services Implantation of hearing devices Insulin pumps Joint reconstructions Joint replacements Kidney and bladder Lung and chest Male reproductive system Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Pain management Pain management with device Palliative care Medically necessary plastic surgery Podiatric surgery Pregnancy and birth Rehabilitation Skin Sleep studies Tonsils adenoids and grommets Weight loss surgery
Extras Treatments
General Dental Major Dental Endodontic Orthodontic Optical Non-PBS Pharmaceuticals Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Acupuncture Remedial Massage
Best health insurance for under 30s (basic hospital plus)
HBF's basic hospital plus elevate health insurance policy is great for under 30s who are looking for a basic policy to avoid paying the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS). It's relatively cheap yet covers a few more treatments than other basic policies. If you're young, healthy and looking for a tax-purposes policy, this could be worth looking at.
Pros
HBF's basic hospital plus elevate policy won the award for Basic Hospital in Finder's 2024 Health Insurance Awards because it covers more treatments than its competitors and charges a lower premium.
It's relatively cheap and is great for those looking to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS).
HBF has an excellent complaints history. It has 7.7% market share but accounts for only 3.7% of complaints received by the Ombudsman. The lower the percentage of complaints to the percentage of market share, the better.
Cons
If you prefer a physical branch, HBF only offers one in WA.
If you're not earning over $97,000 or expecting to need basic hospital services, then it may not be worth getting.
We picked this policy because it won the 2024 Finder Award for Basic Hospital. It won because it's a good value for money policy that lets you avoid the MLS, which is typically a motivator behind under 30s getting a health insurance policy.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Blood Bone joint and muscle Cancer Dental surgery Digestive system Ear nose and throat Gastrointestinal endoscopy Gynaecology Hernia and appendix Joint reconstructions Kidney and bladder Male reproductive system Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Skin Tonsils adenoids and grommets
HBF Flex 50 won Finder's Medium Extras cover award in both 2023 and 2024. This is because it gives you $800 to split across a bunch of benefits, including dental. You can either split the $800 or use it entirely on dental.
Pros
High benefit limit of $800 that can be used entirely on dental.
HBF is not-for-profit meaning profits go back into the hands of members, not shareholders.
Finder 2024 Health Insurance Award winner.
Cons
It's extras only so you won't be covered for any in hospital treatments.
If you prefer a physical brand, your only options are in Western Australia.
We picked HBF's Flex 50 extras only policy for dental because its high coverage limit means you can get up to $800 back on dental treatments. It is also the 2023 and 2024 award winner because it covered more treatments for less money than its competitors.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Hospital treatments not covered
Extras Treatments
General Dental Major Dental Endodontic Optical Non-PBS Pharmaceuticals Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Acupuncture Remedial Massage
If you want more for your money, AIA could be a good health insurer for you. You get access to AIA Vitality, money off gym memberships, cashback on Virgin flights, money off gift cards and more. The Bronze Plus policy is particularly good value. It costs around $24 per week, $3 more than the cheapest bronze option, and covers 23 hospital services (5 more than is required for a bronze policy).
Pros
You get access to AIA Vitality.
It's competitively priced.
AIA received fewer complaints than other funds offering AIA Vitality, such as GMHBA (1.3% vs 1.9%).
Cons
It's not as beneficial if you aren't interested in AIA Vitality.
Customers don't tend to stay around for long. AIA has the lowest member retention rate (76.1%) of all major health funds.
84.3% of AIA hospital services have no gap which is worse than many other funds including Bupa (91.1%), HBF (92.5%) and nib (91.7%).
We picked AIA Health Insurance because it gives you access to AIA Vitality with all of its policies. Our insurance experts feel AIA is worth calling out because you can't get access to the same quality of health benefits with any other fund. However, everyone's needs are different so it's worth doing some research yourself.
With GMHBA you can only get access to AIA Vitality with some policies. We selected the Bronze Plus option because it only costs marginally more than the cheapest bronze policies available and it covers 5 more treatments than a standard bronze hospital policy. AIA also received a lower percentage of complaints compared to GMHBA.
You can also get AIA Vitality with CommBank. However, you need to be a CommBank customer, so we excluded it from eligibility.
Average prices are updated monthly when we update Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income, $750 excess and living in Sydney.
Limits and waiting periods will apply, be sure to read the PDS.
Hospital Treatments
Blood Bone joint and muscle Brain and nervous system Breast surgery Cancer Dental surgery Diabetes management Digestive system Ear nose and throat Eye excluding cataracts Gastrointestinal endoscopy Gynaecology Hernia and appendix Joint reconstructions Kidney and bladder Lung and chest Male reproductive system Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Pain management Medically necessary plastic surgery Podiatric surgery Skin Tonsils adenoids and grommets
Extras Treatments
Extra treatments not covered
Why you can trust our research
400+
policies assessed
46
health funds analysed
80+
hours of research
765
customers surveyed
How we choose the picks
If you're looking for the best health insurance in Australia, it's basically impossible to get a single answer. Hospital vs extras, price, how much you're covered for, benefit limits, waiting periods and more – there's a lot to consider. The 11 policies above are a starting point.
Our product data comes directly from the government. You can actually download this data yourself, if that floats your boat. Unless you're a programmer though, it's not going to be very useful – not to mention incredibly boring – so we got our engineers to turn the data into something you can actually understand.
The Ombudsman also releases the State of the Health Funds report every year. It includes reams of information about complaints, out of pocket expenses, extras services covered and more. We use it to determine our picks.
APRA, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, releases quarterly statistics about the private health insurance industry, too. They help us to understand what kind of cover Australians are most likely to take out, so we're able to tailor our picks towards stuff you actually want and use.
We run the Health Insurance Customer Satisfaction Awards every year to find out what Australia's favourite health funds are. This year, we asked over 750 customers to rate their insurer based on features, customer service, value for money, ease of application, customer service and whether they would recommend it to a friend.
Find the best health insurance for you (video)
Best health insurance companies
While it's hard to label any single company as the 'best', there are a few things to keep an eye out for that can help you understand each insurer's strengths. We've used data from the government's latest State of the Health Funds report to break down the top 5 for benefits paid, hospital-related charges covered and no-gap medical services.
We only looked at open membership funds – these are ones available to all Australians. If you're entitled to join a restricted membership fund though, it's worth considering. They sometimes perform better than open funds.
For benefits %
This is the percentage of total contributions the insurer received that it returned to contributors in benefits.
HBF: 87.9%
HCF: 87.7%
CBHS Corporate: 84%
St Lukes: 83.6%
Medibank: 83.4%
For hospital-related charges covered
The is the proportion of private hospital charges covered on average.
CDH: 94.4%
HBF: 93.7%
Health Partners: 93.2%
Onemedifund: 92.5%
Transport Health: 92.4%
For medical services with no gap
This is the the proportion of medical services for which a gap is not payable by the patient.
Below are the results of the Finder 2023 health insurance Customer Satisfaction awards. These tell us which health funds Aussies think is the greatest for customer services and overall experience. We got responses from over 750 Australians to get these results. Funds without a score didn't get enough reviews for us to be confident of the results.
If you think you might need an elective procedure such as a knee replacement or cataract operation in the next few years, health insurance is worthwhile as public hospital waiting lists can be very long.
Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
Email me my results (optional)
To get a copy of your results for later, add your email below
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Frequently asked questions
Private health cover is a type of insurance available in Australia as an alternative to Medicare, which is Australia's public health care system. Even though all Australian citizens and permanent residents are eligible for Medicare, private health insurance will cover you for care in the private hospital system. This has a few benefits, including shorter waiting times for surgery, a private room, and the ability to choose your own surgeon in many cases. Private health insurance comes in 2 flavours in Australia, extras cover and hospital cover.
Not everyone needs private health insurance, but it has a lot of benefits that might make sense to you. If you're eligible for Medicare, then you'll always have access to emergency and medically necessary treatment for free in a public hospital. However, private health insurance gives you access to benefits including your choice of doctor, your own room, better amenities and shorter wait times for elective surgery. There's also extras and ambulance cover to think about, which can be worth it even if you're young and healthy. Find out if private health insurance might be worth it for you with this 1-minute quiz.
Medicare is Australia's public healthcare system, which entitles citizens and permanent residents access to life-saving care for free in a public hospital. Unfortunately, Medicare isn't perfect! for hospital care, there can be long waiting periods for elective surgery, you probably won't get to choose your own doctor, and you may have to share a hospital room. With private hospital cover, you can get these benefits in a private hospital. Additionally, Medicare doesn't cover many out of hospital services, such as dental, optical and ambulance. Private health insurance has options to cover these as well. Learn more about Medicare vs private health insurance.
The best hospital cover is the one that suits your needs and circumstances, so it may be different for everyone. However, HCF won the 2024 Finder Health Insurance Award for best fund and performed well in the government's State of the Funds report, so is a good place to start.
The best health insurance fund depends on what you're looking for. For some, that could be a not-for-profit and for others it could be the most popular health insurer. It might help you to know that HBF was awarded Finder's Best Health Fund award for 2024.
Since every family has different health needs, the easiest way to find a policy is to compare family options using our health insurance engine. For example, depending on your circumstances, you may want to get pregnancy cover if you plan to have kids or look for a policy that covers your teenager for free.
Many visitors and temporary workers aren't eligible for the same health insurance policies as Australians. Instead, you'll need overseas visitor health cover (OVHC). This is a type of health insurance designed specifically for non-Australian residents. These policies start from around $64.50 a month and at the very least should cover hospital care and repatriation. Some can also help pay for doctor's appointments, prescription medicine and out-of-hospital treatment such as dental.
There are lots of ways to get cheaper health insurance including paying annually, joining a restricted fund if you're eligible and mixing and matching your hospital and extras cover because it often costs less to get a policy with 2 different funds.
No gap in Australian health insurance means you won't pay any extra fees on top of your regular premiums for specific services. Your insurer covers the full cost beyond what Medicare pays for things like surgery or certain treatments. Just remember, it only applies to specific services and policies can vary, so always check the details with your provider to avoid any surprises.
Medibank Gold Protect + Growing Family 70 is a great option for those looking for pregnancy cover in their health insurance. It's good because it comes with benefits you don't get with other insurers, such as 24/7 access to Medibank Nurse - an OptimalMe program for mums-to-be and pregnancy health concierge. It also includes antenatal and postnatal classes. Keep in mind, what's best is different from person to person. Be sure to look at many options and carefully read through the inclusions of each policy before making your decision.
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 725 Finder guides across topics including:
Prenatal care in Australia is covered by Medicare, meaning it’s mostly free through the public system. You can choose to go private, which comes with a lot of benefits – but there are out-of-pocket expenses to watch out for.
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Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
