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Find the best health insurance

The best health insurance will give you peace of mind and money back on treatments like dental.

Richard Laycock
Richard Laycock
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Make sure that you're not paying for expensive cover that you may not need such as pregnancy or weight loss surgery. Always check the limits in your extras policy to see how much you can claim each year.

Do you have the best health insurance?

These policies from Finder partners all offer great value for money. All results are based on a single person living in NSW. We looked at a mid-range level of cover with inclusions for core treatments such as dental.

Fund Policy Summary of inclusions Apply
Classic Flexi Silver Plus For less than $150 a month, this policy includes 30+ hospital services. You also get $900 per year to spend on extras like dental and physiotherapy. Go to Site
Picture not described: Medibank-health-insurance.png Image: Supplied Silver Everyday + Top Extras This mid level policy includes 26 hospital services. You'll also get a high level of extras including major dental and natural therapies. Go to Site
nib helath insurance logo Basic Hospital + Basic Extras This option covers many common procedures including tonsils and joint reconstructions. Plus you'll get unlimited preventative dental and emergency ambulance cover. Go to Site
Hospital Silver + Mid Extras This silver level of hospital cover includes 26 treatments. Extras include a $650 dental limit, $350 back on therapies,$150 back on chiropractic and $200 for optical. Go to Site

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 Silver Everyday Hospital Plus + Starter Extras This mid-level option is designed for older singles and couples. Services include rehabilitation and heart procedures. Plus dental, prescription and optical benefits. Go to Site
Picture not described Basic Hospital Plus + Starter Extras This starter package is designed for the young and healthy. Hospital services include dental surgery and joint reconstructions. Plus $350 for general dental. Go to Site

Compare your best options and prices from Australian funds

Simply enter your details below to see a side by side comparison, don't forget to filter by any services or treatments that are important to you.

Working out which is the best policy for you

Finding the best health insurance doesn't have to be hard but it does require you to answer a few questions. You need to work out what's most important to you. Are you:

finder Awards 2017 winners and finalists

Since 2016, finder has been putting on the finder Awards and in 2017 we started awarding the Best health insurance (Comprehensive) and Best health insurance (Value). Below are the winners and finalists for those categories.

Best health insurance (Comprehensive) 2017

"According to finder's algorithm, Bupa's Ultimate Health Cover policy came out on top for comprehensiveness, including its excess/co-payment amount and its range of associated hospitals."

  • Winner 2017 Best Health Insurance (Comprehensive): Bupa Ultimate Health Cover

Best health insurance (Value) 2017

"Health Care Insurance's Premier Package presents the best value for money based on policy pricing and features."

  • Finalists 2017 Best Health Insurance (Value): CUA Health Basic Hospital + Essential Extras
  • Finalists 2017 Best Health Insurance (Value): Phoenix Health Fund YoungSavers

Awards selections are based on generally available offers as of 6 October 2017. Learn more about how we chose our winners.

Best for extras coverage

The below table shows the average amount of costs covered by service:

Fund name (Open membership funds) Dental [1] Optical [1] Physiotherapy Psychology
Australian Unity 46.20% 64.80% 62.30% 34.20%
BUPA 54.30% 56.70% 48.90% 42.20%
CDH 39.80% 51.40% 49.70% 21.70%
CUA Health 50.50% 60.70% 39.30% 35.30%
GMHBA 52.00% 58.30% 48.80% 46.80%
GU Corporate 79.20% 67.20% 82.80% 78.20%
HBF 60.80% 59.10% 44.10% 42.40%
HCF 58.30% 57.30% 43.80% 46.70%
HCI 53.40% 53.60% 44.60% 33.70%
health.com.au 50.30% 45.90% 60.00% 0.7%
Health Partners 60.30% 53.90% 59.20% 32.60%
HIF 49.00% 59.90% 36.80% 34.20%
Latrobe 32.60% 54.10% 33.20% 33.10%
MDHF 61.80% 65.40% 43.00% 27.30%
Medibank (includes ahm) 52.50% 68.10% 47.80% 30.80%
onemedifund 58.90% 51.80% 53.20% 33.80%
Peoplecare 49.10% 61.60% 40.30% 38.50%
Phoenix 57.20% 61.30% 50.20% 41.20%
QCH 52.30% 58.70% 46.60% 44.30%
St Lukes 64.60% 75.90% 52.40% 48.50%
Transport Health 55.50% 58.30% 45.60% 29.90%
Westfund 54.70% 53.60% 50.00% 39.30%

[1] For some funds, the data does not take account of discounts at some providers or fund Dental / Optical centres.
Source: https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/publications/reports/state-of-the-health-funds/all-reports/docs/2018-state-of-the-health-funds-report

Health insurance vs Medicare

Hospital

Be aware that health funds may require you to visit a hospital in its affiliate network in order to be covered as a private patient. You can check that the hospital you choose to be treated at is covered by your fund prior to admittance.

Private or public?What is or isn't covered?
Private health insurance
  • Choice of public OR private hospital
  • Choice of your own doctor
  • Choice of hospital
  • Choice as to when you are admitted to hospital
  • 75% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee for associated medical costs
  • Medical services that are cosmetic, not clinically necessary or incurred overseas
Medicare
  • Treated at no charge
  • Treatment in a public hospital by a doctor appointed by the hospital
  • Treated as a public patient
  • Private patient hospital costs
  • No choice of doctor or hospital
  • Medical services which are cosmetic, not clinically necessary or incurred overseas

Extras

Medicare will reimburse 100% of the MBS fee for a general practitioner and 85% of the MBS fee for a specialist if you visit a doctor outside a hospital. If your doctor bulk bills, then you won't pay a cent.

Private or public?What can you get benefits for?
Private health insurance
  • Acupuncture
  • Chiropractic services
  • Eye therapy
  • Most physiotherapy
  • Speech therapy
  • Most dental examinations and treatment
  • Glasses and contact lenses
  • Occupational therapy
  • Hearing aids and other appliances
  • Podiatry or psychology services
Medicare
  • Consultation fees for doctors
  • Most out-of-hospital surgery
  • Tests and examination
  • Initial eye tests
  • Specific items under the Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme
  • Specific items under the Enhanced Primary Care Plan (EPC)
  • Some surgical procedures performed by approved dentists
  • Other therapeutic procedures performed by doctors

Ambulance

Emergency ambulance services are provided free by the state governments of Queensland and Tasmania, but in other states only certain people, such as veterans and pensioners, are eligible for free services. You can find ambulance cover in both hospital and extras policies.

Private or public?What's covered?
Private health insurance
  • Emergency ambulance transport fees
  • Non-emergency ambulance transport (depending on the policy)
  • Benefits apply anywhere in Australia
Medicare
  • Not covered

Pharmaceuticals

Under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), you only pay a portion of the cost of prescription medications. The amount varies depending on the medication up to a standard maximum. However, not all medications are included on the PBS, which is where health insurance comes in.

Private or public?How are pharmaceuticals covered?
Private health insurance
  • Non-PBS prescription medicines can be covered but a co-payment may still apply
Medicare
  • Benefits are paid only towards those listed on the PBS

Ways to get value for money

  • Pay your premium in advance to avoid the administration fees associated with monthly payments.
  • Opting to pay annually via direct debit can get you a discount with some health funds.
  • Pay an excess or co-payment to lower your premium in exchange for paying a lump or daily sum if you go to hospital.
  • Join a restricted membership fund if you are eligible, as the premiums are usually lower and benefits to members higher.
  • Mix and match your hospital and extras cover, as two different funds may have the best* offers on each.
  • If insuring your family, check how long your children can stay covered under your policy.
  • To avoid paying a gap, make sure your preferred doctor and hospital both have agreements with your health fund.

Useful info for first-time buyers

How do I find the right dental cover

Around 50% of all extras claims in 2016 were for dental. People tend to prioritise dental in their extras cover because it can be prohibitively expensive and is not covered by Medicare.

How do I find the right dental cover

How can government schemes affect me?

The Australian government penalises people who earn over a certain amount if they don't have health insurance. It also offers rebates for taking out cover if they earn under a certain amount.

How can government schemes affect me?

Public or private? That is the question.

If you're still on the fence about health insurance, this article has further information that may assist you in deciding if the private system is for you or if Medicare fits your needs.

Public or private? That is the question.

Remember, it's important to compare your options and other financial avenues before applying.

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Get a 4% discount on your CUA Health premium

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*Disclaimer: The products compared on this page are chosen from a range of offers available to us and are not representative of all the products available in the market. There is no perfect order or perfect ranking system for the products we list on our Site, so we provide you with the functionality to self-select, re-order and compare products. The initial display order is influenced by a range of factors including conversion rates, product costs and commercial arrangements, so please don't interpret the listing order as an endorsement or recommendation from us. We're happy to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions, but we'd like you to make your own decisions and compare and assess products based on your own preferences, circumstances and needs.

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2 Responses

  1. Default Gravatar
    MichaelFebruary 15, 2017

    Which private health insurance companies offer the best reimbursement of the cost of hearing aids?

    Reply
    • Avatarfinder Customer Care
      ZubairFebruary 16, 2017Staff

      Hi Michael,

      Thank you for your question.

      If you would like to review the cover limits of Australian funds for hearing aids please head over to our health insurance for hearing aids article.

      Cheers,
      Zubair

      Reply
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