The best health insurance you’ll find down under

We analysed 400+ Aussie health insurance policies for price, features, customer service and value. Here are the very best.

Who’s this health cover for?
Top pick for
Combined cover
HBF Health Limited
Get $300 from Finder

Ends on or before 31 July 2025. T&Cs and limits apply. Combines with HBF's up to 14 weeks free offer. No extra steps are needed to benefit from both.

  • Includes cover for 26 hospital treatments
  • [Has its own benefit limit for general dental
  • Has a shorter waiting period for optical
Top pick for
Pregnancy
Medibank Private Limited
  • Cheapest gold policy among Finder partners
  • Highly commended extras policies covering antenatal and postnatal classes
Top pick for
Families
Bupa HI Pty Ltd
  • No excess for kids in hospital
  • Free dental check-ups with combined cover
Top pick for
Flexible Extras
ahm health insurance
  • ahm won 3 of the 4 extras awards in the 2025 Finder Awards
  • We love ahm ‘choosable’ extras products
  • No 2 and 6 months waiting periods on some products

The best health insurance covers what you need - like hospital stays, dental, or pregnancy care - without making you pay for extras you won't use. For example, young singles might prioritise affordable premiums, while families could focus on comprehensive extras and maternity cover. The key is finding a policy that fits your health needs and budget.

At Finder, we've analysed over 30 health funds and hundreds of policies, comparing costs, coverage, and customer satisfaction to identify the best value options. Our picks are based on this research, but always check the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to ensure the policy works for you.

Our top picks for the best health insurance - July 2025

The top picks were updated by our team of insurance experts after 80+ hours of research across 45+ health funds.

Best health insurance for dental (extras only)

Flex 50

From

$9.48

/week

Extras only

From

$9.48

/week

Our verdict

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. For a cheap policy, that's a huge benefit - most policies at this price point only give you a few hundred dollars of benefits.

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 - it offered more benefits for a lower premium than similar policies.

Cons

  • It's extras only so you won't be covered for any in hospital treatments.

Our top pick for families

Bronze Plus Simple Hospital $750 Excess + Top Extras

From

$48.78

/week

Hospital and Extras

From

$48.78

/week

Our verdict

This combined hospital and extras policy could be good for complete families. Bronze hospital can a good starting point for a growing family, because is covers a lot of treatments relevant to both adults and kids, like 'ear, nose and throat', 'tonsils, adenoids and grommets', and 'bone, joint and muscle'.

Bupa's Bronze Plus Simple Hospital got a highly commended in the bronze category of the 2025 Finder Health Insurance Awards, so it is one of the best value products on the market. Plus, there's no excess for kids.! As for extras, Bupa's Top Extras policy covers orthodontics, with dental check-ups free in the Bupa partner network.

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.

Our top pick for bronze hospital cover

HCF HOSPITAL BRONZE PLUS $750 EXCESS

From

$24.03

/week

Hospital only

From

$24.03

/week

Our verdict

HCF has now won the Finder Award for best value bronze policy for 2 years running. It scored higher than all 100+ bronze plans we assessed. It covers 25 hospital treatments – 7 more than a standard bronze policy - including lunch and chest, dental surgery and podiatric surgery.

The not-for-profit also has a really strong record of giving its money back towards members - of the open health funds, it returns the highest percentage of premiums to its members as benefits. In fact it can in 3rd overall ont hat metric, beaten only by Teachers and Police Health, both of which have resricted membership.

Pros

  • A great value bronze plus policy, covering 25 different treatments - it won the Finder awards in 2025 (and 2024) for best for bronze hospital.
  • More premiums returned to members as benefits than any other open fund.

Cons

  • HCF's complaints record is a bit below average. Of the major funds, HCF only beat out NIB on this metric.
  • 86.0% of hospital services are available with no out-of-pocket costs to pay, which is lower than the industry average. That said it's still better than Medibank and ahm (83%).

Our top pick for flexible extras

Our verdict

Whatever you're looking for in an extras policy, you'll probably find it from ahm, and at a decent price. ahm almost swept the 2025 Finder Awards in the extras categories, winning 3 of the 4 different awards on offer. In addition, ahm offers some of the better flexible extras products on the market, which let you choose exactly what you want to cover. So even if there isn't a policy that suits your needs exactly, the choosable policies can help you get there.

Thanks to the range of great value policies, as well as the additional offer of the flexible choosable policies, ahm is an easy top pick for flexible extras. Add to this the fact that ahm has a standing offer to waive 2 and 6 months waiting period on the lifestyle, family and super extras products, and you have one very flexible extras offering.

Pros

  • ahm offers great value extras cover, winning 3 or the 4 extras categories in the 2025 Finder Health Insurance Awards.
  • We reckon ahm's Choosable Extras is the most robust flexible extras product on the market.
  • No 2 or 6 month waiting periods on certain extras policies.

Cons

  • For hospital, ahm/Medibank doesn't have a great no-gap policy, with only 83.1% of hospital services available with no gap to pay, the lowest of the major funds.
  • ahm's Gold hospital policy is one of the most expensive out there - if you need top hospital cover, maybe look elsewhere.

Our top pick for basic hospital cover

HCF Hospital Basic Plus $750 Excess

From

$20.60

/week

Hospital only

From

$20.60

/week

Our verdict

Basic hospital cover is often only useful for tax, offering essentially no actual cover. This policy bucks that trend by offering cover for 9 treatments including joint reconstructions, hernia and appendix, gynaecology, emergency ambulance and more. This policy won the 2025 Finder Health Insurance Award for best basic hospital cover, which means it's great value for money as well.

Of course, like all basic policies, it will exempt you from the Medicare levy surcharge (MLS) and Lifetime health cover loading (LHC).

Pros

  • One of the best value basic policies available, winning the 2025 Finder award.
  • It's only a few bucks extra per week than the cheapest basic policy on the market, which has zero treatments covered!
  • HCF returns more premiums to members as benefits than any other open fund.

Cons

  • If your only goal is to avoid the MLS, there are cheaper policies around, but most don't cover any treatments.
  • For just a few bucks extras each week, you could get HCF Bronze Plus, which covers 26 treatments.

Our top pick for silver hospital cover

Silver Plus Standard Hospital $750 Excess

From

$30.55

/week

Hospital only

From

$30.55

/week

Our verdict

Silver Hospital cover is a great option for anyone wanting very comprehensive cover, but without going full ball on a gold policy. Maybe you don't need cover for child birth anymore? A silver policy might be just the ticket.

As far as value goes, RT Health Silver Plus Standard Hospital is the best we found, winning the 2025 Finder Award in the Silver Hospital category. It covers more treatments for less money, and is an open membership, not-for-profit health fund owned by HCF, which took out most of the other hospital awards in 2025. All that to say, it's a great place to start your health insurance comparison journey.

Pros

  • Finder 2025 Silver Hospital Award Winner.
  • Not-for-profit. Profits go back to members, not shareholders.
  • Along with it's paretn fund, HCF, the best complaints record of any major fund.

Cons

  • Like most Silver policies, no cover for child birth - this is a pro for many though!
  • All Silver Plus policies are slightly different, so make sure this one suits your needs.

Our top pick for bonuses

Our verdict

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 130,000 Qantas Points over 6 months when you join an eligible combined policy by 15 August – 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

  • Earn up to 130,000 Qantas Points when you join. Offer ends 15 August. Points will be awarded based on your level of cover over 6 months. Eligibility criteria and 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.
  • Despite offering signup and ongoing reward points, Qantas' policies are on the more affordable end.

Cons

  • There are other providers with cheaper premiums.
  • It is a for-profit health fund which may not align with all customers' values.

Best health insurance for seniors (gold + extras)

Medibank Gold Protect + Top Extras 60

From

$81.08

/week

Hospital and Extras

From

$81.08

/week

Our verdict

For seniors, gold hospital insurance gives you the peace of mind that everything treatment category is included. You don't know what's around the corner, and the last thing you need is to not be covered for a treatment when you need it. With that in mind, Medibank has the cheapest gold policy among Australia's big 6 health funds, a 24/7 telephone nurse service, and a health concierge to gives you customised advice before you go in for treatment. That's a tonne of peace of mind for a very reasonable price.

Additionally, we believe Medibank offers some of the most robust extras policies for older Australians, with Top Extras 60 covering you for a huge range of treatments including hearing aids, blood glucose monitors and blood pressure monitors, eye therapy consultations, podiatry and more.

Pros

  • Medibank's gold tier hospital policy is the cheapest of the big 6 health funds. That means reliable gold cover for a great price.
  • 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.
  • A 24/7 nuse telehealth service means you can ask questions and get support whenever you need it.

Cons

  • Medibank had a pretty massive data breach a couple of years back, leading to a spike in complaints and millions of Aussie's health data being exposed. Medibank has taken some drastic steps to improve their cyber security, though it definitely knocked their reputation.
  • There are cheaper products, although they also cover less treatments.

Best health insurance for mental health (gold + extras)

advanced hospital gold + Lifestyle Extras

From

$93.54

/week

Hospital and Extras

From

$93.54

/week

Our verdict

This combo of ahm products offers a great comprehensive coverage when looking specifically at mental health benefits, especially for those that need help sooner rather than later. For hospital cover, psychiatric care is only covered under gold tier hospital policies. This is because psychiatric care can often involve extended hospital stays, which quickly gets very expensive, even more than complex surgery. ahm's gold policy covers this - while it's not the cheapest gold policy on the market, it does include a 24/7 nurse telehealth service and a 24/7 mental health support line, giving you the ability to talk to someone at any time of day.

Additionally, ahm extras prodicts offer great coverage for psycology and councelling services. Most importantly, the lifestyle, family and super extras policies have no waiting period on these services, so you can claim right away. This is a standing offer, and is unique across the industry.

Pros

  • All gold policies cover psychiatry care in a private hospital, and the extras portion of this policy has a robust benefit limit for psychology and councelling to boot.
  • 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's gold hospital policy is not the cheapest on the market. Even its sister fund, Medibank, has a cheaper gold policy.
  • ahm was caught up in the Medibank data breach a couple of years back, damaging its reputaion and leaking millions of Aussie health records.
  • There are other extras policies with higher benefit limits for psychology and councelling. However, they all come with a waiting periods of several months.

Top pick for combined cover

Bronze Hospital Plus $750/$1500 Excess + Basic Extras

From

$31.78

/week

Hospital and Extras

From

$31.78

/week

Finder Reward

Get $300 from Finder

Ends on or before 31 Jul 2025. Combines with HBF’s up to 14 weeks free offer. No extra steps are needed to benefit from both.

T&Cs and limits apply.

Our verdict

This policy covers 26 in-hospital treatments - which is significantly more than bronze policies are required to cover at the minimum of 18. The Basic Extras with this policy includes everything you’d expect to find in a core extras policy; cover for optical and general dental.

Pros

  • It includes its own benefit limit of $350 for general dental. Other policies at a similar price point combine the general dental cover amount with things like physiotherapy and chiropractic treatments which can spread it a bit thin.
  • The waiting period on optical is only 2 months. Other providers with a similar price point have waiting periods of 6 months, or they don’t cover optical at all.
  • The bronze plus hospital policy allows you access to more treatments than a regular bronze policy. 8 more treatments, to be specific.

Cons

  • While it includes its own benefit limit for general dental, it doesn’t include major dental at all. So this policy wouldn’t be suitable for someone who needs more advanced dental care.
  • Other policies of a similar price point include coverage for things like psychology and remedial massage. Those services are not included in this policy.

Best extras cover for young adults

Basic Extras

From

$5.19

/week

Extras only

From

$5.19

/week

Our verdict

Extras is arguably the best health insruance type for someone in their 20s, or even in their 30s. Extras makes new glasses and trips to the dentist cheaper, as well as giving you access to physio and other services that are really useful for anyone still active (or, in your 30s, when things start not working well).

HBF Basic Extras was highly commended in the 2025 Finder Awards Core Extras category. That makes it a top 3 core extras product for value for money - but of the 3 policies in that list, it's the one that covers the best range of policies for young folks. Basic Extras includes tones of cover for preventative and general restorative dental, plus optical, physio, ambulance and more.

Pros

  • It's affordable, starting from under $5 a month, (depending on where you live and what you earn).
  • Of the 3 policies highlighted in this year's awards, it has the best range of covered treatments for young folks.
  • HBF has an excellent complaints history, with fewer complaints than any major fund, once we control for market share.

Cons

  • Extras only won't cover you for private hospital care - you'll need a hospital policy for that.

Our top pick for pregnancy (hospital and extras)

Medibank Gold Protect + Growing Family 70

From

$85.19

/week

Hospital and Extras

From

$85.19

/week

Our verdict

All gold-tier policies include cover for child birth in a private hospital, but this one packs heaps of perks you won't find elsewhere, including cover for IVF treatments, 24/7 access to a telephone nurse service, and continuity of care, which means you can keep seeing your chosen obstetrician throughout your pregnancy. Medibank also offers a Health Concierge service, and has partnered with Monash Uni researchers to improve research around prenatal healthcare.

All of this is great, but what about the price? Well, Medibank's gold hospital policy took a highly commended in the 2025 Finder Health Insurance Awards for the Gold category, and is the cheapest among Australia's big 6 private health funds. Also, its Growing Family extras product covers prenatal and antenatal care while being great value.

Pros

  • Great member benefits for those planning a family, including 24/7 tele-nurse and health concierge.
  • Growing Family extras includes pregnancy related benefits not seen from competitors, like classes, pregnancy garments and Australian Breastfeeding Association membership.
  • The cheapest gold policy among the big 6 health funds.

Cons

  • You may still have out-of-pocket expenses for child-birth - Medibank's data shows 42% of members have an out-of-pocket cost for vaginal delivery, or 66% for a C-section, in a partner hospital.
  • There are a couple of cheaper gold policies from smaller funds, but without the extra benefts.
  • Childbirth in the public system is always an option for you, and is much cheaper.

Why you can trust our research

Document with pencil
400+
policies assessed
Computer monitor and cellphone displaying charts
46
health funds analysed
Web browser displaying charts with magnifying glass
80+
hours of research
Web browser with user profile page displayed
765
customers surveyed

How we choose the picks

Finding the best health insurance in Australia comes down to value, coverage, and how well a policy fits your needs. The ideal policy should cover everything you're likely to need, without making you pay for services you won't use. To help you along the way, we look at affordability (i.e. how much different health funds cost for similar policies), benefits (i.e. what a policy covers, particularly if it offers more than the minimum for each tier), and strong customer satisfaction (i.e. by looking at customer satisfaction data, as well as its history of complaints).

There's a lot to consider, and the policy that's right for you is not going to be the same as your neighbour, friend, relateive, etc. As such, the policies above are a really good starting point, but they might not be your ending point.

Our sources include the Finder Score, the Finder Awards, as well as data from the Ombudsman and APRA, which are the government departments that keep tabs on the health insurance industry. We also use data from customer reviews that we collect through the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards.

How much does health insurance cost?

We ask hundreds of Australians what they're paying for health insurance every month. Here's what their bill looked like in June 2025.
  • Extras only: $95
  • Basic: $133
  • Bronze: $158
  • Silver: $213
  • Gold: $281
Price based on 500+ responses for single hospital or extras insurance.

Find the best health insurance for you (video)

Video thumbnail

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.

  1. HBF: 83.6%
  2. HCF: 89%
  3. CBHS Corporate: 79.9%
  4. St Lukes: 82.7%
  5. Medibank: 84.9%

For hospital-related charges covered

The is the proportion of private hospital charges covered on average.

  1. CDH: 94.2%
  2. HBF: 93.1%
  3. Health Partners: 92.3%
  4. Onemedifund: 92.5%
  5. Transport Health:

For medical services with no gap

This is the the proportion of medical services for which a gap is not payable by the patient.

  1. HBF: 91.3%
  2. CUA Health: 92.2%
  3. NIB: 91.7%
  4. HCi: 90.5%
  5. Australian Unity: 91.1%

2025 Finder award winning hospital cover

These are the hospital insurance policies that came out on top in the 2025 Finder Awards. Each award category is based on the government's hospital tiers for gold, silver, bronze and basic policies.

Gold hospital insurance

  • Winner: HIF – Gold Top Hospital
  • Highly commended: Medibank - Gold Protect
  • Highly commended: Frank - Gold Hospital

Silver hospital insurance

  • Winner: RT Health - Silver Plus Standard Hospital
  • Highly commended: Bupa – Silver Plus Intermediate Hospital
  • Highly commended: HCF - Hospital Standard Silver Plus

Bronze hospital insurance

  • Winner: HCF – Hospital Bronze Plus
  • Highly commended: Bupa – Bronze Plus Simple Hospital
  • Highly commended: ahm – simple bronze plus

Basic hospital insurance

  • Winner: HCF – Basic Hospital Health Insurance
  • Highly commended: Frank – Accident Boost Hospital
  • Highly commended: Bupa – Basic Accident Only Hospital

Finder Award winners

Best health insurers by customer satisfaction

Below are the results of the Finder 2024 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 400 Australians to get these results. Funds without a score didn't get enough reviews for us to be confident of the results.

BrandOverall satisfactionTrustworthy/reliable
Health Partners Logo★★★★★ 4.46100%
Australian Unity logo★★★★★ 4.36100%
Picture not described★★★★★ 4.3597%
hbf_logo_1536x864★★★★★ 4.1894%
Bupa Logo★★★★★ 4.1494%

Where to next?

Pro tip: Basic hospital policies let you avoid the MLS but they're often poor value. Basic plus or bronze policies give you more value for money.

Frequently asked questions

Tim Bennett's headshot
Written by

Insurance expert

A seasoned journalist with over 10 years of experience in news, politics and finance reporting, Tim has previously held roles at the ABC, SBS and Fairfax Media. Tim’s expert insights have been quoted in The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and more. He regularly appears on TV and radio, and has been interviewed on 7 News, Sunrise, SBS News, ABC Local, 3AW and 5AA. Tim is passionate about simplifying complex insurance topics for Australian consumers. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics) from Macquarie University and a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification, which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). If you’re interested in a media interview with Tim, please reach out to our PR team at aupr@finder.com. See full bio

Tim's expertise
Tim has written 161 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Personal finance
  • Financial comparison
  • Health insurance
  • General insurance
  • Life insurance
Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Co-written by

Journalist

Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 590 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living

Ask a question

You are about to post a question on finder.com.au:

  • Do not enter personal information (eg. surname, phone number, bank details) as your question will be made public
  • finder.com.au is a financial comparison and information service, not a bank or product provider
  • We cannot provide you with personal advice or recommendations
  • Your answer might already be waiting – check previous questions below to see if yours has already been asked

Finder only provides general advice and factual information, so consider your own circumstances, or seek advice before you decide to act on our content. By submitting a question, you're accepting our Terms Of Service and Finder Group Privacy & Cookies Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

6 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    robertFebruary 17, 2025

    I may need cataract surgery and am wondering what results there are for
    for the best cover for this procedure.
    Also if there is a bulk billing available for seniors .

      AvatarFinder
      AngusFebruary 18, 2025Finder

      Hi Robert, Check out our guide to cataract surgery costs and cover for information on policies that will cover this. Generally this does require more expensive policies. Cataract surgery is covered under Medicare, but the waiting lists can be longer and you may still have to pay some specialist fees.

    Default Gravatar
    DeanOctober 13, 2021

    Could you please tell me which health fund covers dependents at no extras cost. Adult dependents who are not studying, living with parents and not working or in a de-facto relationship and between the age of 21-25?

      AvatarFinder
      JamesOctober 21, 2021Finder

      Hi Dean,

      Typically, there’s no extra cost for dependents – up to the policy’s stated maximum age (which is 31). There’s no age limit for any dependents with a disability.

      Feel free to compare your health insurance options in the table above. Be sure to read through the terms and conditions of your chosen insurer with care before you buy.

      Regards,
      James

    Default Gravatar
    MichaelFebruary 15, 2017

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

      Default GravatarFinder
      ZubairFebruary 16, 2017Finder

      Hi Michael,

      Thank you for your question.

      The best insurance company for you would be the one that best meets your needs, preference, and budget.

      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.

      Open that link and you will find a list of health insurance brands that offer hearing aids cover. Check our comparison table to get an overview of their offer. Once you’re done comparing, you can then select the “Go to site” button to be redirected to your chosen provider’s official website.

      While looking for insurers, please make sure you read the terms and conditions of the policy to learn more and know if it is the right policy for you or not.

      I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.

      Have a wonderful day!

      Cheers,
      Zubair

More guides on Finder

Go to site