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.
To give you a starting point, we've hand-picked 6 policies based on 400+ plans. Our sources include the 2024 Finder Health Insurance Awards, the ombudsman and APRA, plus customer reviews from the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards.
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.
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.
92.5% of hospital services have no gap (out-of-pocket expenses) – the best of all open health funds.
It's only $2.60 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.
Its no-gap record is beaten by rt health (93.5% vs 92.8%). rt health is only open to transport workers.
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 22 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.
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.
Finder 2024 best value bronze award winner.
An average of nearly 90c back on every dollar spent on premiums.
Happy customers. HCF has a high member retention rate (88.2%).
HCF received a high proportion of complaints compared to other funds.
86.7% of medical services have no gap – Bupa, HBF, HCI 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 treatment for less money than any other fund.
HCF has an excellent member retention rate of 88.2%.
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.
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.
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 major health funds.
You may still have out-of-pocket expenses.
83.8% of Medibank medical services have no gap (e.g. out-of-pocket expenses). Bupa, HBF, NIB, Westfund and more are all 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 also has the 5th highest percentage of extras charges covered, 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.
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
Top pick for families (hospital and extras)
Bronze Plus Simple Hospital $750 Excess + Top Extras
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.
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.
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.
Additionally, 91.1% of Bupa's medical services have no gap. That's the 6th 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.
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
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).
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%).
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.
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
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.
Cheap hospital policies and no waiting periods on certain extras policies.
ahm's owner Medibank had a proportionally lower number of complaints than all other health funds, according to the latest ombudsman report.
90% of hospital charges are covered. Several insurers including St Lukes (91.9%) and HBF (93.7%) are better.
83.8% of medical services have no gap. Insurers including Bupa (91.1%), Phoenix (91.4%) and NIB (91.7%) are better.
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.
*Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income, $750 excess and living in Sydney.
Top 5 health insurance companies
Different health insurers perform well in different areas, so it's not as simple as naming the top 5 health funds.
However, not-for-profits including HBF, Health Partners and HCi consistently perform strongly across the board, especially compared to the big for-profit insurers.
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.
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.
Hospital only insurance can be good if you want cover in a private hospital. Private surgery waiting times are shorter and there are tax benefits if you earn $97,000+ a year.
Extras only
Extras cover can be worth it if you use lots of out-of-hospital services like dental. However, it does not save you from the Medicare levy surcharge (MLS) or Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading.
Combined
Combined cover includes hospital and extras. It can be good if you want total coverage for you and your family.
Pro tip: You'll need to serve a waiting period before you can claim. If you're switching funds, you can skip hospital waiting periods you've already served. Some extras policies let you skip waiting periods on things like dental, even for brand new policies.
Is private health insurance worth it?
Australia has public healthcare, but there are times when private health insurance is worth it.
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.
It's less beneficial if you're young and healthy. Even once the LHC loading that applies once you turn 31, the AMA says it's still not enough incentive to get cover early in life.
If you don't take out hospital insurance and earn over $97,000 a year ($194,000 for couples), you'll have to pay the MLS. This is a 1–1.5% tax depending on your income.
What level of cover is right for you?
Every tier of hospital insurance has to cover a specific set of treatments in Australia: basic (0), bronze (18), silver (26) and gold (38).
Gold hospital cover
Gold covers everything, including pregnancy, so is also the most expensive tier. Prices start from $172.8
a month.
Silver hospital cover
Silver still covers a lot. All policies cover at least 26 hospital treatments including heart and vascular system and lung and chest.
Bronze hospital cover
Bronze covers at least 18 hospital treatments including joint reconstructions and ear, nose and throat.
Basic hospital cover
Basic doesn't have to fully cover anything, but helps you avoid the MLS and LHC loading. Bronze policies cost just a few dollars more, so it might be worth skipping basic altogether.
Pro tip: Consider looking at plus policies. They cover more treatments than their base tier and can be better value.
What else should you consider?
Look at restricted funds. These offer cover to a specific industry and their families, such as teachers or union members. They often provide better services than a normal insurer.
Consider a not-for-profit. HCF, HBF and GMHBA are among the many not-for-profit funds in Australia. You often get more for your money. Profits go towards members, not shareholders.
Don't get couples cover. Couples health insurance is convenient, but isn't always good value. If you and your partner have different needs, 2 single policies can be cheaper.
Don't stress about the LHC loading. Lots of people get confused by the LHC loading. It's not a tax. AMA data actually shows people can be better off delaying hospital insurance and just paying the loading later in life. Learn more here.
Avoid the MLS. This extra tax applies to anyone earning over $97,000 ($194,000 for couples), but you won't pay it if you have private hospital insurance.
Read your extras policy. It's worth the effort. You might find some benefits you didn't realise you had. Finder author Nicola Middlemiss was able to get way more value for money this way: "I have hypermobility that's improved with regular exercise," she told us. "I spoke to my doctor, they signed the health improvement form provided by my insurer, and now I can claim $400 back every year."
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.
Tips for families
Get no excess for children. Lots of funds don't charge an excess for children who need to go to hospital.
Get cover for older children. Funds can now cover adult children on their parents' cover until 31 years – be sure to check when your fund will cut them off.
Looking for pregnancy? All gold-tier policies cover pregnancy, as do some silver plus policies. If you don't want more kids, you could save by downgrading.
Why compare health insurance with Finder?
We don't ask for your phone or email to see prices.
With 1 click, you can open your results to nearly every fund in Australia.
You pay the same price as going direct – we charge no fees.
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$93,001 to $108,000
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What kind of health insurance do you need?
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*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
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living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
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Select as many as you want or move to the next step
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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.
Tim Bennett is a Finder insurance & utilities 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. See full bio
Tim's expertise
Tim has written 115 Finder guides across topics including:
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