Couples health insurance

What policies are available as a couples policy?

As with all health insurance in Australia, there are 3 types of policies couples can sign up to: hospital, extras or combined.

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Hospital policies

There are four hospital tiers to choose from: basic, bronze, silver and gold. The higher the level, the better coverage you get. Both you and your partner need to be on the same level in order to qualify for couples health insurance.

To help couples navigate these tiers, it is important to understand the categorisation of benefits. Basic Plus and Bronze tiers are generally suited to younger couples who want to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) without paying for services they likely will not use, such as joint replacements or dialysis. Silver Plus and Gold tiers offer more comprehensive benefits, including maternity and birth-related services, making them the industry benchmark for couples looking to start a family. When transitioning to a joint policy, couples should carefully analyse waiting periods, as you may be required to serve new waiting periods if your new joint policy offers a higher level of cover than your previous individual plans.

Extras policies

Extras policies come with annual spending limits for specific benefits. These limits are per person. So if you have $200 each to spend on dental appointments, your partner wouldn't be able to use your portion and vice versa.

Combined policies

A health insurance policy that includes both extras and hospital cover is considered a 'combined' policy. Combined policies reduce your paperwork by having all your cover with one provider. That said, you are allowed to have hospital and extras cover with different funds – and it's often cheaper.

Best health insurance for couples

As much as I'd love to tell you the best couples policy on the market, there simply isn't one. Every couple is different, and your health needs are different too.

Choosing the right policy depends heavily on your life stage. For couples planning families, a Gold tier policy is often essential because it is the only tier that must include pregnancy and birth-related services. According to the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman, these policies ensure you have access to private obstetricians and private hospital rooms. Conversely, for those not planning a family, a Silver Plus policy might provide the ideal balance of high-level cover for things like heart and vascular surgery without the high premiums associated with maternity services.

The good news is the rules for figuring out the best couples health insurance policy are similar to getting the best policy overall. Use the Finder quiz to get a list of policies that cover everything you need, but nothing you don't, then pick one from a fund with a great price.

If you're really keen for specific recommendations, check out our health insurance awards winners for this year. We give awards for each tier of hospital cover - from basic to gold - as well as to each level of extras cover, basic to comprehensive.

Finally, remember that the best health insurance for couples might actually be 2 separate policies. If you each have different health cover needs, then you might be able to pay less by getting different levels of cover for each of you.

How much does couple health insurance cost?

A couple policy costs twice the price of the single policy equivalent. A couples policy can be more convenient because you only have to apply once and maintain one direct debit, but it won't cost any less than two individual policies.

Having 2 single health insurance policies may actually save you money, because one of you may be able to opt for a cheaper policy. For example, if only one person needs pregnancy cover, having a couples policy would have you unnecessarily paying for pregnancy cover for both of you.

Of course, if both partners want the benefits offered by a gold-tier policy, there's no harm in taking out a joint policy. In addition to pregnancy and childbirth benefits, gold-tier policies also cover weight-loss surgery, joint replacements and more.

Did you know?

Finder surveyed 1,017 Aussies and just 36% knew two single policies were the same price as a couples policy.

How couples health insurance works with tax

Couples health insurance affects tax in the following ways:

• Lifetime health cover loading: The lifetime health cover of both policyholders will be averaged and then applied to the policy. That means if your partner has a 10% loading fee, but you don't have any, your couples policy will be subject to a 5% charge.
• Medicare levy surcharge: If your combined income is more than $210,000 in 2026-27, you'll be subject to a surcharge of between 1% and 1.5%. That $210,000 family threshold rises by $1,500 for each dependent child after the first. However, if you hold hospital cover with an excess of $1,500 or less, you can avoid the surcharge.

Couples health insurance vs family insurance

If you have children, then your best bet is to sign up for a family health insurance policy, rather than a couples policy. On a family policy your children can be covered at very little extra cost, as long as you inform your insurer and officially add them to your policy.

If you're on your own with kids, then single parent health insurance is what you should look for.

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Frequently asked questions

• Can couples have different levels of health insurance cover?

  If you have couples cover, then you'll have to both have the same level of hospital and extras cover. This can sometimes mean that you're paying for cover you don't need - for example if only one of you need cover for child birth. There's nothing stopping you from taking out two separate single policies. In fact, you can often save money by customising your cover like this.

• What happens to couples health insurance if we have a child?

  A couples health insurance policy won't cover children - you'll need to move to a family policy. This will cost slightly more than a couples policy, but it will cover your children at least up to their 18th birthday. Most health funds actually let you keep your children on your health policy until later than that though.

• Do couples policies have separate limits on extras?

  Yes, couples health insurance policies have separate limits on extras - that means no mixing and matching with your partner. You may be able to get more customised and cheaper cover if you opt for having separate extras policies.

• What happens to a couples policy if we break up?

  If you break up with your partner, contact your insurance company as soon as possible. It's likely you'll be able to switch to a single policy without re-serving waiting periods.

• Is it cheaper to have private health insurance as a couple?

  No. A couples policy costs the same as two equivalent single policies - what you get is one application and one direct debit, not a discount. Two single policies can actually work out cheaper, because each of you only pays for the level of cover you need.

• How do you qualify for couples' health insurance?

  To qualify for couples health insurance, both individuals need to be in a relationship and they must live at the same address.

Written by

Tim Bennett

Insurance expert

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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

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