What is covered by HBF?

HBF offers a range of hospital and extras policies that cover various medical treatments, procedures, and expenses. The specific will depend on which policy you take out.

No. HBF and HCF are separate entities.

What does HBF stand for?

HBF stands for the Hospital Benefit Fund. It was initially founded in 1941 as the Metropolitan Health Fund but has since evolved to become HBF.

HBF Health Insurance Review

HBF won Best Hospital Cover (VIC and TAS) in the 2026 Finder Health Insurance Awards.
HBF has an excellent complaints record, accounting for only 2.20% of complaints despite 8.10% market share.
HBF provides 9 hospital and 9 extras policy options, with Basic Plus hospital often around $22 a week.

Our verdict

Pros

HBF receive more than 20 Highly Commended Awards across multiple categories in the 2026 Finder Health Insurance Awards.
HBF offers low-cost policies, including Basic Plus hospital cover for around $22 a week.
Plenty of options with 9 hospital policies and 9 extras policies to choose from.

Cons

HBF's Gold tier hospital policies aren't the cheapest health insurance policies on the market.
If you want cover mainly for braces, you'll be able to find cheaper Extras policies elsewhere.

HBF health insurance

HBF offers a range of hospital and extras cover. To help find the best health insurance policy for you, it's best to compare multiple providers.

Hospital
Extras

9 of 9 results

Treatments	Price
HBF Health Limited - Lite Bronze Hospital Plus $750/$1500 Excess Bronze$750 excess	Joint reconstructions Ear nose and throat Blood Back neck and spine Dental surgery Eye excluding cataracts Cancer Lung and chest +15 other treatments covered	$21.92 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover. For new members who join eligible hospital cover by 17 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Basic Hospital Accident Only $750/$1500 Excess Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest	$18.47 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover. For new members who join eligible hospital cover by 17 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Basic Hospital Plus $750/$1500 Excess Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest +1 other treatments covered	$20.46 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover. For new members who join eligible hospital cover by 17 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Basic Hospital Plus Elevate $750/$1500 Excess Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest +11 other treatments covered	$22.06 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover. For new members who join eligible hospital cover by 17 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Bronze Hospital Plus $750/$1500 Excess Bronze$750 excess	Joint reconstructions Ear nose and throat Blood Back neck and spine Dental surgery Eye excluding cataracts Cancer Lung and chest +18 other treatments covered	$25.21 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover. For new members who join eligible hospital cover by 17 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Essential Silver Hospital $750/$1500 Excess Silver$750 excess	Lung and chest Back neck and spine Cataracts Joint replacements Blood Dental surgery Palliative care Pregnancy and birth +24 other treatments covered	$27.83 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover. For new members who join eligible hospital cover by 17 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Silver Hospital $750/$1500 Excess Silver$750 excess	Lung and chest Back neck and spine Cataracts Joint replacements Blood Dental surgery Palliative care Pregnancy and birth +25 other treatments covered	$31.30 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover. For new members who join eligible hospital cover by 17 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Silver Hospital Plus $750/$1500 Excess Silver$750 excess	Lung and chest Back neck and spine Cataracts Joint replacements Blood Dental surgery Palliative care Pregnancy and birth +26 other treatments covered	$44.71 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover. For new members who join eligible hospital cover by 17 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Gold Hospital Elevate $750/$1500 Excess Gold$750 excess	Cataracts Joint replacements Palliative care Pregnancy and birth Sleep studies Weight loss surgery Rehabilitation Insulin pumps +30 other treatments covered	$73.81 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover. For new members who join eligible hospital cover by 17 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading

Showing 9 of 9 results

9 of 9 results

Treatments	Price
HBF Health Limited - Smart Start Extras Extras cover	General dental Major dental Optical Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Remedial massage Hearing aids +1 other treatments covered	$3.88 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free on eligible extras cover. For new members who join by 17 Nov 2026 and maintain eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Urgent Ambulance Extras cover	General dental Major dental Optical Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Remedial massage Hearing aids	$1.22 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Basic Extras Extras cover	General dental Major dental Optical Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Remedial massage Hearing aids	$5.06 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free on eligible extras cover. For new members who join by 17 Nov 2026 and maintain eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Value 50 Extras cover	General dental Major dental Optical Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Remedial massage Hearing aids +2 other treatments covered	$7.43 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free on eligible extras cover. For new members who join by 17 Nov 2026 and maintain eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Flex 50 Extras cover	General dental Major dental Optical Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Remedial massage Hearing aids +3 other treatments covered	$8.99 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free on eligible extras cover. For new members who join by 17 Nov 2026 and maintain eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Core Extras Extras cover	General dental Major dental Optical Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Remedial massage Hearing aids +5 other treatments covered	$9.79 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free on eligible extras cover. For new members who join by 17 Nov 2026 and maintain eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Flex 60 Extras cover	General dental Major dental Optical Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Remedial massage Hearing aids +3 other treatments covered	$13.88 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free on eligible extras cover. For new members who join by 17 Nov 2026 and maintain eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Complete 60 Extras cover	General dental Major dental Optical Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Remedial massage Hearing aids +6 other treatments covered	$16.99 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free on eligible extras cover. For new members who join by 17 Nov 2026 and maintain eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Top 70 Extras cover	General dental Major dental Optical Physiotherapy Chiropractic Psychology Remedial massage Hearing aids +6 other treatments covered	$29.72 per week	Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free on eligible extras cover. For new members who join by 17 Nov 2026 and maintain eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading

Showing 9 of 9 results

2 of 2 results

Name
Get up to 12 weeks free and up to $200 gift card Ends 08 December 2026 For new members who join by 8 Dec and maintain hospital and extras cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get 6 weeks free on extras cover Ends 17 November 2026 Get 6 weeks free on eligible extras cover. For new members who join by 17 Nov 2026 and maintain eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...

Showing 2 of 2 results

Get the lowdown on Finder Score

Each month we analyse over 10,000 hospital and extras insurance products and rate each one on price and features. What we end up with is a nice round number out of 10 that helps you compare products a bit faster.

Before we start scoring, we need to make sure we're comparing like-for-like. Just as it doesn't make sense to compare a toy car with a Porche, it doesn't make sense to compare basic policies to top-tier gold policies. Each policy is given a price score and feature score. These are then combined to determine each policies's Finder Score. Read our full methodologies of how we calculated Finder Score for hospital cover and extras cover.

Did you know?

Did you know 83% of Australians stay with the same health insurer long-term, even as premiums rise by an average of 4.41%, according to Finder's 2026 Health Report? Only 40% review their policy every year. Whether you're considering HBF or comparing it against other funds, it's worth checking your cover annually to make sure you're still getting the benefits and value that matter most to you, rather than staying out of habit.

How to make a claim

There are a few ways to claim with HBF.

HBF App: Download from the App Store or Google Play to claim via the app
myHBF: Claim online through HBF"s digital portal, myHBF
On the spot: Swipe your member card or tap your digital member card when paying
At a branch: Visit your nearest HBF branch
Mail: Return a claim form by mail to HBF, GPO Box 1440, Perth WA 6845

Complaints info

We looked at the Commonwealth Ombudsman's 2024–25 State of the Health Funds report. Here's how HBF stacked up:

HBF received 4.4% of all complaints, well below its 7.9% share of the market.
That gives it a market-share-to-complaint ratio of 56%, the best result among Australia's five biggest funds. Some smaller funds did better, including Mildura Health Fund, St Lukes and TUH (all 33%).

Congratulations, HBF!

HBF was a big winner in the 2026 Finder Awards.

Winner, Best Hospital Cover: VIC and TAS
Highly commended, Best Health Insurance: National, NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS and NT
Highly commended, Best Hospital Cover: National, NSW, QLD, SA, WA and NT
Highly commended, Best Extras Cover: QLD, SA, WA, TAS and NT
Highly commended, Best Overseas Visitor Health Cover

Full list of 2026 health insurance winners

- Health Insurer of the Year - Winner 2024
- Health Insurance - Basic Hospital - Winner 2024
- Health Insurance - Silver Hospital - Winner 2024
- Health Insurance - Medium Extras - Winner 2024
- Health Insurance - Bronze Hospital - Highly Commended 2024
- Health Insurance - Gold Hospital - Highly Commended 2024
- Winner for Best Fund 2023
- Winner for Best Health Insurance - Basic Hospital 2023
- Winner for Best Health Insurance - Medium Extras 2023
- Finalist for Best Health Insurance - Silver Hospital 2023
- Finalist for Best Health Insurance - Bronze Hospital 2023

FAQs

Finder writers are subject matter experts and use primary sources, in-depth research and interviews with other experts to ensure you're getting accurate, up-to-date information. Articles are fact checked in line with our editorial guidelines.

Written by

Nicola Middlemiss

Journalist

Add to Preferred Sources

Nicola Middlemiss is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience in personal finance and insurance. She has contributed to Domain, Yahoo Finance, Money Magazine and Insurance Business Australia, offering in-depth insights into commercial insurance in the Australian market. Nicola holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Leeds and a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification, which complies with ASIC standards. See full bio

Nicola's expertise

Nicola has written 170 Finder guides across topics including:

Personal finance
Personal insurance, including car, health, home, life, pet and travel insurance
Commercial business insurance

More resources on Finder

More guides on Finder

Finder Rewards ING Health Insurance Promotion – Oct-Nov 2026 – Terms & Conditions
Finder is giving eligible customers a digital Visa card worth up to $600 when they switch their health insurance to ING.
ING health insurance review
With 5 hospital plans to choose from, ING is likely to have something for your needs.
Qantas Health Insurance review
Qantas policies are on the more affordable end of the spectrum, and its Silver Hospital policy was commended in our 2024 Health Insurance Awards.
ahm health insurance review
ahm offers a broad range of policies with affordable premiums, but if you’re looking for the lowest price possible, cheaper options are available.
Nurses & Midwives Health Insurance Review
Nurses & Midwives Health Insurance is a good choice for members of the nursing profession and their families.
Mildura Health Fund review
The regional health fund has limited choice, with only two levels of hospital cover. But, it does offer some impressive perks too.
Best health insurance Australia November 2026
Our experts compared 40+ funds and analysed hundreds of policies to help you find the best health insurance.
IMAN Health Insurance Visitor Cover Review
IMAN is different because it only offers health insurance for visitors to Australia and policies that meet visa requirements.
GU Health review
Grand United Corporate Health (GU Health) is a specialist in corporate health insurance providing a comprehensive range of tailored hospital, extras and combined cover options for over 300 companies.
HIF health insurance review
As a not-for-profit brand, HIF is able to offer low premiums across both hospital and extras policies.

Go to site

HBF health insurance review

HBF is a stand-out health insurer with great value policies and a really good complaints record.