HCF health insurance review

HCF picked up multiple accolades in the 2026 Finder Health Insurance Awards but its complaint record could be better.

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Nicola Middlemiss's headshot

By

Nicola Middlemiss

Updated

Fact checked

Key takeaways

  • HCF won multiple 2026 Finder Highly Commended Awards for its hospital cover and extras policies.
  • The fund has a sub-standard complaint record, accounting for 13.5% of complaints last financial year.

Our verdict

Pros

  • HCF's Bronze Plus policy is cheaper than average, at around $104 a month (about $24 a week).
  • HCF was a multiple Highly Commended Award winner in the 2026 Finder Health Insurance Awards for its hospital and extras policies. It also received the Finder Award for Best Hospital Cover in the Northern Territory.

Cons

  • If you're just looking for cheap cover, Frank, ahm and Bupa all offer lower-cost hospital cover.
  • HCF had a sub-standard complaints record in the last financial year.
  • There's no Basic hospital policy available. The lowest level of cover is Basic Plus.

HCF health insurance

HCF has a range of health insurance policies available. Remember, the best health insurance for you will depend on a range of factors so it can be beneficial to compare many options.

4 of 4 results
Updated regularly
Treatments Price
HCF logo
HCF Hospital Basic Plus $750 Excess
Basic$750 excess
  • Rehabilitation
  • Joint reconstructions
  • Dental surgery
  • Hernia and appendix
$19.84
per week
Get HCF loyalty rewards and member discounts on e-Gift cards across Australian stores.
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HCF HOSPITAL BRONZE PLUS $750 EXCESS
Bronze$750 excess
  • Joint reconstructions
  • Ear nose and throat
  • Blood
  • Back neck and spine
$23.91
per week
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HCF logo
HCF HOSPITAL STANDARD SILVER PLUS
Silver$750 excess
  • Lung and chest
  • Back neck and spine
  • Cataracts
  • Joint replacements
$29.09
per week
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HCF logo
HCF HOSPITAL SILVER PLUS $750 EXCESS
Silver$750 excess
  • Lung and chest
  • Back neck and spine
  • Cataracts
  • Joint replacements
$43.07
per week
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Showing 4 of 4 results
8 of 8 results
Updated regularly
Treatments Price
  • General dental
  • Major dental
  • Optical
  • Physiotherapy
$4.20
per week
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HCF logo
HCF AMBULANCE ONLY
Extras cover
  • General dental
  • Major dental
  • Optical
  • Physiotherapy
  • Chiropractic
  • Psychology
  • Remedial massage
  • Hearing aids
$1.20
per week
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HCF logo
HCF STARTER EXTRAS
Extras cover
  • General dental
  • Major dental
  • Optical
  • Physiotherapy
$3.18
per week
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HCF FLEX MY EXTRAS
Extras cover
  • General dental
  • Major dental
  • Optical
  • Physiotherapy
$7.11
per week
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HCF MID EXTRAS
Extras cover
  • General dental
  • Major dental
  • Optical
  • Physiotherapy
$8.66
per week
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HCF logo
HCF Choose My Extras
Extras cover
  • General dental
  • Major dental
  • Optical
  • Physiotherapy
$11.81
per week
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HCF logo
HCF VITAL EXTRAS
Extras cover
  • General dental
  • Major dental
  • Optical
  • Physiotherapy
$14.89
per week
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HCF logo
HCF TOP EXTRAS
Extras cover
  • General dental
  • Major dental
  • Optical
  • Physiotherapy
$19.64
per week
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Showing 8 of 8 results
10 of 37 results
Updated regularly
Treatments Price
Hospital
Extras
$32.26
per week
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HCF ACCIDENT ONLY BASIC + HCF STARTER EXTRAS
Basic$750 excess
Hospital
  • Rehabilitation
  • Joint reconstructions
  • Dental surgery
  • Hernia and appendix
Extras
$22.73
per week
Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free, plus 2-month waiting periods waived on Extras. For new members who join eligible Hospital and Extras cover by 10 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.
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HCF logo
HCF Hospital Basic Plus $750 Excess + HCF STARTER EXTRAS
Basic$750 excess
Hospital
Extras
$23.02
per week
Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free, plus 2-month waiting periods waived on Extras. For new members who join eligible Hospital and Extras cover by 10 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.
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HCF logo
HCF ACCIDENT ONLY BASIC + HCF STARTER EXTRAS (WITH OPTICAL)
Basic$750 excess
Hospital
  • Rehabilitation
  • Joint reconstructions
  • Dental surgery
  • Hernia and appendix
Extras
$23.75
per week
Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free, plus 2-month waiting periods waived on Extras. For new members who join eligible Hospital and Extras cover by 10 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.
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HCF logo
HCF Hospital Basic Plus $750 Excess + HCF STARTER EXTRAS (WITH OPTICAL)
Basic$750 excess
Hospital
Extras
$24.04
per week
Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free, plus 2-month waiting periods waived on Extras. For new members who join eligible Hospital and Extras cover by 10 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.
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HCF MY FUTURE 750 BASIC PLUS
Basic$750 excess
Hospital
Extras
$25.42
per week
Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free, plus 2-month waiting periods waived on Extras. For new members who join eligible Hospital and Extras cover by 10 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.
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HCF logo
HCF ACCIDENT ONLY BASIC + HCF FLEX MY EXTRAS
Basic$750 excess
Hospital
  • Rehabilitation
  • Joint reconstructions
  • Dental surgery
  • Hernia and appendix
Extras
$26.67
per week
Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free, plus 2-month waiting periods waived on Extras. For new members who join eligible Hospital and Extras cover by 10 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.
Go to SiteView details
Compare product selection
HCF logo
HCF Hospital Basic Plus $750 Excess + HCF FLEX MY EXTRAS
Basic$750 excess
Hospital
Extras
$26.96
per week
Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free, plus 2-month waiting periods waived on Extras. For new members who join eligible Hospital and Extras cover by 10 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.
Go to SiteView details
Compare product selection
HCF logo
HCF HOSPITAL BRONZE PLUS $750 EXCESS + HCF STARTER EXTRAS
Bronze$750 excess
Hospital
Extras
$27.09
per week
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HCF logo
HCF HOSPITAL BRONZE PLUS $750 EXCESS + HCF STARTER EXTRAS (WITH OPTICAL)
Bronze$750 excess
Hospital
Extras
$28.11
per week
Go to SiteView details
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Showing 10 of 37 results

How to make a claim

There are lots of ways to claim on your HCF policy, including:

  • On the spot - Use your membership card to claim at your service provider.
  • Online - Use the online member services portal or the My Membership app.
  • In person - Visit a HCF branch to claim in-store.
  • By post - Send a completed claim form and receipts to HCF, GPO Box 4242, Sydney, NSW, 2001.

Complaints info

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

  • HCF received 12.1% of all complaints, slightly less than its 12.8% share of the market, giving it a market-share-to-complaint ratio of 95%.
  • However, HCF accounted for 21.8% of the complaints the Ombudsman went on to investigate, the highest share of any insurer.

Finder Awards badge

Congratulations, HCF!

HCF was a big winner in the 2026 Finder Awards.

  • Winner, Best Health Insurance: NT
  • Winner, Best Hospital Cover: NT
  • Highly commended, Best Health Insurance: National, NSW, WA and TAS
  • Highly commended, Best Hospital Cover: TAS
  • Highly commended, Best Extras Cover: WA, TAS and NT

Full list of 2026 health insurance winners

HCF health insurance offers and member perks for October 2026

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Updated regularly
Name

Get 6 weeks free, plus 2-month waiting periods waived on Extras

Ends 10 November 2026

For new members who join eligible Hospital and Extras cover by 10 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.

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Showing 1 of 1 result
Tim Bennett's headshot

"I've had HCF ambulance cover for years now, and it's given me the peace of mind that I need. There's nothing worse than having to worry about the cost of an ambulance when you need it."

Insurance expert

FAQs

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Sources

Nicola Middlemiss's headshot
Journalist
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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
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