What's the best health insurance for people in their 30s?

The main reason people buy health insurance in their 30s is to avoid the Lifetime Health Cover loading, or to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge. Most hospital policies will let you avoid these. After that, the best health insurance for you is a policy that covers the treatments that are important to you.

Should you still get hospital cover if you're older than 31?

Even if you've missed dodging the fee, but plan to take out private health insurance at some point in your life, it's still worth getting a policy. That way you'll avoid the increasingly expensive loading fees.

Do I need private health insurance?

A lot of common health conditions are covered under Medicare in Australia, so you don't technically need private health insurance. However, there are a lot of benefits to private health insurance. These include the ability to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge and Lifetime Health Cover loading, as well as getting coverage for a range of additional health treatments.

What's the best age to get health insurance?

For many Australians, the best time to get private health insurance is before you turn 31. That's because the Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading can increase your hospital premiums by 2% for every year you delay after 30. Taking out hospital cover earlier can help you avoid future premium penalties and reduce waiting periods later, especially if you think you'll need procedures or want more choice in your care.

What happens if I don't have private health insurance in Australia?

If you don't have private health insurance, you'll rely on Medicare for public hospital treatment. While Medicare covers essential care, you may face longer wait times for elective procedures and won't be able to choose your own specialist in the public system. If you earn above a certain income threshold, you may also have to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge, which increases your tax bill.

Health Insurance in your 30s

After 31, not having hospital cover will make health insurance more expensive for you in the future.
If you earn over $101k, you will be charged the Medicare Levy Surcharge if you do not have hospital cover.
Beyond tax, there are lots of benefits to health insurance for 30-40 year olds, especially extras cover.

Why you should consider health insurance when you turn 30

Prices will rise after you turn 31

A 2% lifetime Health Cover loading (LHC) is added to your health insurance premium for every year you don't have hospital cover over the age of 30. That fee accumulates, so if you go without hospital insurance until you're 40, you'll be hit with a 20% fee. It also stays in place until you've held hospital insurance for 10 years.

There's a tax surcharge if you earn over $101k

The Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) is an additional tax that you have to pay if you earn over $101,000 as a single or $202,000 as a family. Depending on how much you make, you'll pay a levy of between 1% and 1.5% of your annual income — that's between $84 and $198 more tax a month.

Compare cheap policies to avoid the LHC and MLS

You only need a basic or bronze health insurance policy to avoid both of these surcharges. That's great news, because these policies tend to be very affordable. Here are a few basic and bronze policies available from Finder partners. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $101,000 income and living in Sydney.

10 of 23 results

Treatments	Price
ambulance & accident hospital (basic) Basic$500 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest	$19.55 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Basic Accident Only Hospital $500 Excess Basic$500 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest	$19.97 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Starter Hospital $750 Excess with Daily Co-Pay (Basic) Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest	$18.08 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Frank Basic Accident Boost Hospital Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest	$18.19 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Starter Hospital $750 Excess (Basic) Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest	$18.20 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Medibank Basic Accident and Ambulance Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest	$18.45 per week	New members can get 6 weeks free cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
ambulance & accident hospital (basic) Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest	$18.45 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Basic Accident Only Hospital $750 Excess Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest	$18.80 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HCF Hospital Basic Plus $750 Excess Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest +4 other treatments covered	$19.11 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Frank Basic Plus Hospital Basic$750 excess	Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Eye excluding cataracts Pain management Gynaecology Lung and chest +1 other treatments covered	$19.51 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading

Showing 10 of 23 results

How much you can save by getting hospital cover before 31

You can avoid the lifetime health cover loading penalty by taking out basic hospital insurance with an excess of $750 or less for singles before 1 July following your 31st birthday.

Let's put that in real terms. Say a health insurance policy is available for $600 per year. If you wait to take out your first policy at 40 it's going to cost you 20% more than that – $720 per year.

Here are a few more examples:

Age	Loading	Cost of cover	You've had cover since 31	If this is your first hospital cover
35	10%	$600	$600	$660
40	20%	$650	$650	$780
50	40%	$700	$700	$980
60	60%	$800	$800	$1280

Other benefits for health insurance in your 30s

Health insurance offers a lot more than just the ability to avoid additional taxes and surcharges. For people in their 30s, there arelots of ways you can benefit from the right health insurance policy. You can roughly divide those benefits into extras and hospital cover.

extras cover

Extras cover

Dental Coverage: Dental services aren't covered under Medicare for most people, but are super important for 30-somethings. An extras policy with general dental coverage will cover post preventative treatments, while major dental is what you'll need for coverage for things like major surgery and braces.

Optical: Have glasses? If so, optical coverage is going to be super useful for you, and can cover the cost of prescription and contact lenses.

Physiotherapy: As we get older, things start to go wrong with our bodies, especially if we exercise regularly! Extras coverage can chip in on the cost of regular physio sessions.

Healthy lifestyle: Lots of extras policies are increasingly offering benefits for the costs involved in staying healthy through your life, which can prevent health problems down the line. This can include benefits for gym memberships, pilates, quit smoking aids and more.

hospital cover

Hosptial cover

Bone, joint and muscle treatment: In your 30's you're probably still staying active, and issues with your bones, joints and muscles are likely to start cropping up. All bronze policies include cover for private bone, joint and muscle treatments, including joint reconstructions.

Gynaecology, miscarriage and pregnancy termination: If they are relevant to you, these services are covered under all bronze hospital policies. These can be more and more important for people in their 30s, so may be worth considering cover for.

Pregnancy: If you're thinking of having a baby and you'd like to access the benefits of the private system, you'it's worth considering a silver or gold hospital policy that covers pregnancy and childbirth.

Ambulance: Most hosptial, extras and combined policies include cover for emergency Ambulance transport, which is not covered under Medicare in most states.

Can I stay on my parent's health insurance policy?

Yes, you can. In Australia, many health funds allow young adults to remain listed as a dependent on a family policy up to around 31 years old, but it's not automatic or the same across all funds.

Here's how it generally works:

Up to about age 21: Most insurers will let you stay on your parents' policy at no extra cost as a dependent.
Ages 21–30: You may still be eligible as a student dependent if you're enrolled full-time, or as a non-student dependent up to around 31. This is sometimes for free, or with an extended family cover premium added to your parents' policy.

Just remember, many have varying criteria that allow you to remain on your parent's policy, like not being married or in a de facto relationship.

While this option is handy for younger Aussies who are getting started as they graduate university and hunt down a full-time role, if you do intend on maintaining your own cover, you'll need to have your own policy ready to go before you turn 31.

Tips for finding your first private health insurance policy

Know what you need covered - Decide whether you want hospital cover, extras (like dental or physio) or both. If you're looking to just avoid the LHC and Medicare Levy Surcharge, consider a basic hospital cover policy.
Compare cover inclusions and limits - Not all policies cover the same treatments. Look closely at what's included and what's excluded for the services you're likely to use, such as dental, optical or specialist physiotherapy.
Understand waiting periods - Most policies require waiting periods before you can claim for certain benefits, commonly 2–12 months for hospital treatments and extras.
Check premiums, excesses and co-payments - Balance the monthly cost (premium) with how much you'd pay when you claim. Choosing a higher excess can reduce your premium but means more upfront cost if you go to hospital.

If you're ready to jump into a new health insurance policy, one of the best ways to start is with a sign-up deal. Here are a few of the best sign-up deals that are currently live from Finder partners.

13 of 13 results

Name
Get 6 weeks free after your first month of hospital cover Ends 31 March 2026 For new members who join by 31 March 2026 on eligible hospital cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get 4 weeks free after your first month of extras cover Ends 31 March 2026 For new members who join by 31 March 2026 on eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 12 weeks free, plus up to $200 in gift cards Ends 12 May 2026 Plus waiting periods waived on eligible extras. For new members who join by 12 May 2026 and maintain hospital and extras cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 12 weeks free Ends 31 March 2026 Join by 31 Mar 2026 on eligible combined hospital and extras cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 12 weeks free Ends 31 March 2026 Plus choose between a $400 gift card or waits waived on eligible extras. For new members who join by 31 Mar 2026 and maintain eligible combined cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Earn up to 200,000 Qantas Points with waiting periods waived on extras Ends 31 March 2026 Points will be awarded based on your level of cover over 15 months. Waiting periods applies to hospital and extras combined products only. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 12 weeks free Ends 09 April 2026 New members can get up to 12 weeks free when they join & maintain eligible Hospital & Extras cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 8 weeks free + a $50 gift card + 2 and 6 month waits waived on Extras Ends 30 June 2026 For new members only. Excludes Healthy Living Extras. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Want 6 weeks free plus up to $200 in gift cards? New members only. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 10 weeks free Ends 01 April 2026 Get up to 10 weeks free + the 2 & 6 month waits waived on extras + up to $850 Everyday Reward dollars based on your level of cover. New members only. Ends 1 Apr 2026. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 8 weeks of free extras cover Ends 31 March 2026 Join by 31 Mar 2026 on eligible extras cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 8 weeks free Ends 20 April 2026 Get up to 8 weeks free after the first year, plus 2 month waiting periods waived, on eligible combined cover. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 10 weeks free Plus, 2 month waits waived on extras when you join on combined cover. For new members only. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...

Showing 13 of 13 results

Frequently asked questions

A lot of common health conditions are covered under Medicare in Australia, so you don't technically need private health insurance. However, there are a lot of benefits to private health insurance. These include the ability to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge and Lifetime Health Cover loading, as well as getting coverage for a range of additional health treatments.
For many Australians, the best time to get private health insurance is before you turn 31. That's because the Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading can increase your hospital premiums by 2% for every year you delay after 30. Taking out hospital cover earlier can help you avoid future premium penalties and reduce waiting periods later, especially if you think you'll need procedures or want more choice in your care.
If you don't have private health insurance, you'll rely on Medicare for public hospital treatment. While Medicare covers essential care, you may face longer wait times for elective procedures and won't be able to choose your own specialist in the public system. If you earn above a certain income threshold, you may also have to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge, which increases your tax bill.

Thank you for your feedback!

Written by

Alex Holderness

Head of publishing

As Finder's insurance group publisher, Alex Holderness aims to make confusing topics easy to understand. She's been published in Money Mag, Yahoo Finance, Hospital Health, and is a contributing author for Google's Startup Grind. She has a keen passion for running and is currently studying for her General Insurance certification. See full bio

Co-written by

Tim Bennett

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

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Tim has written 154 Finder guides across topics including:

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Health insurance in your 30s

When you turn 31, you’ll be hit with a government penalty adding 2% on your health premium for every year you don’t have hospital cover.

Key takeaways