Private health insurance premium increase 2026
Health insurance premiums will go up by an average of 4.41% in 2026 - find out how much your fund is jacking prices up by.
Key takeaways
- Health insurance premiums are going up an average of 4.41% on April 1 2026.
- The increase is higher than last year, and higher than inflation, but lower than some expectations.
- Paying a year upfront or switching policies are 2 ways to save ahead of the increase.
How much will my health insurance go up in 2026?
In 2026 health insurance prices will go up by an average of 4.41%. However, the average increase varies a lot between funds:
- The highest increase is from AIA Health Insurance, with 5.98%.
- The lowest increase is from GMHBA Limited, with just 1.98%.
Is your provider significantly increasing its premiums?
Get ahead of the increase. Now is a good time to compare health insurance policies and switch.
Health insurance price increase by fund in 2026
You can find out how much your health fund is increasing premiums in 2026 in the table below. Remember each of these figures are also averages in themselves - each policy is separately priced. We'll get the policy-by-policy information in early April, so check back then or call your health fund to find out more.
| Health Fund | 2026 |
|---|---|
| ACA | 4.48% |
| AIA | 5.98% |
| Australian Unity | 3.98% |
| BUPA | 4.80% |
| CBHS | 3.25% |
| Defence Health | 2.99% |
| Doctors' Health | 3.67% |
| GMHBA | 1.98% |
| HBF | 2.15% |
| HCI | 4.53% |
| HIF | 2.60% |
| Health Partners | 3.94% |
| HCF | 4.96% |
| Hunter Health | N/A |
| Latrobe Health | 4.53% |
| Medibank (including ahm) | 5.10% |
| Mildura | 4.25% |
| onemedifund | N/A |
| Navy Health | 2.88% |
| nib (including partner funds) | 5.47% |
| Peoplecare | 4.01% |
| Phoenix Health | 2.95% |
| Police Health | 2.53% |
| Queensland Teachers' Union Health Fund | N/A% |
| Reserve Bank Health Society | 4.13% |
| St Luke's | 4.25% |
| Teachers Health | 3.94% |
| Westfund | 3.26% |
| Industry Average | 4.41% |
Why are insurance premiums increasing so much?
The price of health insurance goes up each year mostly because of inflation. Everything gets more expensive over time in an economy that optimises for growth. However, health insurance rises have historically gone up more than inflation, for reason that include:
- Australia's ageing population: Older Aussies are more likely to have expensive chronic conditions, which makes health insurance more expensive for everyone.
- Fewer young people with cover: A long term trend has been young people not taking out health insurance at all. Young people are low risk for health insurance, and low risk populations typically make insurance cheaper for everyone. So fewer young people tends to mean higher premiums.
- Advancing medical technologies: Every year we get access to better tech to keep healthier for longer. However, these technologies are often more expensive and sophisticated than older tech.
- Ensuring quality cover: In a recent statement, Health Minister Mark Butler explained the reason premiums would be increasing in 2026 was to "maintain the value of private health insurance for Australians." After all, lacklustre policies don't bring in customers.
How much does health insurance increase every year?
Health insurance premiums increase by a different rate every year. The table below shows the annual averages since 2020.
Average increase (%)
| Health Fund | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
| ACA | 3.94% | 3.54% | 2.59% | 3.92% | 3.18% | 3.16% | 4.48% |
| AIA | 5.63% | 1.62% | 2.80% | 1.69% | 2.19% | 5.70% | 5.98% |
| Australian Unity | 2.79% | 1.99% | 2.73% | 3.76% | 1.42% | 4.89% | 3.98% |
| BUPA | 3.26% | 3.21% | 3.18% | 3.39% | 3.61% | 5.10% | 4.80% |
| CBHS | 3.91% | 4.26% | 2.91% | 4.46% | 4.51% | 2.84% | 3.25% |
| CUA (now part of hbf) | 3.99% | 2.99% | 3.42% | - | - | - | - |
| Defence Health | 3.49% | 3.93% | 3.33% | 3.48% | 1.00% | 3.30% | 2.99% |
| Doctors' Health | 3.29% | 2.85% | 2.28% | 2.15% | 2.79% | 3.48% | 3.67% |
| GMHBA | 3.34% | 3.24% | 3.10% | 2.33% | 2.91% | 2.44% | 1.98% |
| HBF | 1.98% | 0.94% | 3.62% | 4.49% | 3.95% | 2.80% | 2.15% |
| HCI | 3.75% | 2.91% | 1.09% | -0.09% | 0.27% | 2.94% | 4.53% |
| HIF | 5.58% | 3.78% | 3.20% | 3.10% | 3.87% | 1.91% | 2.60% |
| Health Partners | 2.77% | 3.35% | 3.15% | 2.93% | 1.93% | 3.43% | 3.94% |
| health.com.au (now part of GMHBA) | 3.94% | 0.83% | - | - | - | - | - |
| HCF | 3.39% | 2.95% | 2.72% | 3.33% | 2.89% | 4.95% | 4.96% |
| Hunter Health | 3.96% | 4.14% | 3.77% | 3.93% | 3.32% | 2.93% | - |
| Latrobe Health | 3.49% | 3.42% | 3.41% | 2.15% | 3.04% | 2.89% | 4.53% |
| Medibank (including ahm) | 3.27% | 3.25% | 3.10% | 2.96% | 3.31% | 3.99% | 5.10% |
| Mildura | 4.68% | 4.07% | 2.90% | 2.48% | 2.14% | 3.69% | 4.25% |
| onemedifund | 2.99% | 3.56% | 3.24% | 2.86% | 3.41% | 2.94% | - |
| Navy Health | 3.49% | 3.46% | 3.25% | 2.94% | 3.10% | 2.85% | 2.88% |
| nib (including partner funds) | 2.90% | 4.36% | 2.66% | 2.72% | 4.10% | 5.79% | 5.47% |
| Nurses & Midwives (now part of Teachers) | 3.74% | 3.38% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Peoplecare | 3.48% | 3.90% | 3.27% | 2.79% | 1.63% | 3.54% | 4.01% |
| Phoenix Health | 3.10% | 3.47% | 3.16% | 3.66% | 3.72% | 2.43% | 2.95% |
| Police Health | 3.14% | 3.10% | 1.79% | 0.00% | 3.01% | 9.56% | 2.53% |
| Queensland Country Health Fund | 3.55% | 4.43% | 3.34% | 3.17% | 2.53% | - | - |
| Queensland Teachers' Union Health Fund | 2.66% | 1.11% | 2.26% | 0.81% | 1.96% | 3.45% | - |
| Railway & Transport Health Fund | 2.91% | 3.19% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Reserve Bank Health Society | 3.08% | 3.74% | 3.74% | 3.18% | 2.97% | 3.17% | 4.13% |
| St Luke's | 2.90% | 0.50% | 3.19% | 2.86% | 3.20% | 2.88% | 4.25% |
| Teachers Health | 3.24% | 2.88% | 2.17% | 2.50% | 2.65% | 2.94% | 3.94% |
| Transport Health | 2.59% | 2.61% | 1.16% | 2.49% | - | - | |
| Westfund | 4.32% | 4.30% | 2.40% | 2.65% | 2.82% | 3.40% | 3.26% |
| Industry Average | 2.92% | 2.74% | 2.70% | 2.90% | 3.03% | 3.73% | 4.41% |
How will I know if my premiums are increasing?
Just to be clear, your health premiums are going to go up. No health fund is going backwards this year (although it has actually happened in this past, for weird reasons).
You'll be notified by your health fund exactly how much your premiums will change around a month before they do. For most Aussies, that should be around the start of March. Keep an eye on your email inbox.
If you're not happy with the rise, the best way to save is to compare the policies that are on the market and see if there's a better deal for you.
How to avoid health insurance price increases
You can't avoid the price increase directly, but there are still some ways you can save money on your health insurance. Reviewing your cover and paying in advance are your main options, but there are different ways to go about each.
Review your health cover
First and foremost, make sure your health insurance still covers everything you need it to, and nothing you don't. If you haven't checked your policy for a while, you might find that you can downgrade or move to a better value policy.
You can also switch health funds, maybe for a better ongoing price, but also to score a new sign-up discount. All of your already-served waiting periods for hospital cover will be honoured, and most funds will do the same for extras, so it's often a great option.
Pay in advance
The other way to avoid the price increase - at least for a while - is to pay upfront. Most insurance companies will let you lock in today's prices if you pay for 12 or 18 months cover as a lump sum.
The big downside of this approach is that you have to have the money now, and will have to just do without it for the next 12 months. Not everyone has that kind of flexibility. But if you do have the money, and if your fund is jacking up prices more than the other funds, then it might be worth it.
Read more about paying health insurance in advance here.
Saving money on health insurance: case study
"I switched from AIA to Bupa and saved myself over $250 per year. I realised I was paying for an Extras policy I barely used and could get what I wanted from a Basic Plus hospital policy, rather than paying for Bronze. It was a pretty easy process and now I have more cash in my pocket - win win."
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