Is ambulance cover always included in a combined policy

No, ambulance cover is not automatically included in every combined policy. While many hospital policies include some level of emergency ambulance cover, particularly for state-funded services, it can vary by fund and hospital tier. Some policies may only cover a limited number of services or have restrictions based on your state of residence.

How does a hospital excess work with combined health insurance

A hospital excess is an amount you agree to pay upfront when you are admitted to hospital for treatment. Choosing a higher excess can lower your regular premiums but means you pay more out of pocket if you need hospital care. The excess applies only to the hospital component of your combined policy and does not affect your extras claims. You typically only pay the excess once per person or once per policy in a calendar year.

How does the Australian Government Rebate affect combined health insurance

The Australian Government Rebate on private health insurance is a contribution from the government towards the cost of your premiums. It is income tested so the amount you receive depends on your income tier your age and your family status. This rebate helps reduce the overall cost of both the hospital and extras components of your combined policy making private health insurance more affordable. You can claim it as a premium reduction or as a tax offset.

How do I claim for extras services with my combined policy

Claiming for extras services is generally straightforward. Most health funds offer several ways to claim including on the spot at your provider using a HICAPS terminal online through your fund's member portal or app or by submitting a claim form directly to your fund. You usually pay the full fee to your provider then receive a portion back from your health fund up to your annual limits and per visit caps.

Is there a cooling off period for combined health insurance policies

Yes, most health insurance policies in Australia include a cooling off period usually 30 days. This means if you change your mind after purchasing a combined policy you can cancel it within this timeframe and receive a full refund of any premiums paid provided you have not made any claims.

Combined hospital and extras cover

Who’s this health cover for?

Compare combined hospital and extras policies side by side to see if one fund offers better value for both types of cover
Check that your hospital tier and extras inclusions align with your lifestyle and income to avoid paying for benefits you won’t use
Look beyond bundled deals since mixing hospital and extras from different funds can often lower your monthly cost

*Prices are based on a single individual with less than $105,000 income, $750 excess and living in Sydney.

The table below lists some combined health insurance policies from Finder partners, covering accidents, emergency ambulance, dental and more. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $105,000 income and living in Sydney.

10 of 1,206 results

Treatments	Price
ING Health Insurance - ING Basic Plus Hospital $750 Excess + ING Essential Extras Basic$750 excess	Hospital Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix +5 other treatments covered Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +4 other treatments covered	$31.16 per week	$600 Reward Finder Rewards: Join Finder then purchase an eligible insurance policy online through Finder as a new ING health customer and hold until 31 March 2027 to receive a $600 digital Visa gift card. Ends 30 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply. Intro offer: Get 6 weeks free, plus 2 and 6 month waiting periods waived on Extras. For new members who join combined Hospital and Extras cover by 30 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Bupa HI Pty Ltd - Silver Plus Classic Hospital $500 Excess + Freedom 50 Silver$500 excess	Hospital Lung and chest Back neck and spine Cataracts Joint replacements +26 other treatments covered Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +2 other treatments covered	$34.76 per week	Intro offer: Get up to 8 weeks free + up to $400 in a Flight Centre gift card on eligible cover. New direct joins only. Offer ends 18 Nov 2026. T&Cs and exclusions apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
ahm health insurance - advanced hospital gold + black 50 saver Gold$750 excess	Hospital Cataracts Joint replacements Palliative care Pregnancy and birth +34 other treatments covered Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +2 other treatments covered	$87.52 per week	Intro offer: Get up to 12 weeks free when you join by 30 Nov 2026. For new joins on eligible combined hospital & extras. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Frank Health Insurance - Frank Basic Accident Boost Hospital + Frank Bundables $250 Basic$750 excess	Hospital Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +8 other treatments covered	$20.95 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
see-u by HBF - Starter Hospital $750 Excess with Daily Co-Pay (Basic) + Easy Extras Basic$750 excess	Hospital Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +4 other treatments covered	$21.11 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
see-u by HBF - Starter Hospital $750 Excess (Basic) + Easy Extras Basic$750 excess	Hospital Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +4 other treatments covered	$21.88 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
ahm health insurance - ambulance & accident hospital (basic) + choosable 50 – teeth Basic$750 excess	Hospital Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +1 other treatments covered	$22.12 per week	Intro offer: Get up to 12 weeks free when you join by 30 Nov 2026. For new joins on eligible combined hospital & extras. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
Frank Health Insurance - Frank Basic Plus Hospital + Frank Bundables $250 Basic$750 excess	Hospital Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix +2 other treatments covered Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +8 other treatments covered	$22.27 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
HBF Health Limited - Basic Hospital Accident Only $750/$1500 Excess + Smart Start Extras Basic$750 excess	Hospital Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +4 other treatments covered	$22.35 per week	Intro offer: Get up to 12 weeks free and up to $200 gift card. For new members who join by 8 Dec and maintain hospital and extras cover. T&Cs apply.	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading
see-u by HBF - Starter Hospital $750 Excess with Daily Co-Pay (Basic) + Starter Extras Basic$750 excess	Hospital Rehabilitation Joint reconstructions Dental surgery Hernia and appendix Extras General dental Major dental Optical Hearing aids +4 other treatments covered	$22.65 per week	Go to Site View details Compare product selectionCompare	loading

Showing 10 of 1,206 results

What are hospital, extras and combined cover?

Hospital only

Hospital cover pays for hospital treatment during illness or injury, including accommodation, surgery and other costs.

Extras only

Extras helps pays for non-hospital treatments that are not covered by Medicare, including optical, dental, physio and more.

Combined

Hospital and extras covers both types of treatment, giving you comprehensive coverage for a huge range of medical costs.

Do I need both hospital and extras cover?

Not everyone needs a combined policy, and you may not even need health insurance at all. However, there are some life stages where people generally start to think about whether they need life insurance.

If you're young and healthy, you may only need basic hospital cover, but may still want comprehensive extras, like dental and physio. If you're older, then hospital cover may be a higher priority for you. Other important differences include the following:

Earn over $90k? Not having sufficient hospital cover when your income is above a specified level attracts a Medicare Levy Surcharge, while extras does not.
Turning 31? You are charged a Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading of 2% for every year you don’t take out hospital cover after you turn 31 years of age. Extras policies don't have this penalty applied.

What can you claim on combined hospital and extras cover?

A combined hospital and extras policy covers you for in-hospital services that are also covered by Medicare. You can be claim for up to 38 services depending on the level of cover you choose (e.g. basic, bronze, silver or gold).

Extras, on the other hand, lets you claim in-hospital services that typically aren't covered by Medicare. This can include things such as dental, physiotherapy, opticals and remedial massage.

How to mix and match

Mixing and matching your hospital and extras options is the best way to get the most out of your benefits. Say for example you're young and healthy and don't need a high level of hospital cover but still want peace of mind knowing that you have hospital cover. Add to this that you like to get a remedial massage, need glasses and are fastidious about your teeth and see the dentist a couple of times a year. In this hypothetical situation, you can choose a basic tier hospital policy with comprehensive extras.

To go a step further, when you're comparison shopping, make sure you're looking beyond just one provider for both options. You might find a better deal by taking out your hospital with one fund and your extras with another.

12 of 12 results

Name
Get up to 8 weeks free Ends 18 November 2026 Get up to 8 weeks free + up to $400 in a Flight Centre gift card on eligible cover. New direct joins only. Offer ends 18 Nov 2026. T&Cs and exclusions apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
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...
Get 6 weeks free on hospital cover Ends 17 November 2026 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. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 12 weeks free Ends 30 November 2026 When you join by 30 Nov 2026. For new joins on eligible combined hospital & extras. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Earn up to 130,000 Qantas Points Ends 30 November 2026 Points will be awarded based on your level of cover over 6 months. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get up to 10 weeks free Ends 30 November 2026 New joins can get up to 10 weeks free on eligible Hospital & Extras cover. Ends 30 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get 4 weeks free + a $50 gift card + 2 and 6 month waits waived on Extras For new members only. 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 8 weeks free Ends 30 November 2026 When you join ahm by 30 Nov 2026. For new joins on eligible extras. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
Get 6 weeks free Ends 30 November 2026 Plus 2 and 6 month waiting periods waived on Extras. For new members who join combined Hospital and Extras cover by 30 Nov 2026. T&Cs apply. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...
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. Get deal		loading Fetching your data...

Showing 12 of 12 results

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Frequently asked questions

No, ambulance cover is not automatically included in every combined policy. While many hospital policies include some level of emergency ambulance cover, particularly for state-funded services, it can vary by fund and hospital tier. Some policies may only cover a limited number of services or have restrictions based on your state of residence.
A hospital excess is an amount you agree to pay upfront when you are admitted to hospital for treatment. Choosing a higher excess can lower your regular premiums but means you pay more out of pocket if you need hospital care. The excess applies only to the hospital component of your combined policy and does not affect your extras claims. You typically only pay the excess once per person or once per policy in a calendar year.
The Australian Government Rebate on private health insurance is a contribution from the government towards the cost of your premiums. It is income tested so the amount you receive depends on your income tier your age and your family status. This rebate helps reduce the overall cost of both the hospital and extras components of your combined policy making private health insurance more affordable. You can claim it as a premium reduction or as a tax offset.
Claiming for extras services is generally straightforward. Most health funds offer several ways to claim including on the spot at your provider using a HICAPS terminal online through your fund's member portal or app or by submitting a claim form directly to your fund. You usually pay the full fee to your provider then receive a portion back from your health fund up to your annual limits and per visit caps.

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.

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Gary Ross Hunter

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Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

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Combined hospital and extras cover

Health insurance comes in hospital and extras cover, and you can buy them as a combined policy.

Key takeaways