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Hospital cover, the one that helps you come tax time
Cheap hospital cover starts from around $25 a week – for higher earners, that's less than the MLS.
Who is this cover for?
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I'm Tim, your insurance expert.
Here to help you find the right cover for you!
Step 1/2 - About your cover
Which state do you live in?
QLD
NSW
ACT
VIC
TAS
SA
WA
NT
What's your age?
Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated July 2024, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices reflect the cheapest available for a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
Email me my results (optional)
To get a copy of your results for later, add your email below
The cheapest hospital cover can be found from around $25 a week.
There are cheap policies that let you avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge.
It also lets you choose your own doctor and can help you avoid long waiting lists.
Compare hospital cover from multiple funds
Here's a wide range of hospital policies from Finder partners. You can look for in-hospital benefits that are important to you by clicking "All treatments". Prices are based on a $750 excess for a single person earning less than $97,000 living in Sydney.
Each month we analyse over 10,000 hospital insurance products and rate each one on price and features. What we end up with is a nice round number that helps you compare hospital cover a bit faster.
9+ Excellent - These products offer a balance between low pricing and more features.
7+ Great - Competitive products within their group.
5+ Satisfactory - Usually these products would either have fewer treatments covered or higher pricing.
Less than 5 – Basic - Offering basic cover with limited features or higher pricing.
Groups
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 bicycle with a Ferrari, it doesn't make sense to compare basic hospital policies to top-tier Gold policies. They're very different machines for very different jobs. So we've separated all the hospital policies on the market into groups.
We've made groups covering each cover tier, state and lifestage. Each product is put into a group, and can only be part of that 1 group.This means each product is only compared against other products that make sense. Each pool has a unique combination of:
Cover tier - Basic / Bronze / Silver / Gold
State - The state the policyholder resides in
Lifestage - Single / Single Parent Family / Couple / Family
There are 4 tiers, 7 state categories (Health Insurance is the same price in NSW and ACT) and 4 life stages. That multiplies out to 112 different groups. This process makes sure each product gets a score based on their position within a similar group of products.
The Finder Score methodology is designed by our insights team and reviewed by our editorial team. Commercial partners carry no weight, and all products are reviewed objectively.
Once in their groups, each product gets a Price Score and a Features Score, which are then combined to give the Final Score.
Price Score
We calculate the net price for each product, which is compared against other products within its assigned product pool. Each product is assigned a score between 1 - 10, with the lower the price, the higher the score. The net price comprises the premium charges and excess.
Features Score
We calculate the number of hospital treatment categories covered by each product and position the number between the products that offer the most and minimum amount of treatments, within the same category, to generate a feature score between 1 - 10.
We also assign 30% of the feature score for the Gap Score and Benefits Score, which is calculated at a provider level and assigned to each product.
The hospital treatment categories that are included are based on the standard list used by the Australian government.
Final Score
The Price score and Feature score are combined to determine each product's Finder Score. We assign weights between price and features based on the category level.
Finder Score - Hospital Cover Score Weightings
Category Level
Price Score Weights
Feature Score Weights
Basic
80%
20%
Bronze
70%
30%
Silver
60%
40%
Gold
50%
50%
The top five hospital plans according to Finder Score
We've used our Finder Scores associated with each plan category to showcase the top 5 policies available. Plans and prices are for a single person living in NSW.
Basic plan
Category
Provider
Policy
Finder Score
Price
Basic
RT Health
Basic Plus Starter Hospital $750 Excess
8.8
$104.50
Basic
RT Health
Basic Plus Starter Hospital $500 Excess
8.2
$110.90
Basic
Bupa
Reciprocal Health Cover - Basic
7.2
$103.75
Basic
Union Health
Union Health Basic+ Hospital $750 excess
6.7
$103.40
Basic
TUH Health Fund
Basic+ Hospital $750 excess
6.7
$103.40
Bronze plan
Category
Provider
Policy
Finder Score
Price
Bronze
Medibank Private Limited
Medibank Bronze Plus Progress
8.6
$123.25
Bronze
HCF
HCF HOSPITAL BRONZE PLUS $750 EXCESS
8.6
$120.85
Bronze
Medibank Private Limited
Medibank Bronze Plus Progress
8.5
$131.95
Bronze
Medibank Private Limited
Medibank Bronze Plus Assured
8.5
$132.80
Bronze
HCF
HCF HOSPITAL BRONZE PLUS $500 EXCESS
8.4
$131.65
Silver plan
Category
Provider
Policy
Finder Score
Price
Silver
Bupa
Corporate Hospital Cover Advanced Level 4 Silver Plus
8.1
$176.10
Silver
Bupa
Corporate Hospital Cover Level 4 Silver Plus
8.0
$135.95
Silver
Teachers Health
Mid Classic 500 (Silver Plus)
7.7
$158.48
Silver
Nurses & Midwives Health
Mid Classic 500 (Silver Plus)
7.7
$158.48
Silver
Teachers Health
Mid Classic 500 (Silver Plus)
7.7
$158.48
Gold plan
Category
Provider
Policy
Finder Score
Price
Gold
CBHS Health Fund Limited
Comprehensive Hospital 100 (Gold)
9.2
$238.68
Gold
Police Health
Gold Hospital
9.0
$245.46
Gold
Police Health
Gold Hospital
9.0
$245.46
Gold
CBHS Health Fund Limited
Comprehensive Hospital 70 (Gold)
9.0
$246.83
Gold
Teachers Health
Top Hospital 500 (Gold)
9.0
$234.12
Finder survey: What kind of health insurance do Australians have?
Response
Male
Female
Hospital
41.88%
34.87%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023
Why compare health insurance with Finder?
We don't ask for your phone or email to see prices.
With 1 click, you can open your results to nearly every fund in Australia.
You pay the same price as going direct – we charge no fees.
There can be tax benefits if you earn over $97k as a single person or $194k as a couple. You can avoid paying the Medicare levy surcharge with a basic hospital policy.
It's cheaper to buy by age 31
The Lifetime Health Cover loading is a penalty that applies to anyone who takes out private health insurance after their 31st birthday. The loading increases by 2% for every year you don't have hospital insurance.
Shorter waiting times
Elective surgery waiting times are typically much shorter than public hospitals. Keep in mind though that you'll have to wait 12 months if your condition is pre-existing.
You get your choice of doctor
You often get to choose your own doctor, when you're treated and your own room in a private hospital, where possible.
Ambulance cover
Medicare doesn't cover ambulance transport, except in Tasmania and Queensland. A basic hospital policy can cover you though. There are also ambulance-only policies from $1.50 a week.
How does hospital cover work?
If you receive an in-hospital service as a private patient, Medicare typically covers 75% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee. Your private health cover will pay the remaining 25%.
However, a doctor or specialist won't always stick to the MBS fee set by the government as a fair fee for a service or treatment. In this case, you'd have to pay an out-of-pocket fee known as "the gap".
Some insurers have deals with healthcare providers that mean all or some of the gap is covered by your health fund.
Hospital cover only helps with items that are on the MBS. If the treatment you want isn't on the MBS, you won't get help from private hospital cover.
How much does health insurance cost?
We ask hundreds of Australians what they're paying for health insurance every month. Here's what they told us in July 2024.
Basic: $99
Bronze: $141
Silver: $183
Gold: $221
Price based on 1,000+ responses for single hospital insurance.
What are the hospital health insurance tiers?
Each of the different health insurance tiers has to cover a standardised set of treatments. Here's a quick summary of each tier.
Gold hospital cover
Gold-tier hospital insurance covers all 38 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like joint replacements, pregnancy and insulin pumps, as well as all services covered by Silver-tier policies.
Average premium: $242.42 a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium: $172.80 a month for a single policy.*
Silver hospital cover
Silver-tier hospital insurance covers at least 26 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like dental surgery, lung and chest, and podiatric surgery, as well as all services covered by Bronze-tier policies.
Average cost: $152.22 a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium: $102.50 a month for a single policy.*
Bronze hospital cover
Bronze-tier hospital insurance covers at least 18 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like joint reconstructions, gynaecology, and ear, nose and throat, as well as all services covered by Basic-tier policies.
Average cost: $100.15 a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium: $88.70 a month for a single policy.*
Basic hospital cover
Basic-tier hospital insurance isn't required to fully cover any treatments outlined by the Australian government, but it does need to have restricted cover for rehabilitation, hospital psychiatric services and palliative care. Generally, Basic cover is primarily used to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge and Lifetime Health Cover loading.
Average cost: $85.93 a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium: $77 a month for a single policy.*
*Average prices updated July 2024, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
Clinical category
Basic
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Rehabilitation
R
R
R
Hospital psychiatric services
R
R
R
Palliative care
R
R
R
Brain and nervous system
Eye (not cataracts)
Ear, nose and throat
Tonsils, adenoids and grommets
Bone, joint and muscle
Joint reconstructions
Kidney and bladder
Male reproductive system
Digestive system
Hernia and appendix
Gastrointestinal endoscopy
Gynaecology
Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy
Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy for cancer
Pain management
Skin
Breast surgery (medically necessary)
Diabetes management (excluding insulin pumps)
Heart and vascular system
Lung and chest
Blood
Back, neck and spine
Plastic and reconstructive surgery (medically necessary)
Dental surgery
Podiatric surgery (provided by a registered podiatric surgeon)
Implantation of hearing devices
Cataracts
Joint replacements
Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
Pregnancy and birth
Assisted reproductive services
Weight loss surgery
Insulin pumps
Pain management with a device
Sleep studies
Hospital health insurance and tax (the MLS and LHC)
There are 2 different government schemes that may cost you money if you don't have hospital cover.
Medicare Levy Surcharge
If you earn over $97,000 (from 1 July 2024) and don't have hospital cover, you'll be taxed 1%, 1.25% or 1.5% of your wage due to the MLS. Get a cheap policy and you can avoid the tax.
For a lot of people, the cost of a hospital policy can be less than what they'd be taxed if they didn't have it. For example, a single person who earns $95,000 per year would pay an additional $950 in tax if they don't have insurance. But there are plans available on Finder from $76,37 – or $916.44 per year.
So even if you don't plan on using private health insurance, it can make financial sense to get a policy anyway.
Lifetime Health Cover loading
LHC loading kicks in on 1 July immediately after your 31st birthday. For every year you don't have health insurance from that date, you'll be charged an extra 2% when you eventually do decide to get a policy.
For example, if you wait until you're 41 to get hospital cover, your premiums will be 20% higher than they would have been if you took out a policy before the deadline. That's assuming you don't have an exemption. Get hospital cover before the deadline and you won't be hit with the penalty.
My wife and I earn over the MLS threshold and we live in NSW, so it made sense for us to take out hospital insurance. Now we're saving money by having a policy in place, plus we don't need to worry about an expensive ambulance bill anymore.
With hospital cover, the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman sets the maximum possible waiting periods for every circumstance and insurers have to stick to them. This means the same waiting periods will apply no matter what hospital policy you get.
Hospital benefit
Waiting period
Most pre-existing conditions
12 months
Pregnancy and childbirth
12 months
All psychiatric care, rehabilitation and palliative care
Pre-existing medical conditions within the first 12 months
Out-of-pocket costs (that's when your doctor charges more than the MBS item fee)
Fees for any specialists you see outside of hospital
Any services you receive outside of hospital
Any medical treatment that does not have an MBS item number
Hospital stays that are longer than 35 days
Cosmetic surgery for non-medical reasons
Why you can trust Finder's health insurance experts
You pay nothing. Finder is free to use. And you pay the same as going direct. No markups, no hidden fees.
You save time. We spend 100s of hours researching health insurance so you can sort the gold from the junk faster.
You can trust us. We say it like it is. We aren't owned by an insurer and our opinions are our own.
Frequently asked questions
Hospital only health insurance allows you to be treated as a private patient at hospital, often with your choice of doctor. It's available in 4 tiers – gold, silver, bronze and basic – and pays a share of your medical costs when you're admitted to hospital.
The average cost of a basic hospital policy is $85.93
a month. Prices will increase though with higher tiers.
Depending on personal needs and preferences, you can take out hospital cover, extras cover or consider both hospital & extras cover which can suitable in many circumstances. Some people take out hospital cover as they prefer to have more options when undergoing surgery. While other people may be looking at extras cover for out-of-hospital treatments which may include dental, physio or optical.
Nobody needs to get hospital insurance since Australians have access to Medicare. However, there are some situations where it may make sense to get it. For example, ambulance cover isn't covered by the public system in most states. It also tends to have significantly shorter waiting periods and there can be some tax benefits if you earn over $97,000 as a single person.
Hospital insurance pays for treatment as a private patient when you're admitted to hospital. Extras cover helps pay for services outside of hospital such as dental, physiotherapy and optometry.
The MBS is a list of all the healthcare treatments and procedures subsidised by the government. These are called items and there are over 5,700 of them. There's a fee attached to every item on the MBS.
Doctors in a private facility aren't obligated to adhere to the MBS fee for the whole cost of their service. If they charge more than the recommended MBS fee, you will likely have some out-of-pocket expenses.
If a policy is described as a "plus", then it will cover the minimum number of treatments for its tier, along with at least 1 treatment from the next tier up.
Yes. Holding an eligible hospital policy is the only way to avoid the MLS if you're earning over $97,000 as a single or $194,000 as a couple.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 725 Finder guides across topics including:
James Martin was the insurance editor at Finder. He has written on a range of insurance and finance topics for over 7 years. James often shares his insurance expertise as a media spokesperson and has appeared on Prime 7 News, WIN News, Insurance News, 7NEWS and The Guardian. He holds a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, both of which meet the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
James's expertise
James has written 255 Finder guides across topics including:
You can get cover for varicose vein treatment with Medicare or a Silver Insurance Policy, provided the treatment is medically necessary. Compare the costs of both below.
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finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
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You pay nothing. Finder is free to use. And you pay the same as going direct. No markups, no hidden fees.
You save time. We spend 100s of hours researching health insurance so you can sort the gold from the junk faster.
You can trust us. We say it like it is. We aren't owned by an insurer and our opinions are our own.
