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Finding the best health insurance for singles is easy. After all, you only have to choose what's right for you - not anybody else. This guide will help you do just that.
We'll explain the difference between hospital and extras cover, offer tips on getting a policy which fits your needs, and even share some deals so you can enjoy cheaper premiums.
Every policy in this table will cover you for in-hospital and out-of-hospital healthcare. Plus, they all have a $750 excess, so you'll avoid the Medicare levy surcharge.
Get instant quotes for health insurance, just by entering a few details. Don't worry, we won't ask for any contact information, you'll simply get to compare policies with the click of a button.
Health insurance comes in two sections, hospital and extras. Hospital covers treatments performed in private hospitals, like a torn ACL or chemotherapy. Extras covers health treatments outside of hospital, such as dental appointments and prescription glasses.
You can buy these policies separately or together. So you can mix and match between different insurance companies if you like, or keep things simple and stay with one brand.
That'll depend on the level of cover you get. The most basic hospital and extras policy will cost around $90 a month. More comprehensive policies could cost as much as $300 a month.
Individually, extras start at around $15 a month, reaching up to $135 a month. Basic hospital policies start at around $75 a month, reaching up to $195 a month.
Remember though, you can take advantage of deals and sign-up offers. For example, it's common for insurers to offer several weeks free if you sign up to a combined policy.
In lots of cases, yes. For extras policies, it's really easy to get more value out of your policy than you'd spend in premiums all year. You just have to be proactive about claiming.
With hospital insurance, you could actually save money by getting a policy. That's because if you're earning over $90,000 and don't have hospital cover, you're hit with the Medicare Levy Surcharge. That surcharge takes at least 1% of your salary or a minimum of $900 a year.
But it's possible to find a hospital policy which costs less than $900 a year. So you not only avoid the tax, you get cover too!
The best extras policy for you will be the one that matches your lifestyle. If you love the gym, look for a policy that covers membership costs. If you struggle with an ongoing injury, look for a policy with a high limit for physiotherapy.
Dental is consistently the most popular extras benefit. In the three months prior to September 2020, more than 11 million dental claims were made. Check out the table below to see which other extras benefits were particularly popular.
Treatment category | Number of claims |
---|---|
Acupuncture / Acupressure | 331,223 |
Ambulance | 48,359 |
Chiropractic | 2,364,222 |
Community, Home, District Nursing | 1,218 |
Dental | 11,093,106 |
Dietetics | 45,374 |
Preventative Health Products/Health Management Program | 112,907 |
Hearing Aids and Audiology | 19,570 |
Hypnotherapy | 455 |
Maternity Services | 1,818 |
Natural Therapies | 1,449,548 |
Occupational Therapy | 70,981 |
Optical | 2,566,869 |
Orthoptics (Eye Therapy) | 900 |
Osteopathic Services | 236,009 |
Pharmacy | 445,968 |
Physiotherapy | 2,929,551 |
Podiatry (Chiropody) | 686,481 |
Prostheses, Aids and Appliances | 95,634 |
Psych/Group Therapy | 110,013 |
Speech Therapy | 70,210 |
Theatre Fees | 188 |
Travel and Accommodation | 4,063 |
Gold hospital policies are the most comprehensive. They cover all 38 clinical categories, including pregnancy and weight loss surgery. But that doesn't mean gold is right for you.
Take a look at what's covered by the different health insurance tiers to get a better idea of which level of cover might be the most appropriate.
We couldn't find any data showing the number of claims per clinical category, but APRA does publish claims data by MBS block groupings. Take a look to get a better idea of which services are most often claimed.
MBS Speciality Block Groupings | No gap agreement | Known gap agreement | No Agreement |
---|---|---|---|
Psychiatric attendances | 1,222,185 | 31,473 | 66,578 |
Intensive care and cardiopulmonary treatment | 150,963 | 2,357 | 20,740 |
Obstetrics and gynaecology obstetrics | 49,509 | 7,696 | 7,268 |
Anaesthesia | 1,628,433 | 376,449 | 112,793 |
General surgical operations | 200,573 | 31,824 | 88,692 |
Colorectal surgical operations | 123,424 | 13,851 | 9,611 |
Vascular surgical operations. | 17,021 | 2,526 | 2,500 |
Urology | 45,457 | 15,841 | 7,890 |
Cardio-thoracic surgical operations | 140,079 | 9,148 | 10,876 |
Neurosurgical surgical operations | 43,761 | 26,530 | 3,466 |
Ear, nose and throat surgical operations | 30,346 | 23,504 | 8,430 |
Ophthalmology surgical operations | 54,014 | 13,344 | 6,455 |
Plastic and reconstructive surgery | 25,604 | 7,442 | 7,405 |
Orthopaedic surgery | 57,070 | 18,265 | 13,923 |
Assistance at operations | 97,612 | 25,587 | 12,514 |
Diagnostic imaging services | 323,151 | 57,707 | 154,728 |
Pathology services | 3,279,863 | 90,457 | 317,697 |
All other items | 695,496 | 29,361 | 71,370 |
Total | 8,184,561 | 783,362 | 922,936 |
You'll need a gold level hospital policy for at least 12 months before you can claim fertility treatments such as IVF or benefits for pregnancy and childbirth.
Higher level extras policies may also include benefits for pre and post natal healthcare, such as birthing classes or lactation consultants.
You can read more about health insurance for pregnancy and childbirth here.
Unfortunately, kids won't be covered under a single's policy. Instead, you have to look for a single parent or family policy.
Don't worry, you won't pay full price for a family policy if you're a single parent. Insurance companies reduce the price, but each brand reduces the cost by a different amount.
You can compare single parent policies from Finder partners using our search tool.
All hospital policies have to cover pre-existing medical conditions after 12 months. You won't have to pay any more for your policy if you have a health condition either.
In some cases, pre-existing medical conditions might only have a two-month waiting period. This is typically reserved for mental health conditions, rehabilitation, and palliative care.
Looking at Finder partners, the cheapest combined policy was ahm's starter flexi basic at $85.88 a month as of January 2021.
This policy comes with a $500 excess so it will exempt you from the Medicare Levy surcharge but does come with a relatively low level of cover.
Want to know more about cheap health insurance? Check out our page on budget cover.
If you're in your early twenties, check to see if you're still covered by your parents' health insurance policy. You might not need to buy your own just yet.
You can usually stay on your parents policy well past your childhood. For example, Medibank lets kids stay on their parents policy until they're 21 and CUA lets them stay until they're 23.
If you're in full-time study, you might be able to stay on even longer. In fact, from April 1, 2021, dependent kids will be able to stay on their parents' policy until they turn 31 - as long as they're not in a de facto relationship.
Keep your eyes peeled for sign-up deals or offers. You could save hundreds of dollars just by joining a fund, or switching.
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Hi, I’m currently holidaying in Thailand and I would like to take out some health and accident insurance for 12 months.. I cant seem to find travel insurance because I’m already in Thailand.. Can you recommend anybody?
Thanks
Hi Theo,
Thanks for your question.
Even if you are already overseas, you may still be able to get a travel insurance that already include overseas medical assistance and hospital expenses. You can check our comprehensive guide and your options for travel insurance while already overseas on this page. You may request for a quote and check the coverage period available by clicking the “get quote” button on our page.
Cheers,
Anndy
Hiya, I’m really glad I have found this info. Nowadays bloggers publish just about gossips and net and this is actually frustrating. A good blog with exciting content, that is what I need. Thanks for keeping this website, I’ll be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can’t find it.
Hi Keva,
Thank you for your feedback. We are happy to hear about your positive experience with our website. Our team constantly endeavours to provide accurate and up to date information that will help our users make a more informed decision.
Please feel free to browse around and have a good read. If you wish to subscribe to our newsletter, you can sign-up here.
Cheers,
Liezl
Hello and I am with the Teachers health and my wife and I have top hospital and extras cover. I am over 65 and my wife is over 61. years of age. I am looking to have the same cover with as with Teachers Health but we do not need “pregnancy” cover that Teachers Health covers. but we do need all other cover options that Teachers Health does cover, eg. cardiac, glasses, acupuncture, massage , physio, knee /hip replacements etc.
Hi John,
Thank you for your question.
finder.com.au is a comparison and information service and we are not permitted to provide our users with personalised financial advice or product recommendations.
If you would like to compare policies from Australian health funds, please enter your details into quote comparison tool, once you have done, you should consider your own cover requirements and review the different benefits covered for policies by clicking on ‘more info’ option prior to taking out cover.
Cheers,
Zubair