Compare Health Insurance
Health Insurance Finder® helps you compare health insurance from 30+ funds in Australia.
Health Insurance Finder® helps you compare health insurance from 30+ funds in Australia.
Private health insurance helps with the cost of healthcare in a private hospital. It lets you avoid public waiting lists, choose your own doctor and can provide you with your own private room. Not all policies are created equal, so it's important to compare health insurance and find the best health cover for you. There are two main types of cover: hospital and extras.
The cost of private health insurance varies, but we crunched the numbers from 30+ Australian funds to see what you'll have to pay for hospital and extras cover per month, depending on the level of cover you choose.
Tier | Average | Treatments included |
---|---|---|
Basic | $86 |
|
Bronze | $101 |
|
Silver | $154 |
|
Gold | $244 |
|
Extras cover | Average | Included benefits |
---|---|---|
Core | $32 |
|
Medium | $67 |
|
Comprehensive | $116 |
|
Average prices are updated monthly, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
Private health insurance gives you access to the same hospital services covered by Medicare – but you get access to your own doctor, private room and waiting times are significantly shorter.
Extras insurance cover does cover healthcare costs that aren't typically covered by the public healthcare system, such as dental, physiotherapy and optical.
If you go to a private hospital as a private patient, Medicare will pay 75% of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee. Your health insurance covers the other 25%, plus accommodation costs and theatre fees. Sometimes there's a gap between the MBS fee and the total cost of your procedure. You may need to pay this unless your health insurance has no gap cover.
Not sure if private health insurance is worth it? Here are some key differences between the public and private healthcare systems in Australia:
Public system | Private health insurance | |
---|---|---|
Doctor | A public hospital will allocate a doctor for you. You don't get to choose. | You can choose which doctor you see. |
Private room | You'll likely end up in a shared room in a public hospital. | Insurance gives you access to a private room if there's one available. |
Waiting lists | Waiting lists for elective treatments can range from a few weeks to a few years. | Private insurance usually involves a shorter wait. For some procedures, you may even be able to pick your date. |
Treatment types | Medicare doesn't cover most dental, hearing aids or other out-of-hospital treatments. | Extras can give you cashback on out-of-hospital services such as optical, dental, psychology and hearing aids. |
Ambulance costs | In most cases, Medicare won't pay for your ambulance except in Queensland and Tasmania. | Most health funds include cover for an emergency ambulance, even on Basic policies. |
Getting health insurance had been on my to-do list for the longest time, but I found it very confusing. I realised it was actually split into two parts - hospital cover (anything in the hospital and the more expensive part) and extras cover (for the dentist and those new specs). I've actually switched policies 3 times in the last 4 years to take advantage of the sign up offers funds give when you join. I've saved around $800 so far.— Alex Holderness, head of publishing
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.
APRA data shows combined policies are held by some 11.76 million people in Australia. Here's something insurers like to keep quite about: you can split your hospital and extras policy and get them from 2 different providers. By doing so, you can shape both policies to your actual needs while saving money at the same time.
James Martin
Editor for insurance
Funds including Medibank, Bupa, HCF and NIB are delaying their premium increases until later in the year (this usually happens every April). They all let you pay a year (or more) of your health insurance upfront. For example, HCF lets you lock in for 18 months. It's delaying its 3.33% price increase until September 2023. That means you could lock in 2023 prices until March 2025. Depending on the policy you have, you could save up to $134 by prepaying.
Gary Ross Hunter
Insurance and innovations editor
I've always been a big proponent of private health cover - and geez I was glad I had it when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. With any unexpected serious illness, the type of treatment - and crucially the speed of it - could make all the difference.
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Freelance finance journalist
Health insurance is heavily regulated in Australia, which makes it easier to compare health insurance policies like-for-like. That said, funds still have different products and prices, so it's still important to make sure you're getting the right cover for you and your family.
Tim Bennett
Finder health insurance publisher
Hospital cover helps pay for a range of hospital treatments in a private hospital. This can include joint reconstructions, hernia operations and childbirth.
Extras cover helps towards out-of-hospital healthcare. This includes trips to the dentist, eye care by an optomotrists, physiotherapists and natural therapies.
Take our 30 second quiz to see if you need private health insurance at all. It's an important product, but not everybody needs it.
The private health insurance rebate makes health insurance cheaper for most people. Your exact rebate is determined by your age and income.
Whether you're a high earner or turning 30, there are a few things you need to know about private health insurance at tax time.
The price of health insurance can vary a lot based on your age, income and your lifestyle.
Switching health funds is quick and easy. You can transfer your waiting periods, while potentially saving money with new sign-up deals.
Extras benefit limits place a cap on the amount you can claim. They typically reset every 12 months. A higher limit may mean a more expensive policy, but not always.
Waiting periods apply to both extras and hospital policies - you'll need to serve these before claiming a benefit. Some extras policies let you skip some waiting periods.
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Hi – are my health insurance premiums going up in 2024?
Hi Jason, thanks for your question.
Health insurance premiums will be going up by 3.03% on average in 2024. The government has to approve these increases each year – this year took a little longer for that to happen. The price rise should happen on April 1 2024.
Be sure to check the news article I linked – it’s got the breakdown of how much each health fund is increasing premiums. 3.03% is just an average across all funds – your fund will probably be slight more or less than that.
Have a good one!
Tim
Hi,
Are there any such plans that cover foreign hospital treatments for people seeking treatment for cancer? I have pre-existing medical conditions and looking for health cover for overseas treatment. Please advice.
Hi John,
Unfortunately, most domestic health insurance policies don’t offer cover for treatment needed outside of Australia. However, travel insurance that specifically covers overseas medical expenses may help.
Make sure you read each policy’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) with care so that you know what cover is available.
Also, check to see if there are any reciprocal healthcare agreements in place between Australia and each country you’re intending to visit.
Regards,
James
Hi John,
Unfortunately, most domestic health insurance policies don’t offer cover for treatment needed outside of Australia. However, travel insurance (https://www.finder.com.au/travel-insurance) that specifically covers overseas medical expenses may help. Make sure you read each policy’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) with care, so that you know what cover is available.
Also, check to see if there are any reciprocal healthcare agreements in place between Australia and each country you’re intending to visit.
Regards,
James
I would like a real time answer to my request for cover .
Hi Robert,
Can which cover you are referring to, please? I’ll wait for your response. If possible, please return to our website and click on the chat button found on the lower right corner of our to chat with us in real-time.
Moreover, please feel free as well to get in touch with the specific insurer you have chosen. They should be able to provide you with more details of the cover you’re interested in.
Regards,
James
What is the best health insurance that pays well for natural therapies that is needed weekly
Hi Maureen,
Thanks for your comment and I hope you are well!
You can compare and choose health insurance for natural therapies. You can use our comparison table that shows the amount of cover offered by each for natural therapy service. While choosing, don’t forget to read each insurer’s limit, type of policy, price and etc. You can press the ‘Go to site’ button which brings you to the provider’s official page to get a quote and start your application. If you need more options, you may utilize the online form that can be found further down the page. An insurer will contact you upon receipt of your inquiry. At this point, you can also let them know that you would need weekly therapy.
As a friendly reminder, carefully review the Product Disclosure Statement of the product before applying. You may also contact the insurance provider should you have any questions about their policy.
Hope this helps and feel free to reach out to us again for further assistance.
With care,
Nikki
Is there any available private insurance package that covers beauty and plastic surgeries? What package is the most applicable for those procedures?
Hi Maria,
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder. I hope all is well with you. 😃
In most cases, elective cosmetic procedures are not covered by health insurance policies. However, reconstructive plastic surgery is likely to be covered. We do have a guide about health insurance covering cosmetic surgery. On the page, you will know which health funds cover medically necessary plastic surgery.
If you are after health insurance that covers elective surgery, your options might be limited. You may want to fill out our health insurance search form. You can ask the insurers directly whether they cover elective cosmetic surgeries or not.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua