Best health insurance Australia

The table below shows hospital & extras policy packages from our Online Partners sorted first by Canstar’s expert Star Ratings, then lowest Monthly Premium.

GM, Research
Editor-in-Chief
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  • Star Rating - lowest first
  • Star Rating - highest first
  • Hospital cover tier - lowest first
  • Hospital cover tier - highest first
  • Excess per admission - lowest first
  • Excess per admission - highest first
  • Monthly premium (approx) - lowest first
  • Monthly premium (approx) - highest first
Basic+
$750
$103
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Join Directly On Eligible Cover & Get Up To 12 Weeks Free T&Cs apply. New members only. Ends 31 July. 12 weeks free applied over 2 years (3 years for annual payers).
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
General dental
Physiotherapy
Bronze+
$750
$146
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Earn up to 130,000 Qantas Points on sign-up. Points will be awarded over 6 months. Ends 15 August. Eligibility criteria and T&Cs apply.
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
General dental
Physiotherapy
Bronze
$750
$135
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Waits on Dental? No way! 2&6 month waits waived on extras on combined hospital and extras cover.* Offer ends 17 August 2025. *T&C's apply.
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
General dental
Physiotherapy
Basic
$750
$109
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Want 6 weeks free and up to $500 in gift cards? New members only. T&Cs apply.
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
General dental
Physiotherapy
Basic+
$750
$109
dot
Get up to 14 weeks FREE. For new members who join by 28 August and maintain hospital and extras cover. T&Cs apply.
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
General dental
Physiotherapy
Bronze+
$750
$110
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Winner of Canstar's Outstanding Value Health Insurance 9 years running and winner of more Canstar Awards than any other Health Fund in 2024.
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
General dental
Physiotherapy
Basic+
$750
$106
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
General dental
Physiotherapy
Basic
$750
$109
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
General dental
Physiotherapy
Bronze
$750
$123
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
General dental
Physiotherapy

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canstar-rating-icon Canstar Star Rating

Unsure of a term in the above table? View glossary

The initial results in the table above are sorted by Star Rating (High-Low) , then Monthly premium (approx) (Low-High) , then Provider Name (Alphabetical) . Additional filters may have been applied, which impact the results displayed in the table - filters can be applied or removed at any time.

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Get up to 14 weeks FREE. For new members who join by 17 July and maintain hospital and extras cover. T&Cs apply.
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Mix and match hospital & extras cover to suit your needs
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Switching to HBF is easy – do it online today!
Australian Financial Services Licence 227681. See Terms & Conditions.
Australian Financial Services Licence 227681. See Terms & Conditions.

Best health insurance

Finding the best private health insurance for your healthcare needs and your budget takes time and research. Canstar has made it easier by road testing thousands of policy combinations from 32 different Australian health insurance providers. The result is our 2024 Health Insurance Star Ratings and Awards, designed to help you in your search to find the best health insurance for your needs.

You can use the table at the top of this page to compare health insurance policies from our Online Partners to find the one that best fits your requirements. The table features Canstar’s expert Star Rating for each product, as well as premium and coverage details. Use the filters to adjust the table to show policies that match your requirements. The filters include options for both combined or separate hospital and extras policies, different ages and locations. There are also filters for:

  • Singles
  • Couples
  • Family
  • Single parents

You can also specify other requirements, such as the Star Rating, provider, and whether or not they are a Canstar Online Partner, which means there is a button to click that takes you to the provider’s website so you can obtain a quote. (We may earn a referral fee in this instance.)

When choosing the filters for ‘hospital & extras’ or just ‘hospital’ cover, other filters include:

  • The level of excess – $0 – $249; $250 – $499; $500 – $749; $750+
  • If you would like cover for pregnancy and birth services
  • A range of hospital inclusions, such as assisted reproduction, joint replacement, and palliative care.

When looking at extras only cover, there are also a number of options for included cover, such as general dental, optical, physiotherapy and remedial massage, as well as excess and payment frequency options.

Best health insurance: Outstanding Value winners

If you’re looking for the best value health insurance, Canstar’s Star Ratings and Awards could help. Three health funds topped the list nationally in Canstar’s 2024 Health Insurance Star Ratings and Awards:

Bupa

Bupa retained its National Award in 2024 thanks to its consistently strong performances across Hospital, Extras and Package policies. Having strengthened its performance in Extras, Bupa also picked up five State Awards for Extras. The Canstar Research Team noted that Bupa offers a range of extras policies that performed strongly across the three levels of cover assessed. Additionally, Bupa’s Members First Extras Network provides members with higher benefits and limits across a wide selection of network providers, contributing to its high performance in the Extras categories.

HCF

HCF continues to provide outstanding value across hospital, extras and package cover, earning the National Health Insurance Award and multiple Hospital and Package State Awards. HCF’s Bronze Plus and Standard Silver Plus policies continue to shine in the Young and Established Hospital profiles respectively, offering policyholders broad coverage for a competitive monthly premium. The Canstar Research Team observed an increased performance in the Mature profiles, driven by HCF maintaining stable premiums year-on-year for its Silver Plus policy. For extras, HCF continues to provide a competitive range of policy options, ensuring consumers can find coverage that suits them and their individual needs.

Medibank

Medibank is once again a recipient of Canstar’s National Outstanding Value Award for Health Insurance. Medibank continues to offer competitive policy options across all levels to help members find coverage that suits their needs. In Canstar’s 2024 awards research, Medibank’s performance strengthened in Hospital and Packages, which resulted in four State Awards across the two Award categories. This strengthening was driven by Medibank maintaining relatively stable premiums across several policies, including its Bronze suite and Silver Plus Core policies.

Focus on your state/territory

When you’re shopping for the best value health insurance for your needs, it’s important to focus your search on health funds – as well as premiums – applicable to your state.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman says the premiums you pay and the benefits you’re entitled to can differ from state to state. This being the case, Canstar’s Health Insurance Star Ratings and Awards narrow down the best private health insurance for different types of cover in each state or territory.

View all Award Winners

Frequently Asked Questions about Health Insurance

Australians can choose from three main types of health insurance policies – hospital cover, extras (or general) cover, and packaged cover that combines both hospital and extras cover. Or you can choose to take out hospital cover with one provider, and take out extras cover with a separate health insurer.

Hospital cover typically lets you choose to be treated as a private patient in either a private or public hospital. Exactly what you’re covered for depends on the policy and the tier of cover you select.

All hospital policies must be classified under one of four tiers: gold, silver, bronze or basic. Gold provides the highest level of cover and, as the name suggests, a basic policy provides the lowest level of cover.

This tiered system makes it easier for consumers to compare policies. However, your insurer can choose to offer a policy that provides cover above the minimum requirements of a particular tier. You’ll often see these policies promoted as, for example, Basic Plus (+) or Bronze Plus (+).

In 2024, the winners for hospital cover in each state are:

  • Queensland – HCF
  • NSW (includes ACT) – Medibank
  • Victoria – GMHBA
  • Tasmania – St Lukes
  • South Australia – HCF
  • Western Australia – HCF
  • Northern Territory – Medibank

Extras cover, also known as general treatment or ancillary cover, is designed to help with the cost of health services not covered by Medicare. These services can include:

  • Chiropractic treatment
  • Dental treatment
  • Glasses and contact lenses
  • Home nursing
  • Orthodontics
  • Physiotherapy
  • Speech therapy

While private health insurance policies provide different levels of extras cover, they are not classified under the same tiers as hospital cover. This makes it important to know what services you will be insured for under various policies, even those offered by the same health fund. Some policies may cover you for a wide variety of services, while others may cover just a few.

The common thread, according to the Department of Health and Aged Care, is that many extras policies only let you claim a percentage of costs for each service. For example, you may only be covered for 50% of the cost for dental treatments. Alternatively, there may be a limit to how much you can claim for the same service each year. As a guide, you could have a maximum limit of $500 for dental treatments in a given year.

Canstar’s Health Insurance Star Ratings have identified the best value health insurance for extras cover across each state and territory. The 2024 winners for extras cover are:

  • Queensland – Bupa
  • NSW (includes ACT) – Bupa
  • Victoria – Bupa
  • Tasmania – Bupa
  • South Australia – Bupa
  • Western Australia – HBF
  • Northern Territory – HBF

If you’re looking for complete cover for your healthcare needs, one option is to take out packaged cover. This combines hospital plus extras cover through a single policy with the same health insurer.

Dealing with just one health fund can have advantages. It can make it easier to manage monthly premiums and streamline the process of making a claim on your health insurance. But it’s not essential to take out packaged cover. You are free to mix and match, and to purchase hospital cover with one insurer and extras cover with another. It’s an option that can allow you to closely tailor your health cover to your personal needs.

If you prefer the simplicity of having all your cover with the same fund, Canstar’s Health Insurance Star Ratings and Awards can help you narrow the search for the best packaged health insurance in your state or territory.

Our 2024 Awards winners for packaged health cover are:

  • Queensland – Medibank
  • NSW (includes ACT) – Phoenix
  • Victoria – HCF
  • Tasmania – HCF
  • South Australia – Health Partners
  • Western Australia – HCF
  • Northern Territory – Medibank

No matter what type of health cover you’re looking for – be it hospital, extras cover or both – it always makes sense to select a policy that suits your individual needs.

If you’re single, for instance, you’re likely to have very different healthcare needs than a family. Likewise, the best health insurance for a young couple is likely to be quite different from a policy that’s well-suited to an older person.

The key to finding the best health insurance for you is to check exactly what you’re covered for. It can also help to consider your family history when selecting health cover. If older members of your family all need to wear glasses, for instance, it may not be a bad idea to select extras cover that includes optical cover.

At the other end of the scale, you may be motivated to take out health insurance purely as a means of avoiding the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS). The MLS is an additional charge on top of the standard 2.0% Medicare levy. The extra cost can work out to be 1%, 1.25% or 1.5% of your taxable income each year if you are single and earn over $93,000 annually or more than $186,000 as a family.

Paying the MLS doesn’t entitle you to any additional services beyond what’s available through Medicare. However, the surcharge can be avoided if you take out private patient hospital cover. The ATO advises that for singles, an appropriate level of cover must have an excess of $750 or less. Couples or families must have an excess of $1500 or less. It could be a wise idea to compare the cost of a Basic health insurance policy to the cost of the MLS, to see which is cheaper.

Latest in health insurance

Canstar Star Ratings and Awards

Looking for an award-winning product or to switch providers or brands? Canstar rates products based on price and features in our Star Ratings and Awards. Our expert Research team shares insights about which products offer 5-Star value and which providers offer outstanding value overall. We also reveal which providers have the most satisfied customers in our dedicated Customer Satisfaction Awards.

Health Insurance Star Ratings and Awards

About our finance experts

Nina Rinella, Editor-in-Chief

Nina Rinella
As Canstar’s Editor-in-Chief, Nina heads up a team of talented journalists committed to helping empower consumers to take greater control of their finances. Nina has written countless articles about finance and has been interviewed on finance topics by media organisations including The Australian, Realestate.com.au, Domain, the Herald Sun and the Sydney Morning Herald. Previously Nina founded her own agency where she provided content and communications support to clients around Australia for 8 years. She also spent four years as the PR Manager for American Express Australia, and has worked at a Brisbane communications agency where she supported dozens of clients, including Sunsuper and Suncorp. When she’s not dreaming up ways to put a fresh spin on finance, she’s taking her own advice by trying to pay her house off as quickly as possible and raising two money-savvy kids. Nina has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English Literature from the University of Queensland. She’s also an experienced presenter, and has hosted numerous events and YouTube series. You can follow her on LinkedIn and Canstar on Facebook. Meet the Canstar Editorial Team. Have a media enquiry, and interested in featuring Nina as a financial expert and commentator? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

Joshua Sale, GM, Research

Joshua Sale

As Canstar’s Ratings Manager, Josh Sale is responsible for the methodology and delivery of Canstar’s Health Insurance Star Ratings and Awards. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, Josh has worked behind the scenes for the last five years to develop Star Ratings and Awards that help connect consumers with the right product for them.

Josh is passionate about helping consumers get hands-on with their finances. Josh has been interviewed by media outlets such as the Australian Financial Reviewnews.com.au and Money Magazine.

You can follow Josh on LinkedIn, and Canstar on X and Facebook.

Important information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Canstar may earn a fee from its Online Partners for referrals from its website tables, and from sponsorship or promotion of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and sponsorship or promotion may vary between providers, website position, and revenue model. Sponsorship/promotion fees may be higher than referral fees. If a product is sponsored or promoted, it’s an ad and it is clearly marked as such. An ad might appear in different places on our website, such as in comparison tables and articles. Ads may be displayed in a fixed position in a table, regardless of the product's rating, price or other attributes. The location of an ad doesn’t indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings. See How We Get Paid to find out more. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings or Awards.

If you click a 'book a call' button you will be redirected to ItsMyGroup Pty Ltd (ABN 85 167 289 965). If you book a call, you will deal directly with ItsMyGroup who will provide you with information and advice about health insurance policies. You will be speaking with an employee or agent of ItsMyGroup not Canstar. Canstar is not responsible to you for any advice ItsMyHealth provides to you. If you make a decision to enter into a health insurance policy, you are responsible for all fees payable in relation to that policy. Before applying for any health insurance policy, you should read and understand the product information. Consider the Product Summary to obtain full details of inclusions, exclusions, waiting periods and all limits that may apply.

Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. We cannot and do not recommend that any particular product is suitable for you. 

We provide links to our Online Partners. These are brands that may pay Canstar a fee for referring you. Our tables default to display only our Online Partners’ products initially, you can adjust the Online Partner Filter to see all of the products available for comparison on Canstar’s website. We provide these links so that you can click through to the product provider’s website to get more information. The provision of these links does not constitute a recommendation by Canstar.

Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general advice is right for your personal circumstances. You may need advice from a qualified adviser. Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. If you decide to apply for an insurance policy, you will deal directly with the provider, not with Canstar.  It’s important you check product information directly with the provider. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before making a purchase decision. For more information, read our Detailed Disclosure.

The Health Insurance Star Ratings were awarded in November 2024 and data in the table is current as at that date, updated from time to time to reflect product changes notified to us by product issuers. The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Learn more about our Health Insurance Star Rating Methodology. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering products.

The products and Star Ratings in the table might not match your exact inputs in the selector. Sometimes the methodology uses profiles with categories or bands (e.g. income, loan amount or monthly spend), but sometimes a single methodology, without any categories or bands, is applied. The results will show the products that most closely match your selection, based on our profiles. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.

Companies listed in the table, or in ads, may use or be used by another company to arrange, issue, distribute or sell its insurance policies to customers. For more information on the issuer of the policy, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.

If you are seeking to replace an insurance policy, you should consider your personal circumstances, including continuing the existing cover until the replacement policy is issued and cover confirmed. Your current policy may have different features to products currently on the market. Please consider what features are right for you when comparing insurance products and refer to the provider for further details on a policy.

What is a Target Market Determination?

A Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) is a document that explains which people particular financial products may be suitable for (the target market) and sets out any conditions around how financial products can be distributed to consumers.

Why do product issuers provide Target Market Determinations?

From 5 October 2021, TMDs are compulsory for most financial products.

Issuers and distributors of financial products must take reasonable steps that are likely to result in financial products reaching consumers in the target market defined by the product issuer.

We recommend that you consider the TMD before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD.