Every health insurance policy, as filed.
Every insurer must file each policy it sells, with its premium in every state, with the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman. We read the whole register each month, 1,386 policies from 33 insurers in the October 2026 data, and lay it out cheapest first. No insurer pays to be here.
What hospital cover costs a month in NSW & ACT
Before the government rebate- Basic$102.60 to $158.45typical $121.81
- Bronze$121.79 to $189.50typical $146.69
- Silver$157.30 to $429.83typical $247.05
- Gold$248.55 to $514.55typical $426.39
The tiers overlap: the cheapest Gold policy, at $248.55, costs less than the dearest Silver ones, at up to $429.83.
Show the figures
| Tier | Cheapest | Typical | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $102.60 | $121.81 | $158.45 |
| Bronze | $121.79 | $146.69 | $189.50 |
| Silver | $157.30 | $247.05 | $429.83 |
| Gold | $248.55 | $426.39 | $514.55 |
The cheapest in each tier
- Basic$205.20 to $316.90typical $244.60
- Bronze$243.58 to $379.00typical $293.36
- Silver$314.60 to $859.66typical $493.40
- Gold$497.10 to $942.10typical $832.25
The tiers overlap: the cheapest Gold policy, at $497.10, costs less than the dearest Silver ones, at up to $859.66.
Show the figures
| Tier | Cheapest | Typical | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $205.20 | $244.60 | $316.90 |
| Bronze | $243.58 | $293.36 | $379.00 |
| Silver | $314.60 | $493.40 | $859.66 |
| Gold | $497.10 | $832.25 | $942.10 |
The cheapest in each tier
- Basic$205.20 to $328.12typical $246.86
- Bronze$243.58 to $381.77typical $304.80
- Silver$314.60 to $859.66typical $494.41
- Gold$497.10 to $949.03typical $835.94
The tiers overlap: the cheapest Gold policy, at $497.10, costs less than the dearest Silver ones, at up to $859.66.
Show the figures
| Tier | Cheapest | Typical | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $205.20 | $246.86 | $328.12 |
| Bronze | $243.58 | $304.80 | $381.77 |
| Silver | $314.60 | $494.41 | $859.66 |
| Gold | $497.10 | $835.94 | $949.03 |
The cheapest in each tier
- Basic$156.05 to $264.41typical $203.55
- Bronze$181.70 to $328.25typical $243.55
- Silver$239.13 to $730.74typical $402.00
- Gold$397.65 to $880.29typical $697.08
The tiers overlap: the cheapest Gold policy, at $397.65, costs less than the dearest Silver ones, at up to $730.74.
Show the figures
| Tier | Cheapest | Typical | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $156.05 | $203.55 | $264.41 |
| Bronze | $181.70 | $243.55 | $328.25 |
| Silver | $239.13 | $402.00 | $730.74 |
| Gold | $397.65 | $697.08 | $880.29 |
The cheapest in each tier
Every hospital-only policy anyone can buy in New South Wales and the ACT, at each excess it's sold with. Half the prices sit above the typical one and half below. Other states are below.
The cheapest hospital policy a single person can buy, in every state
Hospital-only policies anyone can join, at whatever excess makes them cheapest. Corporate policies, insurers that restrict membership, and policies sold only with extras are left out. NSW policies also cover the ACT.
Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic are set by law, by the treatments a policy must cover
There are 38 clinical categories, from joint replacements to pregnancy. Each tier has a minimum list; a Plus policy covers more than its tier's minimum. The strips below show what every policy on sale in October 2026 actually covers, one square per category: hover or tap a square for its name.
- Covered in full
- Restricted
- Not covered
Basic
181 Basic and Basic Plus policies
The floor: every Basic policy covers hospital psychiatric services, palliative care and rehabilitation, at least on restricted terms, and none of the 38 categories in full. Basic Plus policies add more.
Typical single premium across Australia $117.05Compare Basic policiesBronze
182 Bronze and Bronze Plus policies
Every Bronze policy covers at least 18 of the 38 categories in full, adding bone, joint and muscle, brain and nervous system, breast surgery (medically necessary), chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy for cancer and diabetes management (excluding insulin pumps) and 13 more to the tier below.
Typical single premium across Australia $145.50Compare Bronze policiesSilver
384 Silver and Silver Plus policies
Every Silver policy covers at least 26 of the 38 categories in full, adding back, neck and spine, blood, dental surgery, heart and vascular system and implantation of hearing devices and 3 more to the tier below.
Typical single premium across Australia $224.68Compare Silver policiesGold
196 Gold policies
Every Gold policy covers all 38 categories in full, adding assisted reproductive services, cataracts, dialysis for chronic kidney failure, hospital psychiatric services and insulin pumps and 7 more to the tier below.
Typical single premium across Australia $386.13Compare Gold policies
443 extras policies, priced by how much they cover
Extras pay towards treatment outside hospital, such as dental, optical and physio. Policies are grouped here by how many of the 27 standard services they cover, with the typical single premium in each group.
Typical single premium a month
- Basicfewer than 13 services$44.93
- Medium13 to 20 services$70.03
- Comprehensive21 or more services$101.75
The cheapest in each group
- Comprehensive
- $40.63HBF, Core Extras, in NT
How many of the 238 extras policies anyone can buy cover each service
- General dental99%
- Physiotherapy92%
- Optical87%
- Chiropractic85%
- Major dental80%
- Psychology65%
No premium changed between the September 2026 and October 2026 extracts
All 77,194 variants priced in both extracts kept their premium. Insurers reprice once a year, on 1 April; when they do, every premium that moves is logged here policy by policy, with its old and new value.
33 insurers selling policies
All insurersAbove $105,000 a year, no hospital cover means paying a surcharge instead
Singles earning more than $105,000 and families earning more than $210,000 pay 1% to 1.5% of their income on top of the Medicare levy unless they hold an eligible hospital policy. Extras cover does not count. For many people the cheapest hospital policy costs less than the surcharge it removes.
Work out yoursA single on $110,000 in NSW & ACT, a year
- Surcharge without cover$1,100
- Cheapest exempt policyafter the rebate$1,033
ahm's ambulance hospital (basic), $102.60 a month before the 16.1% rebate for an under-65. A Lifetime Health Cover loading would add to it.
Questions people ask
- What is the cheapest hospital cover in Australia?
- In the October 2026 data, the cheapest hospital-only policy anyone can buy for a single is ahm's ambulance hospital (basic) in the Northern Territory, at $39.30 a month before the rebate (Basic, $750 excess). In New South Wales and the ACT it is ahm's ambulance hospital (basic) at $102.60. The cheapest policies cover the fewest treatments, so check the clinical categories on the policy's page before you buy.
- How much does Gold hospital cover cost?
- For a single, the cheapest Gold policy anyone can buy costs from $175.10 a month in NT to $248.55 in NSW & ACT, VIC, QLD, SA and WA. Across all states and excess options the typical Gold premium is $386.13 a month for a single and $751.17 for a couple, before the rebate.
- What do Basic, Bronze, Silver and Gold mean?
- Every hospital policy is classed by the clinical categories it must cover. In the October 2026 data, every Gold policy covers all 38 categories in full, every Silver policy at least 26 and every Bronze policy at least 18. Even Basic policies cover hospital psychiatric services, palliative care and rehabilitation, at least on restricted terms. A Plus tier covers more than its tier's minimum. 196 of the 943 hospital and combined policies on sale are Gold and 384 are Silver or Silver Plus.
- Does extras cover avoid the Medicare levy surcharge?
- No. Only hospital cover can. In the October 2026 data, all 943 hospital and combined policies are filed as exempting the holder from the surcharge, and none of the 443 extras-only policies are.
- How often do health insurance premiums change?
- Most insurers reprice once a year on 1 April, after the federal health minister approves the round. Between the September 2026 and October 2026 extracts, none of the 77,194 variants priced in both changed premium.
- Which health insurers can anyone join?
- 24 of the 33 insurers selling policies take anyone. ACA Health, CBHS Health, Defence Health, Doctors' Health Fund, Navy Health, Police Health, Reserve Bank Health Society, Teachers Health and TUH only take people from particular professions, employers or communities, and their policies are hidden from the comparisons unless you ask for them.
- Where does this data come from?
- From the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman's monthly extract of PrivateHealth.gov.au, published on data.gov.au under CC BY 3.0 AU. Every insurer must file every policy it sells there, with its premium in each state. This page uses the extract dated 1 Oct 2026: 79,604 priced variants of 1,386 policies. 52,414 closed variants, no longer sold to new members, are counted but not listed.
Source: PrivateHealth.gov.au data (Private Health Insurance Ombudsman) via data.gov.au, licensed CC BY 3.0 AU. Normalised by The Finance Algorithm from the extract dated 1 Oct 2026, read on 23 Oct 2026.
Premiums are monthly and shown before the Australian Government rebate and any Lifetime Health Cover loading or age-based discount. Confirm the price and the cover with the insurer before you buy; the official statement for every policy is on PrivateHealth.gov.au. This is general information, not advice, and no insurer pays to be listed or ranked here.