Defence Health
31 open policies in the October 2026 data. Membership is restricted.
Registered as Defence Health Limited.
Who can join, as the fund puts it: current or former members of the ADF and the Defence community and their families.
This insurer is a mutual organisation that operates on a not-for-profit basis.
defencehealth.com.au, phone 1800 335 425
- Hospital
- 20
- Hospital and extras
- 2
- Extras
- 9
- Closed to new members
- 4
How its premiums compare in NSW & ACT
Defence Health's cheapest single hospital policy in each tier against every other insurer's cheapest, restricted funds included, from October 2026 data.
- BasicHospital only$110.009th cheapest of 27
- BronzeHospital only$122.002nd cheapest of 29
- SilverHospital only$161.299th cheapest of 28
- GoldHospital only$196.344th cheapest of 24
- Basic. Its cheapest single Basic hospital policy in NSW & ACT is Starter Hospital Basic Plus, at $110.00 a month before the rebate with a $750 excess: 9th cheapest of 27 insurers. See every insurer
- Bronze. Its cheapest single Bronze hospital policy in NSW & ACT is Saver Hospital Bronze Plus, at $122.00 a month before the rebate with a $750 excess: 2nd cheapest of 29 insurers. See every insurer
- Silver. Its cheapest single Silver hospital policy in NSW & ACT is Defence Hospital Silver Plus, at $161.29 a month before the rebate with a $750 excess: 9th cheapest of 28 insurers. See every insurer
- Gold. Its cheapest single Gold hospital policy in NSW & ACT is ADF Top Hospital Gold, at $196.34 a month before the rebate with a $400 excess: 4th cheapest of 24 insurers. See every insurer
What a single pays each month, cheapest to dearest policy
Monthly, before the rebate, across every excess option. 9 corporate policies are included; they are sold through employers and associations.
- NSW & ACT$110.00 to $406.46
- VIC$111.00 to $438.78
- QLD$118.00 to $437.53
- SA$109.00 to $374.13
- WA$85.00 to $363.10
- TAS$114.00 to $402.08
- NT$58.00 to $233.98
- NSW & ACT$141.52 to $337.01
- VIC$140.59 to $329.45
- QLD$144.79 to $350.77
- SA$142.00 to $339.11
- WA$114.08 to $325.42
- TAS$138.76 to $335.92
- NT$79.65 to $201.35
- NSW & ACT$18.10 to $121.23
- VIC$19.10 to $125.76
- QLD$21.10 to $123.96
- SA$21.10 to $129.09
- WA$15.10 to $121.23
- TAS$18.10 to $112.66
- NT$12.10 to $105.98
Show the figures
| State | Hospital | Hospital and extras | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW & ACT | $110.00 to $406.46 | $141.52 to $337.01 | $18.10 to $121.23 |
| VIC | $111.00 to $438.78 | $140.59 to $329.45 | $19.10 to $125.76 |
| QLD | $118.00 to $437.53 | $144.79 to $350.77 | $21.10 to $123.96 |
| SA | $109.00 to $374.13 | $142.00 to $339.11 | $21.10 to $129.09 |
| WA | $85.00 to $363.10 | $114.08 to $325.42 | $15.10 to $121.23 |
| TAS | $114.00 to $402.08 | $138.76 to $335.92 | $18.10 to $112.66 |
| NT | $58.00 to $233.98 | $79.65 to $201.35 | $12.10 to $105.98 |
What Defence Health covers, and what it pays back
Hospital
Leaving out the nine it sells through employers, Defence Health has 13 policies with hospital cover. They come with no excess or one of $250, $300, $400, $500, $750 or $800. 11 of the 13 drop the excess for children on the policy. Six of the 13 offer the youth discount: up to 10% off for people who join between 18 and 29.
Waiting periods are the standard ones: 12 months for pre-existing conditions and pregnancy, and two months for everything else, psychiatric, rehab and palliative care included. That's the most the law lets a fund make you wait. All 13 cover emergency and non-emergency ambulance trips.
Extras
Not counting the two it sells through employers, Defence Health has nine policies with extras, covering anywhere from 4 to 26 of the 27 services insurers report on. Here's the most any of them pays back on common claims, and the highest yearly limits, next to the typical policy among the 708 on the market.
The most it pays back on common claims
- $45.00typical policy $35.20
- $84.00typical policy $66.85
- $1,071.90typical policy $773.80
- $108.00typical policy $42.00
- $253.00typical policy $75.00
Its highest yearly limits for a single
- General dentalNo yearly limittypical policy $800
- Major dental$1,100typical policy $1,000
- Optical$300typical policy $220
- Physiotherapy$850typical policy $450
- Chiropractic$750typical policy $400
- Psychology$1,300typical policy $400
Benefits are what you'd get back from a provider outside the fund's preferred network, using the national figure or NSW's where a policy pays differently by state. Items paid as a percentage of the fee aren't included. Limits are per person per year on a single policy, and some funds pool several services under one limit. Corporate policies aren't counted. See how every fund compares in what extras pay back, or every policy side by side in the extras explorer.
Hospital policies 20
| Policy | Tier | From | Sold in | Excess options |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Hospital Basic Plus | Basic Plus | $58.00NT | All | $750 |
| Defence Hospital Basic PlusCorporate | Basic Plus | $59.11NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Essentials Hospital Basic Plus | Basic Plus | $61.20NT | All | $250, $750 |
| ADF Public Hospital Basic PlusCorporate | Basic Plus | $125.12All states | All | $0 |
| Public Hospital Basic Plus | Basic Plus | $131.91WA | NSW & ACT, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS | $0 |
| Saver Hospital Bronze Plus | Bronze Plus | $68.00NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Everyday Hospital Bronze Plus | Bronze Plus | $68.71NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Defence Hospital Bronze PlusCorporate | Bronze Plus | $69.80NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Advanced Hospital Bronze Plus | Bronze Plus | $76.16NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Defence Hospital Silver PlusCorporate | Silver Plus | $84.82NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Core Hospital Silver Plus | Silver Plus | $86.95NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Value Hospital Silver Plus | Silver Plus | $98.33NT | All | $250, $500 |
| Defence Hospital Advantage Silver PlusCorporate | Silver Plus | $110.29NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Advantage Hospital Silver Plus | Silver Plus | $110.82NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Top Hospital Gold | Gold | $118.21NT | All | $0, $250, $300, $400, $500, $800 |
| Premier Hospital Gold | Gold | $130.23NT | All | $0, $250, $500 |
| Ultimate Hospital Gold | Gold | $143.81NT | All | $0, $250, $500 |
| Defence Hospital GoldCorporateOnly sold with particular other policies | Gold | $189.84NT | All | $750 |
| ADF Top Hospital GoldCorporate | Gold | $196.34All states | All | $0, $250, $300, $400, $500, $800 |
| Connections Hospital GoldOnly sold with particular other policies | Gold | $212.26NT | All | $750 |
Hospital and extras policies 2
| Policy | Tier | From | Sold in | Excess options |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADF Essentials Package Basic PlusCorporate | Basic Plus | $79.65NT | All | $250 |
| ADF Total Package GoldCorporate | Gold | $162.46NT | All | $0, $250, $500 |
Extras policies 9
| Policy | From | Sold in | Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Extras | $12.10NT | All | 4 |
| Saver Extras | $26.70NT | All | 9 |
| Essentials Extras | $27.68NT | All | 9 |
| Standard ExtrasOnly sold with particular other policies | $32.16All states | All | 13 |
| Flex Extras | $50.00WA | All | 13 |
| Top Extras | $60.91NT | All | 26 |
| Value Extras | $65.22NT | All | 24 |
| Lifestyle Extras | $72.00NSW & ACT | All | 25 |
| Premier Extras | $105.98NT | All | 25 |
Defence Health also has 4 older policies (105 priced variants) closed to new members, which existing members can keep. They are counted here but not listed. Compare its hospital cover with every other insurer's in the hospital explorer.
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.
Questions about Defence Health
- Who can join Defence Health?
- It's a restricted fund. Who can join, as Defence Health puts it: current or former members of the ADF and the Defence community and their families. Defence Health sells 31 policies to new members (20 hospital-only, 2 combined and 9 extras-only), going by the October 2026 data.
- How much does Defence Health pay for a dental check-up?
- Up to $45.00 for a check-up (dental item 012) on its Premier Extras policy, at a dentist outside its preferred network. The typical extras policy across the market pays $35.20.