HBF
30 open policies in the October 2026 data. Anyone can join.
Registered as HBF Health Limited.
This insurer is a mutual organisation that operates on a not-for-profit basis.
hbf.com.au, phone 133 423
- Hospital
- 20
- Hospital and extras
- 0
- Extras
- 10
- Closed to new members
- 25
How its premiums compare in NSW & ACT
HBF's cheapest single hospital policy in each tier against every other insurer's cheapest, counting policies anyone can buy, from October 2026 data.
- BasicHospital only$105.375th cheapest of 20
- BronzeHospital only$125.105th cheapest of 21
- SilverHospital only$158.783rd cheapest of 21
- GoldHospital only$421.186th cheapest of 10
- Basic. Its cheapest single Basic hospital policy in NSW & ACT is Basic Hospital Accident Only, at $105.37 a month before the rebate with a $750 excess: 5th cheapest of 20 insurers. See every insurer
- Bronze. Its cheapest single Bronze hospital policy in NSW & ACT is Lite Bronze Hospital Plus, at $125.10 a month before the rebate with a $750 excess: 5th cheapest of 21 insurers. See every insurer
- Silver. Its cheapest single Silver hospital policy in NSW & ACT is Essential Silver Hospital, at $158.78 a month before the rebate with a $750 excess: 3rd cheapest of 21 insurers. See every insurer
- Gold. Its cheapest single Gold hospital policy in NSW & ACT is Gold Hospital Elevate, at $421.18 a month before the rebate with a $750 excess: 6th cheapest of 10 insurers. See every insurer
What a single pays each month, cheapest to dearest policy
Monthly, before the rebate, across every excess option. 2 corporate policies are included; they are sold through employers and associations.
- NSW & ACT$105.37 to $449.51
- VIC$102.50 to $492.49
- QLD$108.20 to $476.89
- SA$107.07 to $397.63
- WA$79.13 to $399.63
- TAS$100.42 to $419.88
- NT$53.01 to $241.51
- NSW & ACT$3.95 to $169.59
- VIC$3.95 to $151.95
- QLD$22.73 to $149.39
- SA$5.61 to $137.18
- WA$5.61 to $138.79
- TAS$16.86 to $126.10
- NT$3.95 to $102.20
Show the figures
| State | Hospital | Extras |
|---|---|---|
| NSW & ACT | $105.37 to $449.51 | $3.95 to $169.59 |
| VIC | $102.50 to $492.49 | $3.95 to $151.95 |
| QLD | $108.20 to $476.89 | $22.73 to $149.39 |
| SA | $107.07 to $397.63 | $5.61 to $137.18 |
| WA | $79.13 to $399.63 | $5.61 to $138.79 |
| TAS | $100.42 to $419.88 | $16.86 to $126.10 |
| NT | $53.01 to $241.51 | $3.95 to $102.20 |
What HBF covers, and what it pays back
Hospital
Leaving out the two it sells through employers, HBF has 18 policies with hospital cover. They come with a choice of $250, $500 or $750 excess. All 18 drop the excess for children on the policy. HBF doesn't offer the youth discount, up to 10% off for people who join between 18 and 29, though 67% of hospital policies on the market do.
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. For ambulance, nine cover emergency ambulance trips only and nine cover emergency and non-emergency ambulance trips.
Extras
HBF has eight policies with extras, covering anywhere from 6 to 24 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
- $37.50typical policy $35.20
- $73.50typical policy $66.85
- $743.00typical policy $773.80
- $50.00typical policy $42.00
- $79.00typical policy $75.00
Its highest yearly limits for a single
- General dentalNo yearly limittypical policy $800
- Major dental$1,000typical policy $1,000
- Optical$275typical policy $220
- Physiotherapy$1,000typical policy $450
- Chiropractic$1,000typical policy $400
- Psychology$1,000typical 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Hospital Accident Only | Basic | $53.01NT | All | $750 |
| Basic Hospital Accident Only & Ambulance Care | Basic | $55.18NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $750 |
| Basic Hospital Plus | Basic Plus | $57.62NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Basic Hospital Plus & Ambulance Care | Basic Plus | $59.79NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $500, $750 |
| Basic Hospital Plus Elevate | Basic Plus | $60.92NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Basic Hospital Plus Elevate & Ambulance Care | Basic Plus | $63.09NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $500, $750 |
| Lite Bronze Hospital Plus | Bronze Plus | $61.31NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Lite Bronze Hospital Plus & Ambulance Care | Bronze Plus | $63.48NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $500, $750 |
| Bronze Hospital Plus | Bronze Plus | $65.05NT | All | $250, $500, $750 |
| Bronze Hospital Plus & Ambulance Care | Bronze Plus | $67.22NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $250, $500, $750 |
| Essential Silver Hospital | Silver Plus | $81.60NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Essential Silver Hospital & Ambulance Care | Silver Plus | $83.77NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $500, $750 |
| Silver Hospital | Silver Plus | $88.56NT | All | $250, $500, $750 |
| Silver Hospital & Ambulance Care | Silver Plus | $90.73NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $250, $500, $750 |
| Silver Hospital Plus | Silver Plus | $141.18NT | All | $250, $500, $750 |
| Silver Hospital Plus & Ambulance Care | Silver Plus | $143.35NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $250, $500, $750 |
| Corporate Gold HospitalCorporate | Gold | $171.33NT | All | $0, $250, $500 |
| Corporate Gold Hospital & Ambulance CareCorporate | Gold | $173.50NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $0, $250, $500 |
| Gold Hospital Elevate | Gold | $222.43NT | All | $500, $750 |
| Gold Hospital Elevate & Ambulance Care | Gold | $224.60NT | VIC, SA, WA, NT | $500, $750 |
Extras policies 10
| Policy | From | Sold in | Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Ambulance | $3.95NSW & ACT | NSW & ACT, VIC, SA, WA, NT | Ambulance only |
| Urgent Ambulance | $6.95NSW & ACT | NSW & ACT, VIC, SA, WA, NT | Ambulance only |
| Smart Start Extras | $14.95NT | All | 9 |
| Basic Extras | $17.90NT | All | 6 |
| Value 50 | $30.42NT | All | 14 |
| Flex 50 | $32.50NT | All | 16 |
| Core Extras | $40.63NT | All | 22 |
| Flex 60 | $46.62NT | All | 16 |
| Complete 60 | $63.05NT | All | 24 |
| Top 70 | $102.20NT | All | 24 |
HBF also has 25 older policies (1,722 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 HBF
- Who can join HBF?
- Anyone can join. HBF sells 30 policies to new members (20 hospital-only and 10 extras-only), going by the October 2026 data.
- How much is HBF hospital cover?
- Its cheapest hospital policy for a single is $53.01 a month before the government rebate (October 2026 figures). What you'd pay depends on your state, the tier and the excess you pick; the chart of premiums by state above has the range for each state.
- How much does HBF pay for a dental check-up?
- Up to $37.50 for a check-up (dental item 012) on its Basic Extras policy, at a dentist outside its preferred network. The typical extras policy across the market pays $35.20.