The Finance Algorithm

ADF Essentials Package Basic Plus

A Basic Plus hospital and extras policy from Defence Health.

  • Corporate policy, sold through employers and associations.
  • Defence Health only takes current or former members of the ADF and the Defence community and their families.

Premiums for every state, cover type and excess this policy is sold with, and what it covers, from the statement Defence Health files with the government. Monthly, before the rebate and any Lifetime Health Cover loading.

From

$79.65a month

Single, NT, $250 excess, before the rebate.

Medicare levy surcharge
Exempts you
Excess options
$250
Ambulance
Emergency and non-emergency, call-out fees included, no limit
Who can join
Through an employer or group

The Private Health Information Statement for this price, on PrivateHealth.gov.au.

Defence Health's page for this policy

Against every other Basic hospital and extras policy in NSW & ACT

Single cover, each policy at its cheapest excess, corporate and restricted policies included.

  1. Basic105 policies$141.524th cheapest of 105
    $127.40$304.30
This policyEvery other Basic policy

Monthly premium by state and cover type

NSW prices also apply in the ACT. Each price in the tables opens its official Private Health Information Statement on PrivateHealth.gov.au, with a PDF to download.

Single premium in each state

NT$80
QLD$145
WA$114
SA$142
NSW$142
ACT$142
VIC$141
TAS$139
CheaperDearer

To the nearest dollar, a month before the rebate. The tables below have every price to the cent.

$250 excessat most $500 a year for couples and families

6 of 38 clinical categories covered in full, 3 restricted

Restricted means the policy pays only the minimum, about what a public hospital charges, so a private hospital stay can leave a large bill. Not covered means the policy pays nothing for that treatment in hospital.

  • Covered in full6
  • Restricted3
  • Not covered29

Covered 6

  • Bone, joint and muscle
  • Dental surgery
  • Gastrointestinal endoscopy
  • Hernia and appendix
  • Joint reconstructions
  • Tonsils, adenoids and grommets

Restricted 3

  • Hospital psychiatric services
  • Palliative care
  • Rehabilitation

Not covered 29

  • Assisted reproductive services
  • Back, neck and spine
  • Blood
  • Brain and nervous system
  • Breast surgery (medically necessary)
  • Cataracts
  • Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy for cancer
  • Diabetes management (excluding insulin pumps)
  • Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
  • Digestive system
  • Ear, nose and throat
  • Eye (not cataracts)
  • Gynaecology
  • Heart and vascular system
  • Implantation of hearing devices
  • Insulin pumps
  • Joint replacements
  • Kidney and bladder
  • Lung and chest
  • Male reproductive system
  • Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy
  • Pain management
  • Pain management with device
  • Plastic and reconstructive surgery (medically necessary)
  • Podiatric surgery (provided by a registered podiatric surgeon)
  • Pregnancy and birth
  • Skin
  • Sleep studies
  • Weight loss surgery

Waiting periods

Pre-existing conditions
12 months
Psychiatric, rehabilitation and palliative care
2 months
All other hospital treatment
2 months

Excess and other costs

Excess options: $250, paid when you are admitted.

From the insurer: Access Gap available to reduce or eliminate out of pocket medical costs where the treating doctor, specialist, surgeon, anaesthestist, pathologist or radiologist agrees to use it.

Pays towards 9 of 27 standard services

Yearly limits, per person, against the typical policy

  1. General dental
    $500typical policy $800
  2. Optical
    $170typical policy $220
  3. Physiotherapyshared with 4 other services
    $450typical policy $450
  4. Chiropracticshared with 4 other services
    $450typical policy $400
This policyTypical policy

What it pays on common claims, against the typical policy

  1. Periodic oral exam (item 012)
    $32.40typical policy $35.20
  2. Scale and clean (item 114)
    $61.80typical policy $66.85
  3. Single vision lenses and frames
    100% of the feetypical policy $220.00
  4. Physiotherapy, first visit
    $37.00typical policy $42.00
This policyTypical policy
ServiceWaiting periodYearly limit, per personExample benefits (all states)
General dentalconditions apply2 months$500Periodic oral exam (item 012): $32.40Scale and clean (item 114): $61.80Fluoride treatment (item 121): $17.80Simple extraction (item 322): $116.00
Optical2 months$170Multifocal lenses and frames: 100%Single vision lenses and frames: 100%
Physiotherapy2 months$450shared with 4 other servicesPhysiotherapy, first visit: $37.00Physiotherapy, later visit: $27.00
Chiropractic2 months$450shared with 4 other servicesChiropractic, first visit: $37.00Chiropractic, later visit: $26.00
Acupuncture2 months$200shared with remedial massageAcupuncture, first visit: $21.00Acupuncture, later visit: $17.00
Remedial massage2 months$200shared with acupunctureRemedial massage, first visit: $21.00Remedial massage, later visit: $17.00
Exercise physiology2 months$450shared with 4 other servicesExercise physiology, first visit: $20.00Exercise physiology, later visit: $17.00
Osteopathy2 months$450shared with 4 other servicesOsteopathy, first visit: $37.00Osteopathy, later visit: $26.00
Vaccinationsconditions apply2 months$450shared with 4 other servicesVaccination: $50.00

Not covered: major dental, endodontic (root canals), orthodontics, non-pbs medicines, podiatry, psychology, hearing aids, blood glucose monitors, audiology, antenatal and postnatal, chinese herbal medicine, dietetics, orthoptics, health management programs, home nursing, occupational therapy, orthotics, speech therapy.

Other services: Health and Wellbeing annual limit $200 includes: Acupuncture, Remedial Massage, Myotherapy - initial consultation: $21.00, subsequent consultation: $17.00, Group Physiotherapy - $14.00 per session and Group Exercise Physiology - $9.00 per session.

From the insurer: All benefits are per person. Benefits reset on 1 July each year. Details and claim conditions are provided in product guides available at defencehealth.com.au or 1800 335 425.

A 12 month waiting period applies for Surgical tooth extraction. Pharmaceutical benefits are only paid for travel vaccinations.

Example benefits are what the policy pays for that item at a provider without a special arrangement with the insurer; a percentage is of the fee charged. The typical policy is the middle one of the 708 extras policies on the market that aren't sold only through employers.

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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.