01.Introduction
NOTE: This comparison provides recommendations for hospital and extras policies based on 2012 premium prices. Annual health insurance premiums are set to rise by 5.6% on average from 1 April this year and this information is now out-of-date. CHOICE is preparing our next health insurance review to help you select the most cost-effective policy for your circumstances.
In 2012, we compared health insurance policies from 19 open funds in Australia and have made recommendations to suit a variety of people in different life stages.
Compared to similar policies, our recommended policies (for family cover) can annually save you on average up to:
- $1655* on top hospital policies with $1000 excess
- $1000* on top hospital with no excess
- $1425* on top extras
*Premiums are after the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate, check our report about changes to the rebate.
On this page:
For more information on Personal cover see Insurance, or check out Brendan Mays's blog on dental services.
CHOICE's experts independently test a wide range of products and services to bring you unbiased reviews, product comparison tools and buying advice that is trusted by 140,000+ members.
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Health funds reviewed
- AHM
- Australian Unity
- BUPA
- Central West
- CUA
- GMF
- GMHBA
- HBF
- HCF
- Health.com.au
- HIF
- Health Partners
- Latrobe
- Medibank Private
- NIB
- Peoplecare
- Queensland Country Health Fund
- St Lukes
- Westfund
What you'll get in this report
- Step-by-step guide We'll guide you through the process of buying insurance and go through all the basics.
- All about the gap We explain gap payments.
- Navigate the traps A practical checklist of questions to ask, conditions to check and fine print to understand.
- Switching checklist Discover how to switch health insurance the easy way.
- How to assess extras insurance Find out if you're getting out what you put in.
- Our health insurance policy recommendations Are assigned to categories to help you understand the different levels of cover.
Combined cover - Are you getting what you pay for?
Combined hospital policies may save you time, but are you trading convenience for quality? CHOICE found that you're better off assessing your hospital and extras cover individually, so you can be sure you're getting the best value for money.
For this reason, we did not include recommendations for combined cover in this year's health insurance review.
You may be able to access loyalty bonuses, programs and even discounts with combined cover, but overall, it's about getting top-quality health insurance cover. Using our recommendations, you can find the cover you need and save on your premium.
Restricted funds
Restricted funds have performed well in past CHOICE surveys, in both score and satisfaction rating categories.
While we have included more open funds in this year's survey, we have not included restricted funds. If you can access a restricted fund, it is well worth considering alongside our recommendations.
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