Is a Silver health insurance policy right for you?
We explain what Silver and Silver Plus hospital policies cover and what you can expect to pay.
Last updated: 17 Feb 2026
Our insurance experts have looked at Silver hospital insurance policies from over 40 health insurers to see which ones offer the best value. We list the cheapest options, or you can work out the best option to save you money by comparing health insurance.
Need to know a bit more about what Silver insurance is first? We explain what’s covered under Silver hospital insurance, the differences between Silver and Silver Plus policies, what you can expect to pay, and the cheapest options.
On this page:
What is Silver health insurance?
Silver health insurance is a mid-level private hospital insurance that covers 26 categories of services in private hospital.
If you want an intermediate health insurance policy that covers you for most of the essentials, and you don’t have any major health issues or you’re not planning to start a family, a Silver health insurance policy could work for you.
If you want cheaper health insurance, try Bronze or Basic policies. Or if you’re looking for higher cover, you might want Silver Plus or Gold health insurance.
Not sure what level of hospital insurance you need? Take our quick quiz.
What does Silver hospital insurance cover?
- Heart and vascular surgery.
- All cancer surgeries and chemotherapy and radiation.
- Lung and chest surgeries.
- Medically necessary plastic and reconstructive surgery.
- Bone marrow transplants and other blood-related treatments.
- Investigation and treatment for back, neck and spine problems such as for sciatica and scoliosis.
- Dental surgery (wisdom teeth and dental implants in hospital).
- Implantation of hearing devices.
- Accommodation in hospital for podiatric surgery.
- Skin-related procedures including treatments for lesions and abscesses, and allergy skin-prick testing.
- Broken bones and other bone, joint and muscle treatments including joint reconstructions (but not replacements).
- Endoscopy and colonoscopy plus other digestive system procedures including removal of gallstones or haemorrhoids.
- Gynaecology, miscarriage, and termination of pregnancy, sterilisation (male and female).
- Ear, nose and throat surgery including tonsils, adenoids, and grommets.
- Hernia and appendix surgery.
- Diabetes management in hospital (but not implanted insulin pumps).
- Brain and nervous system treatments including for stroke, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.
- Palliative care, rehabilitation and psychiatric care (covered in a public hospital only).
What is Silver Plus health insurance?
A Silver Plus policy is a level up from Silver, but is cheaper than the top-tiered Gold. Silver Plus policies cover the above 26 Silver-level services in private hospital, plus at least one of the below treatments not covered in Silver:
- IVF, pregnancy and birth
- joint replacements
- cataracts
- rehabilitation
- hospital psychiatry
- palliative care
- gastric banding and obesity surgery
- insulin pumps
- sleep studies
- dialysis
- pain management with a device (for example, a surgically implanted device to manage pain caused by heart disease).
If you want cover for a specific treatment in the above list, such as pregnancy, you might be able to buy a Silver Plus policy. If you need more cover, you’ll need to opt for a Gold policy with all the bells and whistles.
CHOICE tip: We’ve found in many states that Silver Plus policies are actually cheaper than Silver policies that cover fewer treatments.
How much is Silver health insurance?
Silver or Silver Plus health cover for a single policy with a $750 excess costs on average $130 per person month in the Northern Territory, $182 in Western Australia, $206 in South Australia, about $215 in NSW, ACT and Tasmania, and roughly $226 in Victoria and Queensland (without the health insurance rebate).
The cost for families and couples is about double. Your premium will vary depending on how much you earn, the level of excess, and when you first bought health insurance.
What is a health insurance excess?
An excess is an amount you pay as a contribution when you go to hospital. The higher your excess is, the lower your monthly premium will be.
You’re better off with an excess if you’re healthy and don’t plan to go to hospital anytime soon, but consider a low or no excess option if you think you’ll go to hospital sooner rather than later.
CHOICE health insurance reviews
Wondering whether you’re overpaying for private health insurance? We’ve built a tool that lets you compare thousands of health insurance policies from over 40 health insurers (see the full list below).
Our experts rate policies based on out-of-pocket costs, fund complaints, price and more, and we’re 100% independent, which means we don’t show sponsored results like other comparison sites.
Some people will save over 30 times the cost of a quarterly CHOICE membership by using our tool to find a cheaper health insurance policy. Joining CHOICE also means you’ll get access to our other recommendations and could stand to save money across a range of household products and services you use every day.
While our reviews are for members, we’ve got lots of helpful free health insurance content (like advice from our experts, explainer articles and buying guides) to help you better understand your options.
What is the cheapest Silver hospital policy?
The price of health insurance varies state by state. We’ve sorted through over polices per state, exclusively to CHOICE members, to find the best Silver or Silver Plus policy for your situation.
If you’re not yet a member, join CHOICE now to gain instant access to the cheapest Silver policies plus all of our independent reviews, including our health insurance comparison tool that lets you compare thousands of health insurance policies from over 40 health insurers.
With our reviews of whitegoods and other recommendations you could stand to save money across a range of household products and services you use every day.
With our health insurance tool you can compare policies from over 40 health insurers:
- AAMI
- ACA
- AHM
- AIA
- Apia
- Australian Seniors
- Australian Unity
- Bupa
- CBHS Corporate
- CBHS
- Defence Health
- Doctors’ Health
- Emergency Services Health
- Frank
- GMHBA
- HBF
- HCF
- HCi
- HIF
- Health Partners
- Hunter Health
- ING
- Latrobe
- Medibank
- Mildura
- onemedifund
- Navy Health
- NIB
- Nurses & Midwives Health
- Peoplecare
- Phoenix
- Police
- Priceline
- Qantas
- Queensland Country
- Reserve Bank
- Real Insurance
- RT health
- see-u
- St.Lukes Health
- Suncorp
- Teachers Health
- Territory Health Fund
- Transport Health
- TUH
- UniHealth
- Union Health
- Westfund
Unlock this article and more
- Information you can trust
- See the best brands
- Avoid the worst performers
Related
Jodi Bird is the Managing Financial Content Editor at CHOICE. Previously at CHOICE, he worked as Travel project lead and as a Finance specialist.
Jodi has extensive experience in financial services, having worked with major banks such as CBA, Westpac and Credit Suisse. He enjoys breaking down complex consumer decisions into easy to understand steps and holding companies to account for failing their customers. He is regularly called upon for expert commentary by major broadcasters such as the ABC, SBS, and Channels 7, 9, and 10.
Jodi has a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics from the University of Wollongong. He is RG146 compliance certified to provide general advice for General Insurance and is a Responsible Manager on CHOICE's Australian Financial Services License. LinkedIn
Jodi Bird is the Managing Financial Content Editor at CHOICE. Previously at CHOICE, he worked as Travel project lead and as a Finance specialist.
Jodi has extensive experience in financial services, having worked with major banks such as CBA, Westpac and Credit Suisse. He enjoys breaking down complex consumer decisions into easy to understand steps and holding companies to account for failing their customers. He is regularly called upon for expert commentary by major broadcasters such as the ABC, SBS, and Channels 7, 9, and 10.
Jodi has a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics from the University of Wollongong. He is RG146 compliance certified to provide general advice for General Insurance and is a Responsible Manager on CHOICE's Australian Financial Services License. LinkedIn
Jane Bardell is a Content producer in the Insurance and utilities team. She writes about home, car, pet and health insurance. Previously at CHOICE, she checked facts, figures and statistics as a Verifier with the Editorial and investigations team.
Jane has a Bachelor of Science from the University of New South Wales.
Find Jane on LinkedIn.
Jane Bardell is a Content producer in the Insurance and utilities team. She writes about home, car, pet and health insurance. Previously at CHOICE, she checked facts, figures and statistics as a Verifier with the Editorial and investigations team.
Jane has a Bachelor of Science from the University of New South Wales.
Find Jane on LinkedIn.
