Compare Family Health Insurance^*

In Australia, we’re lucky to have access to the public healthcare system. Medicare helps cover part or sometimes even all of the cost of certain medical healthcare services, but there are some services that aren’t included. 

If you want your family covered for many common procedures and consultations, then a family Health Insurance policy is worth considering.  

Having Private Health Insurance also means greater choice when it comes to your healthcare, including the ability to choose your own doctor and hospital. It also helps to give you access to shorter waiting periods for elective surgery in the private system.   

It’s a great way to protect your family and give you invaluable peace of mind that you and your loved ones will have greater choice when it comes to your healthcare.

The cost will depend on your family’s unique set of needs and circumstances. 

Many providers offer a wide range of policies as well as customisable extras, so that you can choose exactly what you need and avoid paying for services or treatments you won’t use. 

To get a better understanding of medical specialist service costs in Australia, visit the Australian Government’s Medical Costs Finder.

Medicare only covers certain medical procedures.  

The good news is that family Extras policies can cover a lot more, including things like dental and orthodontic treatments, physiotherapy, speech therapy, contacts and glasses.  

See a list of what could be included here and make sure you read your Extras policy document carefully before you sign up to confirm exactly what’s included. 

• Reduced hospital waiting times¹
  One of the biggest struggles in the public healthcare system is the waiting time for treatments, services and surgery. 
  If you have Private Health Insurance, you can go to a private hospital and this generally means a reduced waiting time for elective surgeries, such as hip replacements, cataract extraction, and ligament repairs. 

• Choice of doctor and hospital²
  Family Health Insurance can also give you and your family more power to choose when it comes to choosing a doctor and hospital for your treatments and procedures. 

• Save money on the services you use most
  One of the best things about Private Health Insurance with Extras Cover is that you might be able to get money back on non-Medicare health services, like dental and physiotherapy. Saving on the smaller things like this can help pay for some of the bigger expenses in life like schooling, mortgages and loans.

• Private hospital rooms
  Public patients often share a room with several other patients, but with most Private Health Insurance policies, you or anyone under the same policy in your family can request a private room at the hospital (subject to availability).

• Manage unexpected costs
  Health Insurance is like a safety net. Having the right policy in place can help you worry less about being caught off-guard with unexpected medical costs like dental care, chronic illness or hospital treatments. 

It depends on the size and shape of your family.   

When choosing a family Health Insurance policy you should consider the age, lifestyle and medical history of every member in your family. 

Start by asking yourself the following questions: 

• Are you planning on having another child?
  If the answer is yes and you would like the option of having your baby in a private hospital, then you might want to consider getting a hospital policy that includes pregnancy cover. As pregnancy and birth has a 12-month waiting period,³ we suggest you start looking at getting cover about a year before you want to start planning for a new arrival.
  For pregnancy cover, you will want to look at Gold-tier policies, as this is typically the only tier that includes obstetrics as a minimum requirement, although some insurers also offer pregnancy cover in Silver Plus policies.

• Do you have young children?   
  If so, you might want to look at a policy that covers a wide range of services.
  From little monkey-bar warriors to football superstars, kids are a little more susceptible to accidents and illnesses.
  Additionally, procedures for grommets and tonsils can often come with longer waiting lists in the public sector. But with Health Insurance, your child may not have to wait nearly as long to be treated privately.

• Do you have older children?
  If your children are hitting their teens, it’s worth taking a look at your cover and making sure you still have an appropriate level of cover for older kids.
  If they need prescription glasses, physiotherapy or orthodontic work, it might be worth moving from basic to comprehensive extras.
  Alternatively, you might find they’re hardly using any of the benefits and it could be more worthwhile going down a tier and paying a lower premium.

• Does anyone in your family have any specific needs?
  If you know that someone in your family is going to need regular checkups for things like dental, speech therapy or podiatry, then it might be worthwhile looking at a policy that provides a higher level of benefits for these particular services. 

Good news! If you have appropriate level of private hospital Health Insurance, you don’t have to pay the Medicare Levy Surcharge.  

Considering your current income, use the table below to work out which rate applies to you and your family. The MLS rate of 1%, 1.25% or 1.5% is levied on your taxable income.⁴ 

^{Source: Australian Taxation Office}  

If you have two or more dependent children, the family income threshold is also increased by $1,500 for each child after the first.⁵ 

Until your kids turn 18, they’re automatically covered under your family Health Insurance policy as dependents. 

Once they turn 18, it’s up to your insurer whether or not they still qualify. If they’re a full time student or financially dependent on you, some insurers will still allow them to stay on your policy or they may ask that you pay a higher premium.  

Generally, once they hit 31,⁶ they’re considered independent and booted off your policy, so they’ll need to decide whether they will choose their own Health Insurance plan or rely on Medicare. 

Some providers do cover the cost of vaccinations, but this depends on your policy and the specifics of your extras cover.⁷

Yes, providers typically allow newborns to be added onto a family policy, but if you are yet to serve any full waiting periods on your existing policy, then this waiting period may also apply to your newborn.   

Some health funds require you to add your baby to your policy before it is born, while others give you a grace period after it is born to add it to your policy without having to serve any waiting periods, although how quickly you need to do this varies between insurers.   

It’s a good idea to confirm directly with your health fund about their rules around adding newborns.  

Keep in mind if you currently have a single or couples policy, then you’ll need to upgrade your policy to a family (or single parent) policy for your newborn to be covered.  

Many providers allow you to add kids at no extra cost. Generally, a family policy will cost the same as a couples policy, regardless of how many kids (under the age of 18) you have included on your policy.