HEALTH INSURANCE
Health insurance with no waiting period
By Sean Callery
We list the best health insurance funds in Australia based on benefits, customer satisfaction and more.
Let our experts find your best health insurance options fast, among the 20+ funds we compare.
Best health insurance guide compiled by our experts. Updated 31 Mar 2026.


10 weeks free
On combined Hospital and Extras cover
Plus, skip 2 & 6-month waiting periods on Extras. Offer available when you join as a new member on an eligible combined Hospital and Extras policy. You need to maintain cover until 27 May 2026 to receive the 10 weeks free. Offer ends 31 March 2026. T&Cs apply.*
10 weeks free
On combined Hospital and Extras cover
Join Australian Unity through Money.com.au on eligible products and get 10 weeks free (6 weeks free in year 1, plus 4 weeks free in year 2). New members only. Offer ends 30 April 2026. T&Cs apply.*

8 weeks free
On combined Hospital and Extras cover
Plus, 2-month waiting periods waived on Extras. HCF will apply four weeks free after 90 days and another 4 weeks after 12 months. Offer is for eligible members who join HCF via any channel between 17 Feb 2026 and 20 Apr 2026. T&Cs apply*.

6 weeks free
On combined Hospital and Extras cover
Offer available through Money.com.au when you join on an eligible Hospital and Extras policy. In most cases, the 6 weeks free is applied 28 days after you join. New members only. Offer ends 31 March 2026. T&Cs apply.*

6 weeks free
On combined Hospital and Extras cover
Plus, skip 2-month waiting periods on Extras. Offer is only available to a person who purchases an eligible product and opts to pay by direct debit for fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, or six-monthly. Offer ends 30 April 2026. T&Cs apply.*

6 weeks free
On combined Hospital and Extras cover
Plus, skip 2-month waiting periods on Extras. Offer available when you join as a new member on an eligible combined Hospital and Extras policy. Offer excludes Extras-only and Hospital-only policies. Offer ends 9 April 2026. T&Cs apply.*
6 weeks free
On combined Hospital and Extras cover
Plus, skip 2 & 6-month waiting periods on Extras. Join ahm through Money.com.au on an eligible combined policy and get 6 weeks free after maintaining continuous cover for 60 days. New members only. Offer ends 31 March 2026. T&Cs apply.*

4 weeks free
On combined Hospital and Extras cover
Plus, skip 2 & 6-month waiting periods on Extras. Offer available when you join as a new member on an eligible combined Hospital and Extras policy. Offer excludes Extras-only and Hospital-only policies. Offer ends 31 March 2026. T&Cs apply.*
Skip 2 & 6 month waits
On eligible Extras services
Offer available when you join as a new member on a combined Hospital and Extras policy. Offer excludes Extras-only and Hospital-only policies. Offer ends 31 Aug 2026. T&Cs apply.*

Skip 2 & 6 month waits
On eligible Extras services
Offer available when you join as a new member on a combined Hospital and Extras policy. Offer excludes Extras-only and Hospital-only policies. Offer ends 31 Aug 2026. T&Cs apply.*

Skip 2 & 4 month waits
On eligible Extras services
Offer available when you join as a new member on a combined Hospital and Extras policy. Offer excludes Extras-only and Hospital-only policies. Offer ends 31 March 2026. T&Cs apply.*
The best private health insurance policy will be different depending on who the policy is for and what they value in their cover. But to give you an idea of how various providers compare, we’ve rounded up the top health funds in Australia based on a selection of factors that matter to consumers.
Note, the tables below are based on all open health funds in Australia (those available to anyone). Some of the funds shown are not part of Money.com.au's partner insurer panel. Also bear in mind that no single indicator should be used as a measure of an insurer’s overall performance.
Small, not-for-profit health fund, Onemedifund performs best when it comes to customer loyalty in the latest Ombudsman data, with 93.2% of members staying with the fund for more than two years.
| Health fund | Member retention (hospital cover) |
|---|---|
Onemedifund | 93.2% |
CDH (Hunter Health Insurance) | 89.5% |
Mildura District Hospital Fund | 89.4% |
Health Partners | 88.7% |
HBF Health | 88.4% |
AIA Health comes out on top as the fund that pays the highest percentage of members’ premiums back in claims.
| Health fund | Benefits as % of contributions |
|---|---|
AIA Health | 90.4% |
HCF | 87.8% |
Health Partners | 87.2% |
Phoenix Health Fund | 87.0% |
Medibank | 85.6% |
Newcastle-based Hunter Health Insurance is the fund that covers the highest portion of private hospital bills for its customers on average.
| Health fund | % Hospital related charges covered |
|---|---|
Hunter Health Insurance | 93.8% |
HBF Health | 91.1% |
Health Partners | 91.0% |
Onemedifund | 90.8% |
Mildura District Hospital Fund | 90.7% |
Major fund, NIB, performs best for covering the highest percentage of dental, physio, optical and other Extras costs on average.
| Health fund | % Extras charges covered |
|---|---|
NIB Health Funds | 58.0% |
Health Partners | 54.6% |
St Lukes Health | 54.5% |
Phoenix Health Fund | 53.6% |
HBF Health | 52.3% |
RT Health, Queensland Country Health Fund (owned by HBF) and Phoenix Health jointly have the best overall customer review ratings among health insurers in Australia.
| Health fund | Customer rating |
|---|---|
RT Health | 4.9 (1,474 reviews) |
Queensland Country Health Fund | 4.9 (473 reviews) |
Phoenix Health Fund | 4.9 (436 reviews) |
AIA Health Insurance | 4.7 (1,290 reviews) |
Westfund Health Insurance | 4.6 (430 reviews) |
Small open fund, Onemedifund, recorded no measurable share of Ombudsman complaints despite accounting for 0.1% of the market. Of the larger health funds, HBF still stands out has having a low level of customer complaints relative to its share of the market.
| Full Name | Complaints Share | Market Share |
|---|---|---|
Onemedifund | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Mildura District Hospital Fund | 0.1% | 0.3% |
St Lukes Health | 0.2% | 0.6% |
Health Partners | 0.3% | 0.6% |
HBF Health | 4.4% | 7.9% |
Larger funds tend to top the list when it comes to bonus offers for new customers, but offers change frequently and tend to be most competitive around March and April each year.
| Health fund | Current incentive |
|---|---|
Doctors Health Fund (restricted) | Up to 15 weeks free |
HBF | Up to 12 weeks free |
Queensland Country Health Fund | Up to 12 weeks free |
Medibank | Up to 12 weeks free |
Australian Unity | 10 weeks free |
As the tables above demonstrate, different health insurers perform best in different categories. So the unsatisfactory, but honest, answer to the question is that there is no single best health insurance fund or option in Australia.
There will, however, be a best option for each individual. Whether you get expert help or compare health insurance providers yourself, it’s important to not be swayed by any single factor (a sign up offer, the cheapest premium, the insurer your parents use).
To help guide your decision, here are the factors we think matter most when you’re deciding which policy will be best:

If you’re really not sure where to start, the data shows most Australians choose a combined Hospital and Extras policy, with mid-range Hospital cover.
According to data from the Private Health Insurance Intermediaries Association, in the last year:
Money.com.au asked 1,000 Australians about their approach to deciding on the best health insurance.
A third of respondents (33.7%) said they check reviews sometimes, usually when they’re unsure about a health fund. A quarter (25%) said they always check reviews before signing up. Nearly another quarter (24.7%) reported that they stick with the same fund out of habit, while 16.6% rely on comparison websites or word of mouth.
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The information on this page is general in nature and has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the information provided and the nature of any product is suitable for you and seek independent advice if necessary.
We do not compare all health insurance providers and products available in Australia and we do not guarantee that our product comparisons include all product features and attributes relevant to you.
In providing general information on this page, we are not providing you with a recommendation or suggestion about a particular product. You should read the relevant disclosure statements or other offer documents before deciding whether to apply for or continue to use a particular product.
However, when a customer requests that we contact them regarding health insurance, after being on the Money.com.au website, we will take the information they provide into account when providing the customer with a range of health insurance product options.
We have partnered with The ItsMy Group (ABN 85 167 289 965) to form our panel of health insurance providers. If a Money.com.au insurance advisor helps you find a more suitable product and you join that health insurer, IMG receive a payment from that fund, which they pass on to us. This is normally a one-off fee but it can also be paid in increments over time.
There is no charge to consumers to use the service, and any payment we receive does not change the price you pay for the product. Our health insurance advisors do not know how much we are paid by the fund they recommend.
Both Money.com.au and The ItsMy Group are members of the Private Health Insurance Intermediaries Association (“PHIIA”) and are have signed up to the PHIIA Code of Conduct.

Our customers have access to offers from a range of health insurance partners:
Please note, we do not compare all health funds in the market, or all policies from our partner funds, and at times certain funds or products might be unavailable.
At Money.com.au, we aim to provide you with the highest level of service, but we also understand that occasionally you may not be 100% happy with us. If that’s the case, you can let us know by emailing us at support@money.com.au
If we can’t resolve your issue immediately, a senior manager will respond to you at the latest by the next business day from receipt of your enquiry. If we are still unable to resolve the matter within three days, it will be escalated to the attention of the CEO.
You could also contact your health fund or the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman’s office (PHIO):
Our Australian-based call centre is open weekdays between 9am and 5pm (AEST) with our team of experts ready to help!
You can reach us on 1300 001 359 or (02) 8528 1995.