Also known as hospital cover, hospital insurance helps cover costs when you're admitted to hospital. It covers things like your doctors' fees, accommodation and theatre fees.

Learn more about hospital cover

It's entirely up to you. Many Australians initially get hospital cover to avoid government penalties like the Medicare levy surcharge, but the real value of private hospital insurance is in the freedom and control it gives you over your healthcare.

With hospital cover, you can go to a private hospital for treatment and your health fund will help cover some of your costs. You'll be able to choose your specialist and 'avoid the public hospital waiting list.

If you don't have hospital cover but choose to be treated in a private hospital, you will have to fund your own treatment. If you don't have hospital cover and go to a public hospital for treatment, you won't have a choice of specialist and will have to wait on the public hospital waiting list — this could mean months, or even years before you receive treatment.

Learn more about the benefits of hospital cover

Yes. With HBF, you can purchase hospital cover on its own. Hospital insurance helps cover some of the costs when you're admitted to hospital. It can help cover some of the costs for things like doctors' fees, accommodation and theatre fees.

At HBF, the waiting periods for hospital services are as listed below.

Rehabilitation
2 months

Palliative care
2 months

Hospital psychiatric services
2 months

Pregnancy and birth
12 months

Accident cover
1 day

All other services
2 months^*

While Australia has one of the best health care systems in the world*, there are many benefits to having hospital cover.

Hospital insurance helps cover some of the costs when you're admitted to hospital. It can help cover some of the costs for things like doctors' fees, accommodation and theatre fees.

With hospital cover, you'll also be able to choose your preferred hospital and doctor to receive treatment from, avoid long public waiting lists and gain access to a private room^*.

Learn more about the difference between private and public hospitals 

* Australian Government Department of Health (2019).

Hospital insurance helps cover the cost of 'inpatient' services — these are treatments you receive when you're admitted to hospital for care (e.g. for surgery). Hospital insurance helps cover your medical specialists' fees, as well as accommodation, approved prostheses and theatre fees.

The specific hospital treatments and services you're covered for (e.g. chemotherapy, a colonoscopy, tonsil removal, knee reconstructions etc.) depend on the level of hospital cover you choose.

Learn more about hospital insurance here.