Explore our health cover types, tiers, and costs to find what suits you. See how we compare against other health insurers.
Start with the cover you need
When comparing health insurance, there’s more than one way to start.
Think about the hospital and extras services you might use, who else needs cover, your budget, or a specific goal like minimising tax and surcharges.
Key points
- Hospital cover, extras, combined cover, and ambulance services suit different health insurance needs.
- Basic, Bronze, Silver, and Gold are standardised tiers of hospital cover, making it easier to compare insurers.
- Compare Bupa to other health insurers on out-of-pocket costs, hospital-related charges, and benefits back.
- Bupa members experienced 8.4% more in-hospital medical services covered with no gap (no out-of-pocket costs) than Medibank members.1
Compare cover your way
Compare Bupa health insurance by type, hospital tier, or life stage.
Hospital cover
Covers you as a private patient in hospital. You can skip public hospital wait times, and choose your own specialist.
Extras cover
Helps pay for the costs Medicare doesn’t cover, like dental, optical, physio, and more.
Hospital and extras cover
Your choice of hospital and extras cover combined to suit your needs and budget.
Ambulance cover
Emergency ambulance is included in most extras and hospital products, or buy it on its own. Premium Ambulance covers non-emergency transport.
Basic tier
Entry-level hospital cover with the lowest premiums, and limited inclusions. Suits people looking to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge.
Bronze tier
Broader than Basic hospital, Bronze Includes 18 clinical categories like brain and nervous system, joint reconstructions, and ear, nose and throat.
Silver tier
Offers broader inclusions than Basic or Bronze. Excludes joint replacements, cataracts, and pregnancy.
Gold tier
Comprehensive cover that includes pregnancy and joint replacements. Suits those planning a family, or who need more cover.
Singles
Covers just you. Take out hospital cover before age 30 for an age-based discount on your premium.
Couples
Covers 2 adults in a relationship. Simplify your life with one policy, one payment, and one tax statement.
Single parents
Covers you and your children. Eligible dependants can stay covered up to their 32nd birthday.
Families
Covers you, your partner, and your children on one policy. Eligible dependants can stay covered up to their 32nd birthday.
Looking for corporate or overseas visitor cover?
Search for your employer or search for your visa to find health cover that suits your needs.
Awarded Outstanding Value Health Insurance 5 years running
Year after year, we’ve been recognised by Canstar for the value of our cover. We’re proud of that, and even prouder of what it means for our members.
How Bupa compares
The Australian Government’s State of the Health Funds Report reviews how insurers perform. See how Bupa compared to other health insurers in the 2024–25 report.
Medibank
Bupa members experienced 8.4% more in-hospital medical services covered with no gap (no out-of-pocket costs) than Medibank members.1
NIB
Bupa members had 3.2% more of their hospital-related charges covered than NIB members.2
HCF
Bupa members experienced 4.8% more in-hospital medical services covered with no gap (no out-of-pocket costs) than HCF members.3
HBF
Bupa held a 17.6% bigger share of the private health insurance market than HBF.4
GMHBA
Bupa members experienced 3.9% more in-hospital medical services covered with no gap (no out-of-pocket costs) than GMHBA members.5
Teachers Health
Bupa members received 8.5% more benefits back on extras costs than Teachers Health members.6
Ways to save on health insurance
Save when you join. Compare our current offers, and find great value on health cover, dental, optical, and more.
Want 8 weeks free plus a $400 Flight Centre Gift Card?*
Join & stay on eligible combined hospital and extras cover and get up to 8 weeks free, plus up to $400 in a Flight Centre Gift Card.* Offer ends 18 November 2026.
Use promo code 8WEEKSFREEFC
*T&Cs and exclusions apply. New direct Bupa joins only. 8 weeks free applied over 2 years (3 years for annual payers). Flight Centre gift card value varies according to policy scale selected.
Get 100% back** on check-up and cleans
Join Bupa on eligible extras cover and get 100% back** on up to two 6-monthly check-up and cleans every year at Members First Ultimate providers, outside of yearly limits.
50% off second pair of glasses or sunglasses^
Buy any pair of prescription glasses or sunglasses from our Designer range and receive 50% off any second prescription pair from the Designer range. You will also receive 50% off for any lens upgrades on the second pair from the Designer range.
Why choose Bupa
For more than 75 years, Bupa has been working hard to help people take care of their health and wellbeing.
Low out-of-pocket costs7
Enjoy low out-of-pocket costs on extras services when you choose from our large network of Members First providers.7
Quality hospital cover
Enjoy the comforts of a private room,8 plus you could reduce your out-of-pocket costs through our Members First Hospital network and Medical Gap Scheme.9
Member rewards
With Life Rewards, you can unlock discounts and deals from big brands, plus get access to offers from our wellness and lifestyle partners.
Ready to start?
Get a health insurance quote online and you’ll be covered sooner than you think.
How to switch to Bupa
Find the right cover for you
Compare and choose the cover that suits you. If you need help, select the chat button or call us on 134 135.
Let us do the paperwork
When you join, we’ll ask about your previous health cover. We’ll let your old health insurer know you're switching, and cancel your old cover.
Skip the waiting periodsœ
If you’ve already served waiting periods, you won’t need to serve them again if you’re switching to the same or lower level of cover.œ
What affects your cover price
The cover you choose, your age, income, and government initiatives can all affect what you pay for health insurance. Understanding these factors can help you compare.
Cover level
Your price usually reflects how much your policy covers – the more comprehensive your cover, the more you’ll pay. Review your cover regularly to make sure it still matches your needs.
Excess amounts
When you take out hospital cover, the excess is an amount you’ll pay when you’re admitted to hospital. A higher excess usually means a lower premium. There’s no excess for extras cover.
Government initiatives
The Australian Government offers initiatives that can affect the price of your health insurance. These are based on your age, income, and whether you’ve held health insurance before.
Common health insurance questions
An out-of-pocket cost is the gap between what a health treatment or service costs and what Medicare or your private health insurer pays back. It’s the amount you pay.
The cost depends on factors like the fees charged, where you have treatment, whether it's covered by Medicare, and what your level of cover includes, excludes, or restricts.Talk to your doctor, hospital, and health insurer before treatment to understand what your out-of-pocket costs might be.
Extras cover pays for non-hospital treatments like dental, optical, physiotherapy, and natural therapies like remedial massage and acupuncture.
Your level of extras cover determines the services you’re covered for, how much you can claim, and the benefits you get back from a recognised provider. Benefits differ from product to product.
For the cover you need, think about the services you would use, for example, general dental check-ups or more costly services, such as orthodontic treatment.
When you first take out or upgrade health cover there’s a period of time before you can make a claim on a new level of cover. This is known as a waiting period, and all health insurers have them.
Waiting periods can be up to 12 months.
If you're getting health insurance for the first time, or moving to a higher level of cover, you'll likely serve a waiting period before you can claim.
If you’ve already served waiting periods, you may not need to serve them again if you’re switching to the same or lower level of cover within 60 days of cover end date with your old health insurer, provided you already served your waiting period and pending receipt of your clearance certificate.
Basic, Bronze, Silver and Gold are the 4 standard hospital tiers set by the Australian Government. Each tier covers a set list of treatments.
Covers with a ‘plus’ after it (for example, Bronze Plus) offer more than the minimum required for that tier. The additional clinical categories that are covered may differ from insurer to insurer.
PrivateHealth.gov.au is an Australian Government site managed by the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman.
It’s where all Australian insurers must list current policy details and prices. Other comparison sites may not cover every fund or policy type.
1 For services provided through Medical Gap Schemes, Bupa covered 90.2% of in-hospital medical services with no out-of-pocket costs vs 81.8% covered by Medibank Group from 2024 to 2025. All statistics shown are as outlined in the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman State of the Health Funds Report 2024–25, which summarises the average coverage of each insurer's policies across Australia.
2 For hospital admissions, Bupa covered 89.0% of hospital-related charges on average vs 85.8% covered by NIB, from 2024 to 2025. All statistics shown are as outlined in the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman State of the Health Funds Report 2024–25, which summarises the average coverage of each insurer's policies across Australia.
3 For services provided through Medical Gap Schemes, Bupa covered 90.2% of in-hospital medical services with no out-of-pocket costs vs 85.4% covered by HCF from 2024 to 2025. All statistics shown are as outlined in the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman State of the Health Funds Report 2024–25, which summarises the average coverage of each insurer's policies across Australia.
4 Bupa held 25.5% market share of the private health insurance industry vs 7.9% held by HBF, as at 2024 to 2025. All statistics shown are as outlined in the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman State of the Health Funds Report 2024–25, which summarises fund membership share across Australia.
5 For services provided through Medical Gap Schemes, Bupa covered 90.2% of in-hospital medical services with no out-of-pocket costs vs 86.3% covered by GMHBA from 2024 to 2025. All statistics shown are as outlined in the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman State of the Health Funds Report 2024–25, which summarises the average coverage of each insurer's policies across Australia.
6 For extras services like dental, optical and physio, Bupa covered 51.3% of costs on average vs 42.8% covered by Teachers Health, from 2024 to 2025. All statistics shown are as outlined in the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman State of the Health Funds Report 2024–25, which summarises the average coverage of each insurer's policies across Australia.
7 Depending on your level of cover for most services at our Members First Providers covering dental, physiotherapy, chiropractic and podiatry consultations. Bupa has Members First providers for these services. Not available in all areas. Yearly limits, benefit claiming restrictions, waiting periods, fund and policy rules apply.
8 Subject to availability, you may be covered for a private room if you request one at any Bupa agreement hospital for services included with your hospital cover (excluding services with restricted cover). Excludes ‘nursing home type patients’, emergency care, same day stays or where a private room is clinically inappropriate. For upcoming treatments, call us on 134 135 to check whether you may be eligible to have a private room.
9 You should ask your doctor whether they’ll use the Medical Gap Scheme for your treatment.
** You can receive 100% back on dental check-up and cleans (select dental items only) once every 6 months at Members First Ultimate Providers. Waiting periods, benefit claiming restrictions, policy and fund rules apply. Excludes orthodontics and in-hospital treatments. Available on all eligible extras products which includes General Dental (excluding FLEXtras and Your Choice Extras 60 where General Dental is not included). If you choose or require any additional dental services, any health insurance benefits will also be subject to your yearly limits. Not available in all areas.
^ Offer available in-store and online at Bupa Optical. Buy any pair of prescription glasses or prescription sunglasses from the Designer range and receive 50% off RRP of any second prescription pair from the Designer range of equal or lesser value. You will also receive 50% off RRP for any lens type upgrades (not including lens add-ons) on the second pair from the Designer range. Alternatively, if you wish to purchase your second pair from the ‘Value Package’ range, you will only pay the 'Value Package' second pair price with 50% off lens type upgrades (not include lens add ons). Lens add-ons are always at an additional cost. Second pair in this offer must either be purchased in the same transaction, or if you are purchasing in-store it can also be within 30 days of collection of an eligible first pair. Offer not available to goods supplied pursuant to any agreement between Bupa and any commonwealth government or associated entity. Bupa Optical Pty Ltd ABN 24 126 819 154.
œ When switching to Bupa on an equivalent or lower level of cover within 60 days of cover end date with old health fund, provided you already served your waiting period and pending receipt of your clearance certificate. We will apply portability once we receive it.