The tiers are
Basic
Bronze
Silver
Gold

Hospital cover is standardised across all health insurance providers.

Product tiers for hospital cover across all health insurance providers include the same minimum level of coverage. The Australian Government introduced this system to make it simpler to compare your private health insurance options. This means when you look at Gold level cover with one provider, you know the level of coverage includes the same clinical categories as Gold level cover with another.

Whether you’re getting health insurance for the first time or moving from another provider, the tiers help give you confidence that you’re comparing like with like.

The tiers are:

  • Basic – Entry-level hospital cover
  • Bronze – Hospital cover for typical treatments
  • Silver – Cover for a wide range of hospital treatments
  • Gold – Coverage for all hospital clinical categories

Why join Bupa?

Compare the different tiers

How to read our table:

Included Included  Restricted Restricted cover  Not included Not Included

See our Glossary for help on definitions


Hospital treatment coverage by clinical category and insurance tier
Hospital treatment by clinical category Basic Bronze Silver Gold
Rehabilitation Restricted Restricted Included Included
Hospital psychiatric services Restricted Restricted Restricted Included
Palliative care Restricted Restricted Included Included
Brain and nervous system Not Included Included Included Included
Eye (not cataracts) Not Included Included Included Included
Ear, nose and throat Not Included Included Included Included
Tonsils, adenoids and grommets Not Included Included Included Included
Bone, joint and muscle Not Included Included Included Included
Joint reconstructions Not Included Included Included Included
Kidney and bladder Not Included Included Included Included
Male reproductive system Not Included Included Included Included
Digestive system Not Included Included Included Included
Hernia and appendix Not Included Included Included Included
Gastrointestinal endoscopy Not Included Included Included Included
Gynaecology Not Included Included Included Included
Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy Not Included Included Included Included
Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy for cancer Not Included Included Included Included
Pain management Not Included Included Included Included
Skin Not Included Included Included Included
Breast surgery (medically necessary) Not Included Included Included Included
Diabetes management (excluding insulin pumps) Not Included Included Included Included
Heart and vascular system Not Included Not Included Included Included
Lung and chest Not Included Not Included Included Included
Blood Not Included Not Included Included Included
Back, neck and spine Not Included Not Included Included Included
Plastic and reconstructive surgery (medically necessary) Not Included Not Included Included Included
Dental surgery Not Included Not Included Included Included
Podiatric surgery (provided by a registered podiatric surgeon) Not Included Not Included Included Included
Implantation of hearing devices Not Included Not Included Included Included
Cataracts Not Included Not Included Not Included Included
Joint replacements Not Included Not Included Not Included Included
Dialysis for chronic kidney failure Not Included Not Included Not Included Included
Pregnancy and birth Not Included Not Included Not Included Included
Assisted reproductive services Not Included Not Included Not Included Included
Weight loss surgery Not Included Not Included Not Included Included
Insulin pumps Not Included Not Included Not Included Included
Pain management with device Not Included Not Included Not Included Included
Sleep studies Not Included Not Included Not Included Included

Source: Australian Government Private Health Insurance Reforms

Frequently asked questions

If you see a cover option with a plus after it (like Bronze Plus), that cover offers more than the minimum required for that tier. The additional clinical categories that are covered may differ from insurer to insurer. 

The Australian Government updated the rules for private health insurance providers to help make it easier for people compare hospital cover options. Now that all hospital cover tiers are standardised with a minimum coverage of clinical categories, consumers can easily compare between different providers.

Read more: Private Health Insurance Changes

Starting with Basic and moving up through Bronze, Silver and Gold, each tier offers more clinical categories than the last. Clinical categories are the range of hospital treatments that are either covered or not covered by a particular policy.

Read more: Private Health Insurance Changes

Need help or advice?

Talk to a health insurance specialist.