Key takeaways
- Gold tier cover is the highest level of private health insurance available.
- The cheapest gold policy on Finder starts at around $61 per week.
- Waiting periods will apply to your gold coverage, it's good to be mindful of this when buying.
What does gold hospital insurance cover?
Gold-tier hospital insurance covers all 38 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like joint replacements, pregnancy, insulin pumps, as well as all services covered by Silver-tier policies. See below for a comprehensive list.
Award winning Gold Hospital Cover: Health Insurance Fund of Australia Limited Gold Top Hospital Excess $750/$1500

HIF has taken the top spot for the Gold tier of hospital insurance, offering an excellent product for anyone after the most comprehensive private health coverage. The not-for-profit has a small market share, but has been making a bit impact.
Highly commended

Medibank Private Limited Medibank Gold Protect
Medibank Private Limited's Medibank Gold Protect is Highly Commended in the Gold Hospital Health Insurance category. Offering comprehensive, top-tier protection, this policy brings a strong range of benefits for those who want the highest level of hospital cover.
Medibank Private Limited Medibank Gold Protect
Medibank Private Limited's Medibank Gold Protect is Highly Commended in the Gold Hospital Health Insurance category. Offering comprehensive, top-tier protection, this policy brings a strong range of benefits for those who want the highest level of hospital cover.

Frank Health Insurance Frank Gold Hospital
Frank Health Insurance is also Highly Commended this year in the Gold Hospital Health Insurance category for its Frank Gold Hospital policy. Delivering extensive, high-level cover, it represents a powerful value proposition within the comprehensive Gold tier.
Frank Health Insurance Frank Gold Hospital
Frank Health Insurance is also Highly Commended this year in the Gold Hospital Health Insurance category for its Frank Gold Hospital policy. Delivering extensive, high-level cover, it represents a powerful value proposition within the comprehensive Gold tier.
What are the hospital health insurance tiers?
Each of the different health insurance tiers has to cover a standardised set of treatments. Here's a quick summary of each tier.
Gold hospital cover
Gold-tier hospital insurance covers all 38 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like joint replacements, pregnancy and insulin pumps, as well as all services covered by Silver-tier policies.

Silver hospital cover
Silver-tier hospital insurance covers at least 26 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like dental surgery, lung and chest, and podiatric surgery, as well as all services covered by Bronze-tier policies.

Bronze hospital cover
Bronze-tier hospital insurance covers at least 18 treatments outlined by the Australian government. This includes treatments like joint reconstructions, gynaecology, and ear, nose and throat, as well as all services covered by Basic-tier policies.
Basic hospital cover
Basic-tier hospital insurance isn't required to fully cover any treatments outlined by the Australian government, but it does need to have restricted cover for rehabilitation, hospital psychiatric services and palliative care. Generally, Basic cover is primarily used to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge and Lifetime Health Cover loading.
*Average prices updated June 2025, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
How much does gold health insurance cost?
The cost of health insurance will vary based on your state, age, income and more. It'll also change based on whether you're buying hospital cover on its own or with an extras policy.
To give you an idea of costs, we've gotten the average monthly cost for gold hospital cover and broken it down per state. These costs are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income with a $750 excess.
Average monthly premium | |
---|---|
NSW | $282.61 |
QLD | $298.77 |
VIC | $307.79 |
TAS | $271.9 |
SA | $255.13 |
NT | $169.82 |
WA | $241.84 |
These average prices are updated as of June 2025, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies.
Understanding waiting periods
Waiting periods refer to the time between when you take out a policy and the time when you're able to claim on that policy. This is relevant to those who are taking out a policy for the first time and those who have increased their cover level, say, from silver to gold.
The government sets the maximum waiting periods for all services. They are:
- Pre-existing conditions: 12 months
- Pregnancy and birth: 12 months
- Psychiatric treatments, rehabilitation, palliative care: 2 months
- All other circumstances: 2 months
In some special circumstances, you can access mental health treatment in a hospital without having to serve the waiting period.
For extras policies, insurers can set their own waiting periods.
Pros and cons of gold health insurance
Pros
- Comprehensive cover for treatment in a private hospital.
- The only tier to include coverage for pregnancy and childbirth.
- Covers rehabilitation, hospital psychiatric services and palliative care.
Cons
- Gold cover is expensive, often costing well in excess of $160 per month.
- If you don't need cover for a service like pregnancy, a gold policy will still charge and cover you for it. Gold cover is often more coverage than people need.
- Doesn't cover outpatient services without additional extras cover.

"I got Medibank Gold Hospital health insurance so I was covered for obstetrics. Providing my healthcare details to the private hospital was really easy and Medibank called me via their concierge service as I was approaching my due date to answer any questions I might have. Best of all, my baby was covered under the same policy from birth, which meant that the unexpected ambulance transfer across the city and specialist tests for him were also covered. Overall, it was a good experience and I plan to stay with Medibank for any subsequent pregnancies. "
Who is gold health insurance best for?
People starting a family
If you're starting a family and want to have access to a private room during childbirth, you're going to want a gold hospital policy. Benefits only available on gold policies include:
- Pregnancy and birth
- Assisted reproductive services, such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF)
Older Australians
Getting older means you're more susceptible to certain conditions – gold coverage includes a range of treatments that are especially useful to older Australians. A few examples that are helpful for seniors include:
- Cataracts
- Joint replacements
People with complex needs
There are many other treatments only covered under gold-tier health insurance policies which may be essential for some people. Here are a few gold treatments that could apply to you:
- Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
- Weight loss surgery
- Insulin pumps
- Pain management with device
- Sleep studies
FAQs
Ask a question
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