Gold health insurance

Gold hospital insurance is the most comprehensive hospital cover that money can buy. It's available from around $61 a week*.

Who’s this health cover for?

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.
*Prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income, $750 excess and living in Sydney.

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

Award winning Gold Hospital Cover badge

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.

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 icon

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.

Average premium: $282.61 a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium: $196.56 a month for a single policy.*
Silver hospital cover icon

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.

Average cost: $162.39 a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium: $115.04 a month for a single policy.*
Bronze hospital cover icon

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.
Average cost: $103.77 a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium: $89.80 a month for a single policy.*
Basic hospital cover icon

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 cost: $87.10 a month for a single policy.*
Lowest premium: $75.77 a month for a single policy.*

*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:

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.
Susannah Binsted's headshot

"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. "

Susannah Binsted
Finder crew member

Who is gold health insurance best for?

family icon

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:

Old man

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

surgeon icon

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

Jason Loewenthal's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Jason Loewenthal as part of our fact-checking process.
Tim Bennett's headshot
Written by

Insurance expert

A seasoned journalist with over 10 years of experience in news, politics and finance reporting, Tim has previously held roles at the ABC, SBS and Fairfax Media. Tim’s expert insights have been quoted in The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and more. He regularly appears on TV and radio, and has been interviewed on 7 News, Sunrise, SBS News, ABC Local, 3AW and 5AA. Tim is passionate about simplifying complex insurance topics for Australian consumers. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics) from Macquarie University and a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification, which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). If you’re interested in a media interview with Tim, please reach out to our PR team at aupr@finder.com. See full bio

Tim's expertise
Tim has written 155 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Personal finance
  • Financial comparison
  • Health insurance
  • General insurance
  • Life insurance
Peta Taylor's headshot
Co-written by

Publisher of Insurance

Peta Taylor is a publisher at Finder, working across all of insurance. She's been analysing product disclosure statements and publishing articles for over 2 years. Peta is passionate about demystifying complex insurance products to help users make well educated decisions with confidence. Peta is part of Finder's insurance awards team and works alongside editorial and insights experts to bring users the best insurance products every year. See full bio

Ask a question

You are about to post a question on finder.com.au:

  • Do not enter personal information (eg. surname, phone number, bank details) as your question will be made public
  • finder.com.au is a financial comparison and information service, not a bank or product provider
  • We cannot provide you with personal advice or recommendations
  • Your answer might already be waiting – check previous questions below to see if yours has already been asked

Finder only provides general advice and factual information, so consider your own circumstances, or seek advice before you decide to act on our content. By submitting a question, you're accepting our Terms Of Service and Finder Group Privacy & Cookies Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

More guides on Finder

Go to site