Single parent health insurance

Single parent health insurance is a type of private health policy that comes with equal cover for one or more of your kids. You pay the same rate regardless of how many dependants you have.

Who’s this health cover for?

Single parent health insurance covers you and all your kids on the same convenient policy, helping you protect your children's health.

As your family grows, you can even add additional children onto your policy for free and it'll usually cover them up until the age of 21, or 25 if they're a full-time uni student.

Key takeaways

  • If you already have insurance, there will be a small bump in your premium for the first child and the rest are covered for free.
  • The kids are covered for what you are covered for and they will not usually have to serve waiting periods if you have already served them.
  • You can get single parent hospital cover, extras cover or both.

What is single parent health insurance?

Single parent health insurance refers to a singles health insurance policy that also includes equal cover for one or more dependants. It can help pay the bills for:

Hospital cover

Hospital treatment

As well as covering you for everything that Medicare includes, private hospital insurance can let you and your kids get treated for non-urgent conditions quicker, allow you to choose the doctor that treats them and give them access to a private room in a private hospital.

General dental

Extras treatment

Childhood is also the time for fixing crooked teeth and imperfect vision. Extras cover gives your kids a head start in both areas. Most extras policies will cover basic dental work, eye exams, glasses and even therapies like physio. Dreading the day your little one needs orthodontics? Higher level policies can help out there.

Ambulance cover

Ambulances

Unfortunately, ambulance services are not covered by Medicare in Australia (except in Queensland and Tasmania) so you'll need to take out health insurance if you want to avoid expensive fees for you or your child. Luckily, you can get covered for as little as $3 a week with a basic extras policy.

Finder survey: How many people worry about being able to pay for medical bills?

ResponseMaleFemale
No53.96%38.31%
Yes30.63%43.3%
Somewhat15.42%18.39%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023

Does single parent health insurance cover pregnancy?

Yes, all gold tier policies are required to provide pregnancy cover. Keep in mind there's a 12-month waiting period before you can claim for pregnancy. That means you'll have to get pregnancy cover well before you start trying to conceiv, unless your previous policy also covered pregnancy.

If you don't plan to have more children, opt for a policy that excludes pregnancy cover since there's no point paying for a service you're unlikely to need.

What are the waiting periods on a single parent health insurance policy?

Waiting periods for single parent health insurance are generally as follows:

  • 2 months for most hospital treatments (except pregnancy which is 12 months) and extras services e.g. general dental, physio and chiro.
  • 12 months for pre-existing conditions and some more expensive extras treatments like major dental and orthodontics.

What does single parent health insurance not cover?

Even with comprehensive hospital and extras policies, there are a few services and treatments a single parent health policy will not cover. Some of these include:

  • Outpatient blood work and testing. Private hospital cover piggybacks off Medicare, which covers mainly inpatient treatments. Outpatient services like bloodwork and testing aren't typically covered on extras policies either.
  • GP and specialist visits. These are two types of outpatient services that Medicare will cover but your private health insurance won't.
  • Non-emergency ambulance rides. Most private health insurance policies cover ambulance rides but only for emergency situations. If paramedics or doctors say it's not an emergency, your insurance won't cover you.
  • Hospital treatments that Medicare doesn't cover. The Australian healthcare system is designed to get you the health care you really need but not necessarily services you merely want. So neither Medicare nor private health will cover you for many services that aren't medically necessary, like a face lift.

Best sign up deals for June 2025 from Finder Partners

Check the deals below before buying health insurance and you could save money on your premium - or get a reward for signing up.

1 - 15 of 15
Name Product

Roll over your extras limits

Ends 30 June 2025

Most unused extras annual limits rolled over until July 2026. Join by June 30 for up to double limits on most extras. Exclusions & T&Cs apply.


Get up to 12 weeks free

Ends 30 June 2025

When you join before 30 June and maintain eligible combined hospital & extras cover. T&Cs apply. Learn more.


Want up to 8 weeks free and a $50 gift card when you join & maintain eligible Extras?

Ends 30 June 2025

Plus, get 2&6 month waits waived on extras. Offer ends 30 June 2025. New members only. T&Cs apply. Excludes Healthy Living Extras.


Want 6 weeks free and $400 in gift cards (couples/families) or $200 in gift cards (singles/single parents) when you join and maintain eligible Bronze Hospital cover or above?

Ends 30 June 2025

New members only. T&Cs apply. Excludes Basic covers.


Join directly on eligible cover & get up to 12 weeks free

Ends 31 July 2025

T&Cs apply. New members only. Ends 31 July. 12 weeks free applied over 2 years (3 years for annual payers).


Get 6 weeks free

Ends 30 June 2025

When you join and maintain eligible hospital cover. T&Cs apply. Learn more.


Get 10 weeks free

Ends 30 June 2025

Join a combined cover online with nib by Jun 30 & get 10 weeks free. T&Cs apply.


Want up to 8 weeks free extras cover?

Ends 30 June 2025

For new joins by 30 Jun who maintain eligible extras. T&Cs apply. Learn more.


Get 8 weeks free

Ends 30 June 2025

Get 8 weeks free & instant access to Extras when you join Hospital & Extras By June 30. T&Cs Apply. Learn more.


Get 8 weeks free

Ends 30 June 2025

Plus, 2-month waits waived on extras by 30 June 2025. T&Cs apply.


Get 10 weeks free for a limited time

When you take out AAMI Health Insurance Hospital & Extras cover. Eligibility and T&Cs apply.


Get up to 10 weeks free

Ends 15 July 2025

Plus no 2 & 6 month waits on extras when you join on combined cover by 15 July. For new members only. T&Cs apply.

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Frequently asked questions

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Written by

Journalist

James Martin was the insurance editor at Finder. He has written on a range of insurance and finance topics for over 7 years. James often shares his insurance expertise as a media spokesperson and has appeared on Prime 7 News, Insurance News, 7NEWS and The Guardian. An experienced journalist, James' work has featured in publications including The Irish Times, Companies100 and In Business. He holds a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, both of which meet the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

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James has written 186 Finder guides across topics including:
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Co-written by

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Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 598 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living

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