Australian health insurance, explained
Health insurance, with the actual numbers.
Understand what you are paying for, what you are covered for, and whether you need cover at all.
We may be paid a fee when you request a quote.
The reading room
A good place to start.
Straight answers to the questions that make choosing cover complicated.
Also worth a read Turning 31Basic cover and the surchargeRebate tiers2026–27 surcharge thresholds
Less guesswork
Start with your own numbers.
A guide explains the rules. A calculator helps you see what those rules mean for your income.
Explore the calculatorsMedicare Levy Surcharge calculator 2026–27
See the surcharge for your income and cover situation.
↗ Income + MedicareMedicare levy calculator 2025–26
Work out the levy separately from the surcharge.
↗ CalculatorLifetime Health Cover loading calculator
Work out your LHC base day, your loading on the 1 July rule the law uses, what it adds to your premium in dollars, and the date it comes off. No sign-up.
↗ CalculatorPrivate health insurance rebate calculator 2026–27
Work out your 2026–27 rebate tier, percentage and dollars from income, family, age and premium, with the LHC loading removed first. Checked against the ATO.
↗Find your topic
The detail, without the detour.
Explore the subjects behind your next health insurance decision.
Tax & thresholds
Understand the rules before you pay for cover.
- Medicare Levy Surcharge 2026–27
- Private health insurance rebate tiers
- Medicare levy explained
- Medicare levy exemption
- Lifetime Health Cover loading
Hospital cover tiers
Find out what is included, restricted or left out.
- Gold vs Silver vs Bronze vs Basic
- Is Gold cover worth it?
- Basic cover for MLS only
- Silver Plus and Bronze Plus explained
- Basic hospital cover
Switching & saving
Know what moves with you when you change funds.
- How to switch funds
- Does switching reset waiting periods?
- Prepay before 1 April
- No waiting period health insurance
- Pre-existing conditions and the 12-month rule
Compare & quote
Put what you have learned into your next choice.
- Compare health insurance
- Private health insurance explained
- How to compare health insurance
- Hospital cover
- Extras cover
Know the fund
Look beyond the logo.
Our fund guides bring policy details, limits and waiting periods into one place.
The Plain Cover approach
Don’t take our word for it. Check our sources.
Every guide has a trail back to the information behind it.
How we workGo to the original
Government guidance, regulator data and fund policy documents, linked where they are used.
Know when it was checked
Guide update dates and dated source references help you put the information in context.
Understand how we’re paid
We may receive a fee when you request a quote through a commercial partner.
How we make moneyYour next step
A clearer picture. A more informed choice.
Answer a few quick questions to get free health cover quotes personalised to your needs. No obligation.