Key facts
- Of the 28 insurers with a 2026 figure, 20 raised premiums by less than the 4.41% industry average and 8 by more. The industry figure is weighted by the number of people covered, so a few large insurers move it most. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing dataset, 17 Feb 2026
- The 2026 average was the highest since 4.84% in 2017, and the industry average has risen every year since 1997 except 2001, when it was -0.01%. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing dataset, 17 Feb 2026
- The base-tier rebate for under-65s fell from 24.288% to 24.118% on the same day, so on a A$3,000 policy the cost after the rebate rose 4.64%, not 4.41%. ATO rebate rates, last updated 22 Jun 2026
- Insurers' applications for the 1 April 2027 round are due on 11 November 2026, and the Minister's announcement is indicated for December to 31 January. health.gov.au, last updated 7 Oct 2026
- Insurers paid more than A$26.7 billion in benefits in the 12 months to 30 September 2025, with hospital treatment up 6% to A$20 billion. Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing, 17 Feb 2026
Every 1 April, each Australian health insurer changes its premiums by an amount the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing has approved. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing then publishes each insurer’s average change in one dataset. This page reprints that dataset for 2025 and 2026, shows the industry trend, and turns the percentages into dollars. It reports the figures as published: a lower average is not a cheaper or better policy.
How much did each Australian health fund raise premiums on 1 April 2026?
The table lists every insurer in the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s dataset, in the Department’s own alphabetical order, with each insurer’s average premium change on 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026. The industry average was 4.41% in 2026 and 3.73% in 2025.
Of the 35 insurers listed, 28 have a 2026 figure. Their averages ran from 1.98% (GMHBA Limited) to 5.98% (AIA Health Insurance). Twenty of the 28 sat below the 4.41% industry average and eight sat above it. “No figure” means the Department’s file shows a dash for that insurer and year, usually because the fund has merged or now trades inside another group.
| Insurer (registered name) | 1 April 2025 | 1 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| ACA Health Benefits Fund Limited | 3.16% | 4.48% |
| AIA Health Insurance | 5.70% | 5.98% |
| Australian Unity Health Limited | 4.89% | 3.98% |
| BUPA HI Pty Ltd | 5.10% | 4.80% |
| CBHS Corporate Health Pty Ltd | 3.90% | 3.25% |
| CBHS Health Fund Limited | 2.84% | 3.25% |
| Cessnock District Health Benefits Fund Limited (Hunter Health Insurance) | 2.93% | 3.92% |
| CUA Health Limited | no figure | no figure |
| Defence Health Limited | 3.30% | 2.99% |
| Doctors’ Health Fund Pty Ltd | 3.48% | 3.67% |
| GMHBA Limited | 2.44% | 1.98% |
| HBF Health Limited | 2.80% | 2.15% |
| Health Care Insurance Ltd | 2.94% | 4.53% |
| Health Insurance Fund of Australia Limited | 1.91% | 2.60% |
| Health Partners Limited | 3.43% | 3.94% |
| health.com.au Pty Ltd | no figure | no figure |
| Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia Ltd | 4.95% | 4.96% |
| Latrobe Health Services Limited | 2.89% | 4.53% |
| Medibank Private Limited | 3.99% | 5.10% |
| Mildura District Hospital Fund Ltd | 3.69% | 4.25% |
| National Health Benefits Australia Pty Ltd (onemedifund) | 2.94% | 2.96% |
| Navy Health Ltd | 2.85% | 2.88% |
| NIB Health Funds Ltd | 5.79% | 5.47% |
| Nurses & Midwives Health Pty Ltd | no figure | no figure |
| Peoplecare Health Limited | 3.54% | 4.01% |
| Phoenix Health Fund Limited | 2.43% | 2.95% |
| Police Health Limited | 9.56% | 2.53% |
| Queensland Country Health Fund Ltd | no figure | no figure |
| Queensland Teachers’ Union Health Fund Limited | 3.45% | no figure |
| Railway & Transport Health Fund Ltd | no figure | no figure |
| Reserve Bank Health Society Ltd | 3.17% | 4.13% |
| St Luke’s Medical and Hospital Benefits Association | 2.88% | 4.25% |
| Teachers Federation Health Ltd | 2.94% | 3.94% |
| Transport Health Pty Ltd | no figure | no figure |
| Westfund Limited | 3.40% | 3.26% |
| Industry average | 3.73% | 4.41% |
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, “Average annual price changes in private health insurance premiums”, Excel file published 17 February 2026. Last verified 8 November 2026.
What does a 4.41% premium increase mean in dollars?
A percentage is easier to judge as a dollar amount. The table applies each average to a stated example premium of A$3,000 a year before the rebate. A$3,000 is an example chosen to make the arithmetic easy to redo, not a quote for any policy. The insurers shown are the nine behind Plain Cover’s current fund reviews, in alphabetical order.
| Insurer | 2026 average | Extra cost a year on A$3,000 | Extra cost a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry average, 2025 | 3.73% | A$111.90 | A$9.33 |
| Industry average, 2026 | 4.41% | A$132.30 | A$11.03 |
| AIA Health Insurance | 5.98% | A$179.40 | A$14.95 |
| BUPA HI Pty Ltd | 4.80% | A$144.00 | A$12.00 |
| GMHBA Limited | 1.98% | A$59.40 | A$4.95 |
| HBF Health Limited | 2.15% | A$64.50 | A$5.38 |
| Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia Ltd | 4.96% | A$148.80 | A$12.40 |
| Health Partners Limited | 3.94% | A$118.20 | A$9.85 |
| Medibank Private Limited | 5.10% | A$153.00 | A$12.75 |
| NIB Health Funds Ltd | 5.47% | A$164.10 | A$13.68 |
| Westfund Limited | 3.26% | A$97.80 | A$8.15 |
Plain Cover arithmetic: A$3,000 times the average, divided by 12 for the month. Last verified 8 November 2026. To redo it for your own policy in Australia, multiply your yearly premium before the rebate by your insurer’s 2026 figure. The result is an estimate only, because a single policy can move by more or less than its insurer’s average. How much private health insurance costs shows real 2026–27 premiums from policy statements.
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Compare coverDo health insurance premiums go up every year?
Yes, in almost every year on record. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s series runs from 1997 to 2026, and the industry average rose in every year except 2001, when it was -0.01%. The ten most recent rounds are below.
| Premium round | Industry average change |
|---|---|
| 1 April 2017 | 4.84% |
| 1 April 2018 | 3.95% |
| 1 April 2019 | 3.25% |
| 1 April 2020 | 2.92% |
| 1 April 2021 | 2.74% |
| 1 April 2022 | 2.70% |
| 1 April 2023 | 2.90% |
| 1 April 2024 | 3.03% |
| 1 April 2025 | 3.73% |
| 1 April 2026 | 4.41% |
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing dataset, 17 February 2026. Last verified 8 November 2026.
The 2026 figure of 4.41% was the highest industry average since 4.84% in 2017. The trend turned in 2023: after five falls in a row from 2017 to 2022, the average has risen in each of the four rounds since.
Compounded, the ten rounds add up. A premium of A$1,000 before the 1 April 2017 round would be about A$1,403 after the 1 April 2026 round, if it had moved exactly with the industry average each year. Plain Cover arithmetic: 1,000 times 1.0484 times 1.0395, and so on through 1.0441. Any one Australian policy will have moved by its own amounts.
How much have premiums risen over five rounds, fund by fund?
One round is a snapshot. Five rounds, from 1 April 2022 to 1 April 2026, show how each insurer’s averages have added up. The table compounds each insurer’s five published averages and applies the total to the same A$3,000 example premium. It covers the nine insurers behind Plain Cover’s current fund reviews, in alphabetical order.
| Insurer | Five rounds compounded, 2022 to 2026 | Added to a A$3,000 premium |
|---|---|---|
| Industry average | 17.92% | A$537.67 |
| AIA Health Insurance | 19.67% | A$590.05 |
| BUPA HI Pty Ltd | 21.74% | A$652.25 |
| GMHBA Limited | 13.42% | A$402.71 |
| HBF Health Limited | 18.19% | A$545.65 |
| Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia Ltd | 20.30% | A$608.96 |
| Health Partners Limited | 16.34% | A$490.31 |
| Medibank Private Limited | 19.86% | A$595.71 |
| NIB Health Funds Ltd | 22.48% | A$674.53 |
| Westfund Limited | 15.40% | A$461.87 |
Plain Cover arithmetic on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing dataset of 17 February 2026. Last verified 8 November 2026.
Five-year totals move around more than single years suggest. HBF Health Limited raised premiums by 2.15% in 2026, yet its five-round total of 18.19% is above the industry’s 17.92%, because HBF’s 2023 and 2024 averages of 4.49% and 3.95% were well above the industry figures for those years. A single year’s figure says little about how an Australian policy has moved over time.
Why your premium rose by more, or less, than your fund’s average
This is where most readers get caught. An insurer’s published figure is an average across all its policies, not the change on any one policy. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing states that “Premium price changes for some policies may be higher or lower than the industry or insurer’s average”, and that the figure “is not indicative of what every policy holder may experience.”
So a member of GMHBA Limited, which averaged 1.98% on 1 April 2026, could still see a larger rise on their own policy, and a member of AIA Health Insurance, which averaged 5.98%, could see a smaller one. The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman adds that where a policy’s rise is higher than average, the fund has shown it is needed to cover the benefits that policy pays, and such rises “are generally an indication that the particular health fund policy has been previously underpriced.”
The figure that matters is the one in your insurer’s notice. The Ombudsman’s factsheet says your fund must tell you in writing about an increase, and health.gov.au says the notice should give you time to review your cover before 1 April. A low average is also not a low price. The average describes a change, not the premium itself. An Australian policy that rose 2% can still cost more than one that rose 6%.
What did the 1 April 2026 rise cost after the rebate, by age?
Two things changed on 1 April 2026: premiums went up, and the Australian Government Rebate percentage went down. The ATO lists the base-tier rebate for people under 65 as 24.288% from 1 July 2025 to 31 March 2026, part of the 2025–26 year, and 24.118% from 1 April 2026, the rate that carries on through 2026–27 until 31 March 2027. The rebate covers a smaller share of a larger premium, so the amount you pay rises by more than the premium.
The table works this through on the same A$3,000 example premium, rising by the 4.41% industry average, for each age band at the base income tier. It also shows Tier 3, where no rebate applies.
| Oldest person on the policy, base tier | Rebate before, then from 1 April 2026 | You paid before 1 April 2026 | You pay from 1 April 2026 | Increase in what you pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 65 | 24.288%, then 24.118% | A$2,271.36 | A$2,376.85 | A$105.49, or 4.64% |
| 65 to 69 | 28.337%, then 28.139% | A$2,149.89 | A$2,250.90 | A$101.01, or 4.70% |
| 70 and over | 32.385%, then 32.158% | A$2,028.45 | A$2,125.01 | A$96.56, or 4.76% |
| Any age, Tier 3 | 0.000% | A$3,000.00 | A$3,132.30 | A$132.30, or 4.41% |
Plain Cover arithmetic on ATO rates (last updated 22 June 2026). Last verified 8 November 2026.
Worked example for the under-65 row: A$3,000 times (1 minus 0.24288) is A$2,271.36. After 1 April 2026, A$3,000 times 1.0441 is A$3,132.30, and A$3,132.30 times (1 minus 0.24118) is A$2,376.85. The difference, A$105.49, is 4.64% of A$2,271.36. The same thing happened in 2025: the under-65 rebate fell from 24.608% to 24.288%, turning the 3.73% average into a 4.17% rise in what a base-tier member paid. The rebate tiers for 2026–27 set which row applies to you.
Why do health insurance premiums go up, and who approves the rise?
Premiums rise because benefits rise. The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman lists the causes: higher wages for nurses and hospital staff, doctors’ charges, the cost of medical equipment and technology, more complex procedures, and members using more health services. Insurers hold reserves, but the Ombudsman notes these “can only assist temporarily.”
For the 1 April 2026 round, the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing said the 4.41% average “reflects the rising costs of providing medical and hospital services, which rose 5 per cent last financial year.” In the 12 months to 30 September 2025, Australian insurers paid more than A$26.7 billion in benefits, including A$20 billion for hospital treatment, up 6%, and A$6.7 billion for general treatment, up 5%. The hospital benefits ratio was 85.9% in September 2025.
No insurer in Australia can raise premiums on its own. Under the Private Health Insurance Act 2007, each insurer applies with actuarially certified figures. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing assesses the application, with advice from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. The Minister then decides, and must approve an application unless satisfied it is not in the public interest. The Minister’s release says insurers were asked to resubmit their 2026 requests “multiple times” before approval.
How is a fund’s average premium increase worked out?
Each insurer’s figure is a revenue measure, not a simple average of its policy prices. Health.gov.au says it is the percentage change in the insurer’s forecast contribution income for the 12 months after the change. The forecast leaves out changes in membership, but includes age-based discounts and rate protection. The Department says this method is “less biased by extremely low changes for particular products” than averaging product prices.
The industry average is weighted differently again. Health.gov.au says it averages the change in every product subgroup of every insurer, weighted by the number of people covered. That is why 20 of the 28 insurers with a 2026 figure came in below the 4.41% industry average: a handful of insurers with large memberships, each above 4.41%, pull the weighted figure up.
Two practical points follow for Australian members. First, a fund’s figure already counts the discounts some members get, so the list price change on a policy can differ from it. Second, comparing one insurer’s figure with the industry figure compares a revenue change with a membership-weighted average. Both are official, but neither is the change on your policy.
Which brands share their insurer’s premium figure?
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing publishes one figure per registered insurer, not per brand. Many policies are sold under another name, and the Department gives those brands no row of their own. PrivateHealth.gov.au’s insurer pages, read 8 November 2026, link the brands below to an insurer, and that insurer’s 2026 average is the closest published figure for them.
| Brand you may know | Linked insurer, per PrivateHealth.gov.au | That insurer’s 2026 average |
|---|---|---|
| ahm (“owned by Medibank”) | Medibank Private Limited | 5.10% |
| Frank Health Insurance | GMHBA Limited | 1.98% |
| Qantas Insurance, Suncorp, AAMI, Apia, ING, Real and Seniors | NIB Health Funds Ltd | 5.47% |
| see-u by HBF (“part of HBF”) | HBF Health Limited | 2.15% |
| RT Health (“a division of The Hospitals Contribution Fund”) | Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia Ltd | 4.96% |
| Hunter Health Insurance | Cessnock District Health Benefits Fund Limited | 3.92% |
| onemedifund | National Health Benefits Australia Pty Ltd | 2.96% |
| TUH, part of the Teachers Health Group | Queensland Teachers’ Union Health Fund Limited | no figure |
Sources: PrivateHealth.gov.au insurer list and insurer details pages; Department dataset of 17 February 2026. Last verified 8 November 2026.
The TUH row is a real gap, not an error on this page. The Department’s file shows a dash for Queensland Teachers’ Union Health Fund Limited in 2026, after 3.45% in 2025, and PrivateHealth.gov.au now lists TUH as “part of the Teachers Health Group”. Teachers Federation Health Ltd averaged 3.94% in 2026. A TUH member’s own notice is the only reliable figure. The fund reviews for Medibank, nib and GMHBA cover each insurer’s own announcement.
When will the 2027 premium increase be announced?
Not yet. As at 8 November 2026, no average for the 1 April 2027 round had been published. Health.gov.au, last updated 7 October 2026, says insurers’ applications are due at 3pm AEST on Wednesday 11 November 2026, and that approved premiums take effect on 1 April each year.
The same page gives “December to 31 January” as the indicative timing for the Minister’s announcement, adding that it depends on the Minister’s consideration. For comparison, the 2026 round closed on 12 November 2025 and was announced on 17 February 2026, later than that indicative window. The Minister has also issued a Statement of Expectations for the 2027 round, setting out what the Minister will pay particular regard to.
The 2027 rebate percentages are a separate step. The ATO says the rebate rates from 1 April 2027 “will become available in March 2027”. A rebate cut on 1 April 2027 would again add to what a member pays, as it did in 2025 and 2026. This page will carry the 2027 figure for each insurer once the Department publishes it.
What can members do when their fund’s increase is above average?
This is general information, not advice about your circumstances. Members in Australia who receive a notice above their fund’s average typically weigh up four things.
- The notice itself. The figure in the letter is the one that applies, so it is the one worth checking against your current cover.
- Paying ahead. PrivateHealth.gov.au says some insurers offer rate protection to members who pay 12 months in advance, holding the old rate until those months end. Prepaying before the 1 April rise sets out each fund’s limits.
- Reviewing the cover. The Ombudsman’s factsheet says your current insurer or another one may offer a cheaper alternative, and PrivateHealth.gov.au lists every insurer’s policies.
- Switching insurer. PrivateHealth.gov.au says you will not re-serve waiting periods on a policy at the same or a lower level of benefit. How to switch health funds walks through the transfer certificate and timing.
The Ombudsman also points out that keeping hospital cover can matter for Lifetime Health Cover and the Medicare Levy Surcharge, so dropping cover to avoid a rise can cost more than the rise itself.