HBF Health Insurance

HBF Health Insurance: private health insurance in Australia

HBF Health Insurance is a not-for-profit private health fund operating in Australia which, according to its own presentation, has more than one million members and over 80 years of activity. The entity describes itself as one of the largest not-for-profit health funds in the country and focuses its approach on putting members' needs at the centre of its decisions.

Cover options

HBF's offering is organised into several product blocks that can be combined with each other:

• Hospital cover: helps cover the costs arising from a hospital stay. It includes levels such as Basic Hospital, Accident Only, Basic Hospital Plus, Basic Hospital Plus Elevate Lite, Bronze Hospital Plus, Bronze Hospital Plus Essential, Silver Hospital, Silver Hospital Plus, Gold Hospital and Gold Hospital Elevate.
• Extras cover: aimed at everyday healthcare services. It includes products such as Basic Extras, Smart Start Extras, Value 50, Flex 50, Core Extras, Flex 60, Complete 60 and Top 70.
• Ambulance cover: for road ambulance transport, with options such as Essential Ambulance, Urgent Ambulance and Ambulance Care.
• Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC): aimed at those in Australia, with variants for working visas, tourist visas and reciprocal health agreements.

The entity allows combining hospital and extras products to tailor cover to each situation.

Membership profiles and life stages

HBF structures part of its offering according to the member's life stage: young adults, singles, couples, families and single-parent families. The company distinguishes four general membership categories: one adult (single), two adults (couple), two adults with any number of dependent children (family) and one adult with any number of dependent children (single-parent family).

Health services included in extras

Among the common services covered by extras products are dental, physiotherapy, optical, mental health, chiropractic, nutrition and dietetics, remedial massage, podiatry, osteopathy and orthodontics.

Health programs and member benefits

The entity offers health programs and services aimed at cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, diabetes and other chronic conditions, as well as joint pain, weight management, mental health and proactive health. It also has the HBF App to manage cover, make claims and check limits, and a member benefits program with offers and discounts. Its health partnerships include Pharmacy 777, the telehealth service with Updoc and TerryWhite.

Member support and managing your cover

HBF provides members with a help centre with FAQs, practical guides to manage cover online, make claims, update or suspend policies, check payment methods and find health providers. The company also publishes informative resources on topics such as tax and rebates, mental health, private hospitals, 2026 premium changes and women's health, as well as a blog with content produced by health professionals and insurance experts.

Current offers for new members

The website lists several promotions for new members, subject to conditions. These include up to 12 weeks free plus a gift card of up to $200 and no waiting periods on eligible extras for those who take out and keep eligible combined cover; six weeks free for those who start and keep eligible hospital cover; six weeks free for those who start and keep eligible extras cover; and six weeks free for those who take out hospital cover for overseas working visas, with or without extras. The deadlines indicated on the site are 20 October 2026, 17 November 2026 and 31 January 2027, depending on the promotion.

Regulatory and tax framework

The company explains on its website that private health insurance in Australia operates under the principle of 'community rating', whereby everyone living in the same state is entitled to take out private health insurance and pay the same base price for the same policies, without premiums being set based on individual factors such as age, gender, lifestyle or physical condition. It also details concepts such as the Medicare Levy Surcharge, which can mean an additional tax of 1% to 1.5% for taxpayers without adequate hospital cover, and the Lifetime Health Cover loading, which adds 2% for each year without hospital cover after age 31, capped at 70% and removed after ten continuous years of cover.