Compare silver health insurance

The table below shows a selection of Silver tier hospital policies from our Online Partners.

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  • Star Rating - lowest first
  • Star Rating - highest first
  • Hospital cover tier - lowest first
  • Hospital cover tier - highest first
  • Excess per admission - lowest first
  • Excess per admission - highest first
  • Monthly premium (approx) - lowest first
  • Monthly premium (approx) - highest first
Silver+
$750
$117
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New members only. T&Cs apply.
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation
Silver+
$750
$117
Psychiatric services
Rehabilitation

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Unsure of a term in the above table? View glossary

The initial results in the table above are sorted by Star Rating (High-Low) , then Monthly premium (approx) (Low-High) , then Provider Name (Alphabetical) . Additional filters may have been applied, which impact the results displayed in the table - filters can be applied or removed at any time.

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Australian Financial Services Licence 227681. See Terms & Conditions.
Australian Financial Services Licence 227681. See Terms & Conditions.

What is Silver Health Insurance?

Hospital health insurance policies in Australia are split into four main tiers – Gold, Silver, Bronze and Basic. Each tier must include cover for certain categories of medical treatment and services as a minimum.

Silver health insurance is the second highest tier of hospital product policies, behind Gold. As well as providing the same minimum levels of cover as Basic and Bronze policies, Silver policies must also include cover for eight additional medical categories:

  • Heart and vascular system
  • Lungs and chest
  • Blood
  • Back, neck and spine
  • Plastic and reconstructive surgery (medically necessary)
  • Dental surgery
  • Podiatric surgery
  • Implantation of hearing devices

For the full 29 clinical categories covered under Silver health insurance, see the FAQ section below.

Insurers can also offer ‘Plus’ policies if they so choose – Silver Plus – which include extra coverage on top of the minimum requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions about Silver Health Insurance

As a minimum, Silver health insurance policies cover 29 clinical categories out of the total 38. Of these, three categories – rehabilitation, hospital psychiatric services and palliative care – may be offered on a restricted basis.

If a certain clinical category is offered on a restricted basis, it means the insurers pay only a limited amount of the private hospital costs. According to the Australian Commonwealth Ombudsman, this means people are more likely to face significant out-of-pocket expenses for treatments with restricted benefits.

For the remaining 26 categories, your insurer must cover all treatments available in that category.

The clinical categories covered under a Silver policy are:

  • Rehabilitation (restricted cover permitted)
  • Hospital psychiatric services (restricted cover permitted)
  • Palliative care (restricted cover permitted)
  • Brain and nervous system
  • Eye (not cataracts)
  • Ear, nose and throat
  • Tonsils, adenoids and grommets
  • Bone, joint and muscle
  • Joint reconstructions
  • Kidney and bladder
  • Male reproductive system
  • Digestive system
  • Hernia and appendix
  • Gastrointestinal endoscopy
  • Gynaecology
  • Miscarriage and termination of pregnancy
  • Chemotherapy, radiotherapy & immunotherapy for cancer
  • Pain management
  • Skin
  • Breast surgery (medically necessary)
  • Diabetes management (excluding insulin pumps)
  • Heart and vascular system
  • Lung and chest
  • Blood
  • Back, neck and spine
  • Plastic and reconstructive surgery (medically necessary)
  • Dental surgery
  • Podiatric surgery (provided by a registered podiatric surgeon)
  • Implantation of hearing devices

Silver health insurance policies are not required to cover the following nine hospital clinical categories:

  • Cataracts
  • Joints replacements
  • Dialysis for chronic kidney failure
  • Pregnancy and birth
  • Assisted reproductive services
  • Weight loss surgery
  • Insulin pumps
  • Pain management with device
  • Sleep studies

However, insurers may offer these treatments and services as an optional addition to their policies in the form of ‘Silver Plus’ health insurance.

‘General’ treatment and services, such as dental or podiatric care, may not be covered unless you’ve taken out an ‘extras’ policy along with your Silver hospital cover. The table at the top of the page compares Silver hospital health insurance policies, but you can change the filters to include extras cover.

A Silver Plus health insurance policy is one that includes coverage for clinical categories outside of the ones that are minimum requirements. For example, you could have a Silver Plus policy that includes pregnancy and birth cover, which would normally only be available under a Gold tier policy.

It is up to your insurer whether or not it offers ‘Plus’ policies and what clinical categories are included in them. It could be a wise idea to check with your health insurance provider what is and isn’t covered, and check the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

The cost of Silver health insurance can vary depending on several factors, such as the provider you choose, the policy you select, the excess you’re willing to pay and where you live. The price of your health insurance premiums will also depend on whether you’re covering for just yourself or the whole family.

In addition, if you’re taking out hospital cover for the first time and you’re over 30, you may pay higher premium costs under Lifetime Health Cover (LHC). The additional costs you pay on top of your hospital premium cost , known as ‘LHC loading’, is a 2% loading amount for every year you are aged over 30, based on your age on the 1 July prior to joining.

But, if you’re eligible, you may be able to use the Government’s Private Health Insurance Rebate to lower the cost of your Silver cover premiums. The Private Health Insurance Rebate is an amount the Federal Government contributes towards your private health insurance costs. But the rebate is income tested, meaning your eligibility will depend on your annual income.

With all these factors in mind, the cost of your Silver health insurance heavily depends on your own individual circumstances as well as provider and policy preferences. That is why comparing premiums can be one way to determine how much you’ll likely pay for your monthly premiums.

You can use the table at the top of this page to compare Silver hospital health insurance. Change the filter to suit your needs.

Whether Silver hospital cover is suitable for you will depend on your own individual circumstances and what clinical categories are important or relevant to you. For example, since it covers for back, neck and spine treatment, it could be helpful if your job is physically intensive. A Silver policy may also be worth considering if you’re seeking dental or podiatric surgery, hearing device implant or have existing heart and vascular conditions or risks.

A Silver policy may not be appropriate for you if you’re planning or requiring private pregnancy, birth or assisted reproductive services. If you wish to be covered for any of the clinical categories not listed as a minimum standard requirement for a Silver health insurance, such as cataracts surgery or pregnancy and birth, you may want to consider either Silver Plus or Gold cover.

If you are considering a Silver Plus policy, be sure to check with your insurer for a full list of what is and isn’t covered, as well as reading the full Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

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Nina Rinella, Editor-in-Chief

Nina Rinella
As Canstar’s Editor-in-Chief, Nina heads up a team of talented journalists committed to helping empower consumers to take greater control of their finances. Nina has written countless articles about finance and has been interviewed on finance topics by media organisations including The Australian, Realestate.com.au, Domain, the Herald Sun and the Sydney Morning Herald. Previously Nina founded her own agency where she provided content and communications support to clients around Australia for 8 years. She also spent four years as the PR Manager for American Express Australia, and has worked at a Brisbane communications agency where she supported dozens of clients, including Sunsuper and Suncorp. When she’s not dreaming up ways to put a fresh spin on finance, she’s taking her own advice by trying to pay her house off as quickly as possible and raising two money-savvy kids. Nina has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English Literature from the University of Queensland. She’s also an experienced presenter, and has hosted numerous events and YouTube series. You can follow her on LinkedIn and Canstar on Facebook. Meet the Canstar Editorial Team. Have a media enquiry, and interested in featuring Nina as a financial expert and commentator? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

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Joshua Sale

As Canstar’s Ratings Manager, Josh Sale is responsible for the methodology and delivery of Canstar’s Health Insurance Star Ratings and Awards. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, Josh has worked behind the scenes for the last five years to develop Star Ratings and Awards that help connect consumers with the right product for them.

Josh is passionate about helping consumers get hands-on with their finances. Josh has been interviewed by media outlets such as the Australian Financial Reviewnews.com.au and Money Magazine.

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Important information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Canstar may earn a fee from its Online Partners for referrals from its website tables, and from sponsorship or promotion of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and sponsorship or promotion may vary between providers, website position, and revenue model. Sponsorship/promotion fees may be higher than referral fees. If a product is sponsored or promoted, it’s an ad and it is clearly marked as such. An ad might appear in different places on our website, such as in comparison tables and articles. Ads may be displayed in a fixed position in a table, regardless of the product's rating, price or other attributes. The location of an ad doesn’t indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings. See How We Get Paid to find out more. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings or Awards.

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Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. We cannot and do not recommend that any particular product is suitable for you. 

We provide links to our Online Partners. These are brands that may pay Canstar a fee for referring you. Our tables default to display only our Online Partners’ products initially, you can adjust the Online Partner Filter to see all of the products available for comparison on Canstar’s website. We provide these links so that you can click through to the product provider’s website to get more information. The provision of these links does not constitute a recommendation by Canstar.

Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general advice is right for your personal circumstances. You may need advice from a qualified adviser. Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. If you decide to apply for an insurance policy, you will deal directly with the provider, not with Canstar.  It’s important you check product information directly with the provider. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before making a purchase decision. For more information, read our Detailed Disclosure.

The Health Insurance Star Ratings were awarded in November 2024 and data in the table is current as at that date, updated from time to time to reflect product changes notified to us by product issuers. The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Learn more about our Health Insurance Star Rating Methodology. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering products.

The products and Star Ratings in the table might not match your exact inputs in the selector. Sometimes the methodology uses profiles with categories or bands (e.g. income, loan amount or monthly spend), but sometimes a single methodology, without any categories or bands, is applied. The results will show the products that most closely match your selection, based on our profiles. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.

Companies listed in the table, or in ads, may use or be used by another company to arrange, issue, distribute or sell its insurance policies to customers. For more information on the issuer of the policy, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.

If you are seeking to replace an insurance policy, you should consider your personal circumstances, including continuing the existing cover until the replacement policy is issued and cover confirmed. Your current policy may have different features to products currently on the market. Please consider what features are right for you when comparing insurance products and refer to the provider for further details on a policy.

What is a Target Market Determination?

A Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) is a document that explains which people particular financial products may be suitable for (the target market) and sets out any conditions around how financial products can be distributed to consumers.

Why do product issuers provide Target Market Determinations?

From 5 October 2021, TMDs are compulsory for most financial products.

Issuers and distributors of financial products must take reasonable steps that are likely to result in financial products reaching consumers in the target market defined by the product issuer.

We recommend that you consider the TMD before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD.