Private health insurance premium increase 2025

Health insurance premiums will go up by an average of 3.73% in 2025 - find out how much your fund is jacking prices up by.

Key takeaways

  • Health insurance prices are going up an average of 3.73% on April 1 2025.
  • The increase is higher than last year, and higher than inflation, but lower than some expectations.
  • Paying a year upfront or switching policies are 2 ways to save ahead of the increase.

How much will my health insurance go up in 2025?

In 2025 health insurance prices will go up by an average of 3.73%. However, the average increase varies a log between funds:

  • The highest increase is from Police Health, with 9.56%.
  • The lowest increase is from HIF, with just 1.91%.

Is your provider significantly increasing its premiums?

Get ahead of the increase. Now is a good time to compare health insurance policies and switch.

Health insurance price increase by fund in 2025

You can find out how much your health fund is increasing premiums in 2025 in the table below. Remember each of these figures are also averages in themselves - each policy is separately priced. For for example, Medibank's 3.99% increase is the average increase across all ahm and Medibank policies. We'll get the policy-by-policy information in early April, so check back then or call your health fund to find out more.

Health Fund
2025
ACA
3.16%
AIA
5.70%
Australian Unity
4.89%
BUPA
5.10%
CBHS Corporate
3.90%
CBHS
2.84%
Defence Health
3.30%
Doctors' Health
3.48%
GMHBA
2.44%
HBF
2.80%
HCI
2.94%
HIF
1.91%
Health Partners
3.43%
HCF
4.95%
Hunter Health
2.93%
Latrobe Health
2.89%
Medibank (including ahm)
3.99%
Mildura
3.69%
onemedifund
2.94%
Navy Health
2.85%
nib (including partner funds)
5.79%
Peoplecare
3.54%
Phoenix Health
2.43%
Police Health
9.56%
Queensland Teachers' Union Health Fund
3.45%
Reserve Bank Health Society
3.17%
St Luke's
2.88%
Teachers Health
2.94%
Westfund
3.40%
Industry Average
3.73%
Tim Bennett's headshot
Are this year's increases good or bad?

"The increase of 3.73% in 2025 will be pitched as both 'A MASSIVE win for Aussie BATTLERS' as well as 'The WORST this the government could do!'. It's an election year, and statistics can be spun into many different tapestries.

Here are a few hard facts that might help you make sense of the noise:

  • It is a higher rise than inflation. Inflation this year was just 2.5%.
  • Many were expecting a bigger increase. A 6% or 7% increase was floated, as inflation was much higher last year and insurers wanted to make up for a lower increase last year.
  • It's a lower rise than the historical average. Since 2000, the average increase was 4.86%.

It's up to you to decide whether you think it's a big rise or not, because only you know how big an impact it's going to make on your personal finances."

Insurance expert

Why are insurance premiums increasing so much?

The price of health insurance goes up each year mostly because of inflation. Everything gets more expensive over time in an economy that optimises for growth. However, health insurance rises have historically gone up more than inflation, for reason that include:

  • Australia's ageing population: Older Aussies are more likely to have expensive chronic conditions, which makes health insurance more expensive for everyone.
  • Fewer young people with cover: A long term trend has been young people not taking out health insurance at all. Young people are low risk for health insurance, and low risk populations typically make insurance cheaper for everyone. So fewer young people tends to mean higher premiums.
  • Advancing medical technologies: Every year we get access to better tech to keep healthier for longer. However, these technologies are often more expensive and sophisticated than older tech.

Corporate greed might also play a part! However, Australia has a highly regulated health insurance sector, so we have it better than most. Don't get me wrong, the rich will always find ways to get richer, but it's only one part of why health insurance is so expensive in this country. Of course if this is something you care about, check out the not-for-profit funds that are out there!

Why Health Insurance Prices went up by 225% (video)

Icon to represent losing money
Don't be this person
41% of Aussies are planning on auto-renewing their health insurance policy. That means 41% of people are missing out on the savings up for grabs when you compare and switch health funds.

How much does health insurance increase every year?

Health insurance premiums increase by a different rate every year. The table below shows the annual averages since 2015.

Average increase (%)

Health Fund
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
ACA
3.94%
3.54%
2.59%
3.92%
3.18%
3.16%
AIA
5.63%
1.62%
2.80%
1.69%
2.19%
5.70%
Australian Unity
2.79%
1.99%
2.73%
3.76%
1.42%
4.89%
BUPA
3.26%
3.21%
3.18%
3.39%
3.61%
5.10%
CBHS Corporate
2.37%
5.47%
5.33%
5.38%
5.82%
3.90%
CBHS
3.91%
4.26%
2.91%
4.46%
4.51%
2.84%
CUA (now part of hbf)
3.99%
2.99%
3.42%
-
-
-
Defence Health
3.49%
3.93%
3.33%
3.48%
1.00%
3.30%
Doctors' Health
3.29%
2.85%
2.28%
2.15%
2.79%
3.48%
GMHBA
3.34%
3.24%
3.10%
2.33%
2.91%
2.44%
HBF
1.98%
0.94%
3.62%
4.49%
3.95%
2.80%
HCI
3.75%
2.91%
1.09%
-0.09%
0.27%
2.94%
HIF
5.58%
3.78%
3.20%
3.10%
3.87%
1.91%
Health Partners
2.77%
3.35%
3.15%
2.93%
1.93%
3.43%
health.com.au (now part of GMHBA)
3.94%
0.83%
-
-
-
-
HCF
3.39%
2.95%
2.72%
3.33%
2.89%
4.95%
Hunter Health
3.96%
4.14%
3.77%
3.93%
3.32%
2.93%
Latrobe Health
3.49%
3.42%
3.41%
2.15%
3.04%
2.89%
Medibank (including ahm)
3.27%
3.25%
3.10%
2.96%
3.31%
3.99%
Mildura
4.68%
4.07%
2.90%
2.48%
2.14%
3.69%
onemedifund
2.99%
3.56%
3.24%
2.86%
3.41%
2.94%
Navy Health
3.49%
3.46%
3.25%
2.94%
3.10%
2.85%
nib (including partner funds)
2.90%
4.36%
2.66%
2.72%
4.10%
5.79%
Nurses & Midwives (now part of Teachers)
3.74%
3.38%
-
-
-
-
Peoplecare
3.48%
3.90%
3.27%
2.79%
1.63%
3.54%
Phoenix Health
3.10%
3.47%
3.16%
3.66%
3.72%
2.43%
Police Health
3.14%
3.10%
1.79%
0.00%
3.01%
9.56%
Queensland Country Health Fund
3.55%
4.43%
3.34%
3.17%
2.53%
-
Queensland Teachers' Union Health Fund
2.66%
1.11%
2.26%
0.81%
1.96%
3.45%
Railway & Transport Health Fund
2.91%
3.19%
-
-
-
-
Reserve Bank Health Society
3.08%
3.74%
3.74%
3.18%
2.97%
3.17%
St Luke's
2.90%
0.50%
3.19%
2.86%
3.20%
2.88%
Teachers Health
3.24%
2.88%
2.17%
2.50%
2.65%
2.94%
Transport Health
2.59%
2.61%
1.16%
2.49%
-
Westfund
4.32%
4.30%
2.40%
2.65%
2.82%
3.40%
Industry Average
2.92%
2.74%
2.70%
2.90%
3.03%
3.73%

How will I know if my premiums are increasing?

Just to be clear, your health premiums are going to go up. No health fund is going backwards this year (although it has actually happened in this past, for weird reasons).

You'll be notified by your health fund exactly how much your premiums will change around a month before they do. For most Aussies, that should be around the start of March. Keep an eye on your email inbox.

If you're not happy with the rise, the best way to save is to compare the policies that are on the market and see if there's a better deal for you.

How to avoid health insurance price increases

You can't avoid the price increase directly, but there are still some ways you can save money on your health insurance. Reviewing your cover and paying in advance are your main options, but there are different ways to go about each.

Review your health cover

First and foremost, make sure your health insurance still covers everything you need it to, and nothing you don't. If you haven't checked your policy for a while, you might find that you can downgrade or move to a better value policy.

You can also switch health funds, maybe for a better ongoing price, but also to score a new sign-up discount. All of your already-served waiting periods for hospital cover will be honoured, and most funds will do the same for extras, so it's often a great option.

Pay in advance

The other way to avoid the price increase - at least for a while - is to pay upfront. Most insurance companies will let you lock in today's prices if you pay for 12 or 18 months cover as a lump sum.

The big downside of this approach is that you have to have the money now, and will have to just do without it for the next 12 months. Not everyone has that kind of flexibility. But if you do have the money, and if your fund is jacking up prices more than the other funds, then it might be worth it.

Read more about paying health insurance in advance here.

Saving money on health insurance: case study

Daniel Woods's headshot

"I switched from AIA to Bupa and saved myself over $250 per year. I realised I was paying for an Extras policy I barely used and could get what I wanted from a Basic Plus hospital policy, rather than paying for Bronze. It was a pretty easy process and now I have more cash in my pocket - win win."

Daniel Woods
Engineering Lead

Frequently asked questions

Sarah Megginson's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been reviewed by Sarah Megginson, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.
Tim Bennett's headshot
Written by

Insurance expert

A seasoned journalist with over 10 years of experience in news, politics and finance reporting, Tim has previously held roles at the ABC, SBS and Fairfax Media. Tim’s expert insights have been quoted in The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and more. He regularly appears on TV and radio, and has been interviewed on 7 News, Sunrise, SBS News, ABC Local, 3AW and 5AA. Tim is passionate about simplifying complex insurance topics for Australian consumers. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics) from Macquarie University and a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification, which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). If you’re interested in a media interview with Tim, please reach out to our PR team at aupr@finder.com. See full bio

Tim's expertise
Tim has written 149 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Personal finance
  • Financial comparison
  • Health insurance
  • General insurance
  • Life insurance

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