Health insurance for laser eye surgery
Medicare won’t cover you for laser eye surgery, but some extras insurance policies will give you a benefit from around $14 a week.
Key takeaways
Health insurance that covers laser eye surgery
Only a handful of health insurers cover you for laser eye surgery. We've listed them below.
| Fund | Policy | Laser Eye Surgery | Limit | Monthly Price | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Super Extras | Yes | $900 per eye | $93.55 | |
| Lifestyle Extras | Yes | $600 per eye | $57.40 | |
 | Premier Extras | Yes | $1,500 | $82.26 | |
 | GMHBA Top Extras 75% Benefits | Yes | $250 | $108.15 | |
| GMHBA Top Extras Set Benefits | Yes | $250 | $75.10 | |
 | Premium Extras | Yes | $1,500 | $92.43 | |
| Healthy Living Extras | Yes | $1,200 | $57.77 | |
 | High Extras | Yes | $500 per eye | $82.70 | |
| Premium Extras | Yes | $600 per eye | $128.90 |
*Quotes are based on single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney. Prices accurate as of March 2025.
How does health insurance cover laser eye surgery?
Extras
Only a handful of extras insurance policies cover laser eye surgery. There's no requirement for funds to offer cover – which means it's usually only available with very comprehensive policies. In some cases, like Medibank, you'll need to take out a combined hospital and extras policy to be covered.
Hospital
Hospital insurance doesn't usually cover laser eye surgery because it's generally not considered 'medically necessary'. However, all bronze policies cover other eye-related treatments including tear duct conditions, eye infections, retinal detachment and trauma to the eye. You'll need a gold policy if you want health insurance for cataract surgery.
What's the difference between laser eye surgery and other eye surgery?
- Laser eye surgery. These are all different ways of reshaping the lens to correct vision and remove the need to wear glasses. These procedures vary in cost and aren't always covered by either hospital or extras cover.
- Other eye surgery. This encompasses a wide variety of medically necessary surgical procedures such as glaucoma. It's covered by hospital insurance. Some insurers pay for any major eye procedure recommended by an ophthalmologist, others will only cover specific treatments or parts of the eye.
Eye surgery in the public and private systems
Public
Medicare, Australia's public health system, only covers essential procedures like cataract removal surgery. It does not cover optionals like corrective laser eye surgery.
What does Medicare cover you for?
- Costs of treatment as a public patient in a public hospital
- Partial costs of being treated as a private patient in a public hospital
- Essential eye procedures required for the patient to maintain their sight
What doesn’t Medicare cover you for?
- Corrective surgery
- Unessential elective or optional procedures done for cosmetic purposes
- Procedures carried out to prevent a patient from needing to wear glasses or contact lenses
Private
Private health insurance can cover essential major eye surgery procedures through hospital cover and in some cases, corrective laser eye surgery, through extras cover.
| Health insurance policy type | What can it cover? |
|---|---|
Hospital Cover |
|
Extras Cover |
|
How much does laser eye surgery cost without insurance?
Without health insurance, you'll need to pay the full cost of laser eye surgery yourself. The final bill will depend on the type of surgery you have, and will vary based on which provider you ultimately choose. Here is a summary of some of the price ranges of common surgery types.
Procedure | Typical price (per eye) | Details |
|---|---|---|
LASIK | $2,200 - $3,400 | In LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), a surgeon uses lasers to create a flap in the cornea and reshape the underlying tissue before replacing the flap. |
PRK | $2,000-$3,400 | For PRK (photorefractive keratectomy), a surgeon uses a topical solution to remove the top layer of corneal cells, and a laser to reshape the exposed corneal tissue below. |
SMILE | $3,300 - $3,700 | In SMILE (small incision lenticular extraction), a surgeon make a small incision in the cornea with a laser and then removes a small disc of underlying corneal tissue. |
ICL | $4,700 - $6,200 | An ICL (implantable contact lenses) is a custom lens, similar to a contact lens, that is created by a surgeon and implanted directly into the eye. |
What should I look for when comparing laser eye insurance policies?
When comparing health insurance policies for laser eye surgery, keep the following in mind:
- Waiting periods. This is the minimum amount of time you must wait between taking out a policy and claiming benefits with it. For laser eye surgery, this is often 24 months, while in-hospital major eye surgery is typically two months.
- Excess. This is a fee you must pay when claiming benefits. Not all health insurance policies include excesses, but some do. You may be able to opt for a higher excess and lower premiums, or a lower excess and higher premiums. It's good to make sure that your excess is not so high as to prevent you from making any claims.
- Limits. All private health funds have annual limits, which are the maximum amount you can claim in benefits per year. Limit for laser eye surgery range from around $500 to $3500.
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