Health insurance for weight loss surgery starts at around $62 a week with gold-tier hospital policies. It comes with a 12-month waiting period, so it's worth getting sooner rather than later.
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*Prices updated November 2024, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices reflect the cheapest available for a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
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The cheapest policies start from around $62 a week.
Without health insurance, weight loss surgery can cost $20,000 or more.
Health insurance that covers weight loss surgery
Here are a few policies from Finder partners that cover weight loss surgery. To see more about great health policies, see our guide to Australia's best health insurance products. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney.
Each month we analyse over 10,000 hospital insurance products and rate each one on price and features. What we end up with is a nice round number out of 10 that helps you compare hospital cover a bit faster.
Before we start scoring, we need to make sure we're comparing like-for-like. Just as it doesn't make sense to compare a bicycle with a Ferrari, it doesn't make sense to compare basic hospital policies to top-tier Gold policies. Each policy is given a price score and feature score. These are then combined to determine each policies's Finder Score.
If a physician recommends weight loss surgery, it will usually be one of the following types. To learn more, see our guide to getting weight loss surgery.
Lap band (also called gastric banding)
This is where the surgeon wraps a silicone band around the top portion of your stomach, reducing the amount you can fit in your stomach.
Sleeve gastrectomy
This is where the surgeon reduces the size of your stomach by permanently removing a section of it. Like the lap band, this causes you to feel full quicker and eat less.
Gastric bypass
This is where the surgeon divides your stomach into 2 sections, then connects your small intestine to the smaller of the new stomach sections. This helps you to eat less, absorb fewer calories and react negatively to sugar.
Duodenal switch
The surgeon removes a section of the stomach (as they would with a sleeve gastrectomy) and then relocates the bottom of the stomach further down the small intestine. Like the gastric bypass, this procedure causes you to eat less and absorb fewer calories.
Liposuction
In this procedure, the surgeon puts a small tube into your body and sucks the fat out with a vacuum. Liposuction doesn't affect your appetite.
How much does weight loss surgery cost without insurance?
Weight loss surgery costs without insurance differ depending on how much the surgeon, anaesthetist and assistant charges, pathology costs and the type of procedure you undergo. Here's an overview of surgery costs in Australia based on a number of health providers we looked at.
Surgery
Cost
Gastric/Lap band
$10,000 - $20,000
Sleeve gastrectomy
$12,180 - $20,000
Gastric bypass
$16,000 - $18,000
Duodenal switch
$29,000 - $55,000 (average ~$33,000)
Costs sourced from Advanced Surgicare, Central Coast Surgery, Medibank, New Body Specialists and Bariatric Surgery Source.
To help lower these costs, make sure you get the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) number for the type of surgery you require. Don't expect it to significantly lower the costs, though. For example, Item 31575 (sleeve gastrectomy) pays a $663 benefit. Some useful item numbers for weight loss surgery are outlined below.
Surgery
MBS item number
Gastric/lap band
31569
Sleeve gastrectomy
31575
Gastric bypass
31572
Duodenal switch
31581
Reversal of gastric banding/lap band
31584
Can anyone get weight loss surgery?
No, it's not always possible for anyone to get weight loss surgery. This is because it's not always the best course of action for everyone. It also depends on whether you receive treatment through the public system or privately.
Medicare
To be eligible for treatment in the public system (Medicare), you need to have a body mass index (BMI) of at least 35, demonstrate that you've failed using other approaches and you'll have to undergo a psychological evaluation. You'll also have to find a public hospital that will do this sort of treatment, and there are only a few in Australia.
Private health
Private health insurers will require you to have a face-to-face consultation with a physician to determine if the surgery is necessary, and some insurers require you to have a BMI above a specific number. However, these requirements are less restrictive than Medicare and you will have more choice of hospitals.
Cover for weight loss surgery vs weight management
Cover for weight loss surgery
You'll only find health insurance for weight loss surgery with a gold-tier hospital policy. If you're not already on one, you'll want to get on one soon because there will be a waiting period, usually around 12 months.
Cover for weight management
Many extras policies cover weight management programs such as fitness classes, money off gym memberships and nutritional consulting programs such as WW (previously Weight Watchers) and Jenny Craig. This can give you a chance to learn new wellness habits pre-surgery or, in some cases, avoid having surgery altogether. Waiting periods are a lot shorter – usually around 2 months.
How much does health insurance cost?
We ask hundreds of Australians what they're paying for health insurance every month. Here's what their bill looked like in October 2024.
Extras only: $60
Basic: $97
Bronze: $145
Silver: $176
Gold: $210
Price based on 500+ responses for single hospital or extras insurance.
Frequently asked questions about weight loss surgery
Out of 85 policies in our database that cover weight loss surgery, HIF offered the cheapest policy at around $241 per month.
Yes, it's a legal requirement in Australia for all gold-tier hospital policies to cover weight loss surgery. There aren't any lower-tier policies that cover weight loss surgery, according to our health insurance engine.
Yes. Medicare can cover weight loss surgery, but only if it's deemed medically necessary and you meet specific requirements (for example, you have a BMI of at least 35). You also won't be approved until you meet with a physician for an in-depth, face-to-face consultation.
Technically, yes. Medicare can cover weight loss surgery if it's considered medically necessary. However, there may still be some out of pocket expenses if at any time you need to be treated at a private clinic.
In Australia, weight loss surgery can cost as much as $20,000 without insurance. In some cases, depending on the type of surgery you receive, it can cost even more.
Yes. You will have to hold health insurance that covers weight loss surgery for 12 months before you are covered. It's included with all gold-level hospital policies.
No, health insurance will not cover the cost of ozempic use for weight loss reasons.
Bariatric surgery may be used interchangeably with weightloss surgery. Both can refer to a variety of procedures aimed at weight management.
Was this content helpful to you?
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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Angus Kidman as part of our fact-checking process.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 648 Finder guides across topics including:
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Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
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