Compare Private Health Insurance in QLD

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Top 3 things to know about health insurance in QLD

1

Cost of health insurance

Health insurance costs can vary by state, with Queensland having higher insurance costs than the national average.

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2

Ambulance

Queensland residents don’t need ambulance cover as free ambulance transport is provided throughout Australia by the Queensland government.

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3

Hospital waiting times

Private hospital insurance can help reduce hospital waiting times and allow you to avoid lengthy public hospital waiting lists.

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A guide to private health insurance in QLD

Updated 27 September 2024
Written by Joshua Wildie
Reviewed by Steven Spicer

Expert tips for finding private health insurance in Queensland

Our health insurance expert, Steven Spicer, has some tips for choosing the right QLD health insurance policy for you.

Steven Spicer
Executive General Manager – Health, Life & Energy

Consider what best suits your needs

When choosing a policy, pay close attention to the inclusions and exclusions. This will help you find a policy that is right for you without you paying for a higher level of cover than you currently need. Whether this is your first time looking into health insurance products or you’re updating your existing policy, speaking to an expert can help you look for the best policy for you.

Choose the right level of cover

Choosing the right level of cover can help you spend your money wisely. For example, some people choose to go all in with a comprehensive policy while others may prefer hospital cover without extras.

Pay attention to waiting periods

There may be waiting periods whenever you take out a new policy or upgrade an existing one. For most hospital cover, waiting periods are two months, except for pregnancy and birth and any pre-existing conditions (excluding rehabilitation, hospital psychiatric services and palliative care).

Cost of health insurance in QLD

Where you live can have an impact on your health insurance costs. In this section, we’ll provide an overview of average costs for the various levels of coverage. This should be considered a rough guide, and none of the numbers given should be viewed as a quote.

Hospital cover

Extras cover

Wait times

While public hospitals offer a range of healthcare services covered by Medicare, a major downside is the lengthy waiting list. Depending on your procedure, it could take weeks, months or even years to receive treatment. Let’s look at the average waiting times for public hospital patients, both for emergency hospital care and elective surgery.

Emergency hospital treatment wait times in Queensland

Elective surgery wait times

Ambulance cover in QLD

Each state in Australia is responsible for its own ambulance service, so where you live greatly influences your need for ambulance cover. Fortunately, Queensland is one of only two Australian states (the other being Tasmania) that offers free emergency ambulance cover.

Are ambulances free in QLD?

Why get private health insurance cover?

Young family learn about health insuranceWhile Medicare benefits every Australian, it doesn’t cover everything. Private health insurance can provide cover for medically necessary treatments and services outside the hospital that Medicare doesn’t cover. Private health insurance also provides healthcare flexibility and peace of mind that you and eligible members of your family should be covered for the unexpected. Some of the key benefits of health insurance are:

  • Helps avoid public hospital waiting lists for elective surgeries: Taking out private hospital insurance allows you to avoid long public hospital waiting lists.
  • Choice of doctor or specialist: Private insurance offers the opportunity to choose your treating healthcare provider, subject to availability.
  • Staying in a private room: Depending on availability, a private patient can choose to have a private room.
  • Get cover for out-of-hospital treatment: An Extras cover policy can help with costs for out-of-hospital services that Medicare doesn’t cover, like physio and dental.

What does private health insurance cover?

What is extras cover?

What is private hospital cover?

What factors influence the cost of your health insurance?

Meet our health insurance expert, Steven Spicer

Steven Spicer
Executive General Manager – Health, Life & Energy

As the Executive General Manager of Health, Life and Energy, Steven Spicer is a strong believer in the benefits of private cover and knows just how valuable the peace of mind that comes with cover can be. He is passionate about demystifying the health insurance industry and advocates for the benefits of comparison when it comes to saving money on your premiums.

1Privatehealth.gov.au. Accessed August 2024

2Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Emergency Department Care 2022-2023. Accessed August 2024

3Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Elective Surgery Waiting Times 2022-2023. Accessed August 2024

4Queensland Government Emergencies Services – Interstate Ambulance Treatment and Transport Information for Queensland Residents. Accessed August 2024