A couples health insurance policy covers two adults in a married, de facto or registered relationship under a single policy. Both partners receive the same level of hospital and/or extras cover, and there’s just one premium to manage – making it a simple, streamlined option for many couples.
While some partners choose to hold separate singles policies for flexibility, a joint policy can be a convenient way to manage your health insurance together, especially if your needs and budget align.
With Savvy, you can compare a range of health insurance options in one place. Just provide a few details about yourselves and the type of cover you're after to see quotes from our partner’s trusted panel of insurers in moments.
What are our couples health insurance options?
When you take out health insurance as a couple, you will be able to choose between three types of plans: hospital cover, extras cover and combined cover encompassing both of these.
Private hospital cover
Hospital health insurance covers you as a private patient for treatment in either a private or public hospital. It may also give you more choice about which doctor treats you, and can help avoid public hospital waiting lists. Hospital cover comes in four tiers: basic, bronze, silver, and gold. Each tier covers more services and clinical categories than the one before, so the cost increases as the level of cover goes up. Depending on the level of cover you take out, it could include:
- Hospital accommodation costs
- Theatre fees and recovery ward costs
- Private room costs, including meals
- Fees charged by doctors, anaesthetists and surgeons
- Drugs and pharmaceuticals provided to a patient whilst admitted
- Tests and scans performed on a patient whilst admitted, such as blood tests, x-rays, CT and MRI scans
- Palliative care
- Ambulance cover (not included in all hospital cover, as some states offer their own ambulance cover)
- Cost of any follow-up rehabilitation services required such as pain management or speech therapy
However, it won’t generally cover:
- Medical procedures not considered medically necessary
- Assisted reproductive services (depending on the level of cover chosen)
- Hip and knee replacements and other joint surgery (depending on the level of cover chosen)
- Most X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and blood tests performed on outpatients
Extras cover
Extras cover pays for out-of-hospital services not typically covered by Medicare. Similar to hospital cover, extras cover comes in different levels: low, medium, and high, depending on how much and what types of services are included. These could include:
- Optical (glasses, contact lenses)
- Dental treatment (both general and major dental)
- Audiology services (hearing tests, hearing aids and devices)
- Physiotherapy (for joint and muscle pain)
- Chiropractic treatment (for back and neck pain)
- Podiatry (for foot pain and injuries)
- Remedial massage (massage therapy to aid a range of conditions)
- Speech therapy (for speech and language difficulties)
However, exclusions may include:
- Laser eye surgery (depending on the level of cover chosen)
- Some alternative medicines and therapies
- Hypnotherapy (depending on the level of cover chosen)
Why compare health insurance policies through Savvy?
Couples health insurance costs
Couples health insurance premiums can range from just a few hundred dollars a year for basic extras cover to thousands for a comprehensive hospital and extras policy. To give you a clearer picture of what couples health insurance might cost, we looked at quotes for a couple living in Sydney, earning a combined base tier income under $202,000. Here’s a snapshot of the cheapest hospital-only, extras-only and combined policies, as well as the most expensive combined policy, available through our partner Compare Club for this profile:
| Type of cover | Policy level | Excess | Cost per fortnight | Cost per month | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital only | Basic | $750 | $74 | $160 | $1,924 |
| Extras only | Low | – | $12 | $26 | $312 |
| Hospital + extras | Basic hospital + low extras | $750 | $93 | $202 | $2,418 |
| Hospital + extras | Gold hospital + high extras | $750 | $331 | $717 | $8,606 |
| Quotes sourced through Compare Club in July 2025, based on a couple aged 35 and 40 with a combined annual income under $202,000. Amounts rounded to the nearest dollar. | |||||
For comparison, the cheapest hospital-only policy for a single person with the same profile costs about $37 per fortnight, and extras-only cover is around $6 per fortnight – working out at the same per person as a couples policy.
While choosing couples cover over singles cover doesn’t affect the price, several other factors do, namely:
- The type of cover: hospital cover is generally more expensive than extras-only policies. Combined hospital and extras packages typically cost more.
- Your level of cover: policies with higher benefit limits, more services or broader inclusions usually come with higher premiums.
- Your excess and co-payments: choosing a higher co-payment or excess can help reduce your premium.
- Government incentives and loadings: schemes like the private health insurance rebate and age-based discounts can also impact your premiums.
Health insurance providers you can compare with us
We’ve partnered with Compare Club to bring you a range of health insurance policies to compare side by side.
Health insurance rebates for couples
The Australian Government offers a range of health insurance incentives and penalties that can influence how much couples pay for private health insurance. These include rebates that reduce your premium and loadings or surcharges that may increase it if you don’t take out cover early or meet certain income thresholds.
Private health insurance rebate
If you hold private health insurance as a couple (classed under family status), you may be eligible for a rebate from the Australian Government. This rebate helps reduce the cost of your premium and can be claimed as either a discount on your policy or a tax offset when you lodge your return.
The amount you receive depends on your combined income and age. For couples, the rebate percentages for the 2025–26 financial year (1 July 2025 to 31 March 2026) are:
| Income tier | Income range | Under 65 | Age 65–69 | Age 70+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base tier | $202,000 or less | 24.29% | 28.34% | 32.39% |
| Tier 1 | $202,001 – $236,000 | 16.19% | 20.24% | 24.29% |
| Tier 2 | $236,001 – $316,000 | 8.10% | 12.14% | 16.19% |
| Tier 3 | $316,001+ | 0% | 0% | 0% |
In some cases, taking out a couples policy can result in a higher rebate overall than if each partner held their own singles policy. For example, if one partner earns $110,000 and the other earns $85,000, their combined income of $195,000 still falls under the base tier threshold of $202,000 for couples. This makes them eligible for the maximum rebate of 24.29% (if both are under 65). However, if they held separate policies, the higher-earning partner would fall above the individual income threshold of $101,000 and move into a lower rebate tier.
Age-based discount
If you are aged between 18 and 29 when you first take out private hospital cover, you may qualify for an age-based discount on health insurance of up to 10%. When you're on a couples policy, the discount is averaged across both adults. For example, if one partner qualifies for a 10% discount and the other qualifies for 2%, the policy receives a 6% discount overall.
Here’s how the discount is applied based on your age at the time you first take out cover:
| Age when policy is first purchased | Discount applied |
|---|---|
| 18–25 | 10% |
| 26 | 8% |
| 27 | 6% |
| 28 | 4% |
| 29 | 2% |
The discount can be transferred between insurers if you switch, and it remains in place until you turn 41, as long as you maintain an eligible policy. From age 41, the discount reduces by 2% each year and phases out entirely by age 45.
Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading
The LHC loading is designed to encourage people to take out private hospital insurance earlier in life. If you don’t hold eligible hospital cover by 1 July following your 31st birthday, a 2% loading is added to your premium for every year you delay, up to a maximum of 70%.
For couples, the LHC loading is averaged across both adults on a shared policy. This means that if one partner has a high loading and the other has none, the combined policy will reflect an average of the two.
For example, if one partner has no loading (0%) and the other has a 20% loading, the couples policy will carry a 10% loading overall. This shared approach means that together, you’ll pay the same amount as you would on two separate policies – but it also means that the partner with no loading ends up paying more than they would on a singles policy, while the higher-rated partner pays less.
While combining policies doesn’t increase the total loading amount, it may shift the cost burden between partners.
Medicare levy surcharge (MLS)
The MLS is an additional tax that applies to higher-income earners who don’t hold an eligible level of private hospital cover. For the 2025–26 financial year, the surcharge applies to:
- Singles earning over $101,000
- Couples or families with a combined income over $202,000
If you’re in a couple and your combined income exceeds the threshold, you may still be charged the MLS even if only one of you lacks hospital cover. In other words, both partners must hold an appropriate level of private hospital insurance to avoid the surcharge.
Taking out an eligible hospital policy for both adults is the simplest way to ensure you’re not hit with this extra tax at the end of the financial year.
The pros and cons of private health insurance for couples
Pros
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Simple to manage
A couples policy means you only have one premium to pay and one set of documents to manage. This can make it easier to track payments, lodge claims and handle renewals.
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Shared extras benefits
Many couples policies offer a combined annual limit for extras like dental, optical or physio. This can be beneficial if one partner uses these services more often, allowing more flexibility across the shared limit.
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Potential rebate benefits
Couples may get a better deal on the private health insurance rebate when combining their incomes. For example, if one partner earns significantly less, their combined income might fall within a lower rebate tier, potentially reducing the total cost of the policy.
Cons
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Less personalised cover
Couples must agree on a single level of cover, which may not suit both partners’ individual health needs. One person might require more comprehensive services while the other could manage with basic cover.
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Not necessarily cheaper
A couples policy usually costs about the same as taking out two separate singles policies. So, if you're considering a joint policy purely to save money, it's unlikely to deliver significant financial benefits.
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Can be tricky if you separate
If the relationship ends, the shared policy will need to be split, which can add emotional and administrative stress during an already difficult time.
Is couples health insurance right for me and my partner?
A couples policy can be a convenient option, but it’s not always the best fit for every situation. Whether it suits you and your partner depends on your health needs, financial goals and how much flexibility you want with your cover.
A couples policy might be the right choice if:
- You have similar health needs: if you’re both happy with the same level of hospital and extras cover, a joint policy can simplify things without compromising on care.
- You want to simplify payments and admin: managing one premium, one set of documents and one renewal date can make things easier, especially if you prefer to keep your finances streamlined.
- Your combined income improves your rebate: if one partner earns significantly less than the other, a couples policy may place you in a lower income tier for the private health insurance rebate and reduce your overall costs.
However, it might not be suitable if:
- You have different health priorities or needs: if one of you wants more comprehensive cover, separate policies can give you the freedom to choose what suits you best.
- You need more financial flexibility: if one partner has an irregular income or is unsure about keeping private cover long-term, separate policies make it easier to adjust or cancel without affecting the other person’s insurance.
- One partner has LHC loading: because LHC loading is averaged across couples policies, the partner without loading could end up paying more than they would on their own. Keeping separate cover can avoid this.
