Tips to help
keep costs down

Pay in advance to ‘lock in’ your current premium

If your HBF premium is changing, it will change on the 1st of April each year.

At HBF, you can pre-pay on or before March 28 2024  to 'lock in' the current rate. Get the details about the 2024 rate change and more on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Save on hospital bills

When it’s time to visit hospital, follow these steps.

• Choose an HBF Member Plus hospital
• Talk to us before your treatment
• Stay in-the-know with the info below

Learn more

You could save on taxes

The Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) is a tax applied to people who don’t have an appropriate level of hospital cover and from July 1 2023:

• earn over $93,000 as a single 
• earn over $186,000 as a couple/family*

The tax is designed to encourage Australians to get hospital cover and use private hospitals. This reduces demand on the public health system.

You can avoid this tax by getting hospital cover. It's good to note that the cost of the Medicare Levy Surcharge often exceeds the cost of getting hospital cover.

If you only buy extras cover, you’ll still have to pay the MLS

When you do get hospital cover, you’ll still pay the MLS for the part of the year you weren’t covered.

There are also special cases where you’d be exempt from paying the MLS, which you can read about on the ATO’s website.

For more info click here

Review your excess

You can reduce your hospital insurance premiums without reducing what you’re covered for by increasing your excess.

Learn more