Each year on April 1, health insurers review premium rates and the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing approves these changes to be applied to existing Hospital and Extras policies to ensure they can continue to cover the rising cost and increase in demand for healthcare.

These costs continue to rise due to an increase in health service costs such as doctors’ charges, new equipment and technology being utilised, including Medical Devices and Human Tissue Products pricing, and medical technology, and an aging population that has resulted in more claims by health fund members.

As a not-for-profit health fund, HIF does all it can to keep the cost of cover as affordable as possible, while balancing rising healthcare costs and the growing demand for treatments.

Our premiums are set to ensure we can cover our predicted expenditure over the coming year.

Australian private health insurance is based on a principle called community rating which ensures everyone has fair access to private health cover and isn't limited by their claiming history or other factors such as gender or age. So, when premiums change, they change for everyone who holds that product. Your specific premium change depends on several factors, such as the state you live in and the type of cover you're on.

The amount you have to pay towards your policy will be a combination of the cover’s premium change, any discounts you have, your Lifetime Health Cover loading and, if applicable, your Australian Government Rebate on private health insurance.

The calculation of premium increases is subject to external scrutiny by APRA and the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing.

You can make a prepayment in your Online Member Centre prior to midnight of 31 March to pay your premiums at the current 2025 rate, just follow the steps below:

1. Login to the Online Member Centre.

2. Go to Payments and click Pay Now.
If your next payment is due after midnight 31 March, your 1 April premium amount will be displayed.

3. Enter your payment details or overwrite the amount and click ‘submit’ to pay your premiums at the current rate for the duration of that upfront payment.

Don’t have access to the Online Member Centre yet? You can easily register at hif.com.au/members   

Alternatively, call us on 1300 134 060 to make a prepayment.

There are some product changes to two closed products from 1 April 2026. We are pleased to update that from 1 April 2026 eligible HIF members on Gold Hospital and Silver Plus Saver Hospital will be able to access private room coverage, in addition to shared room coverage already available on their policies in HIF contracted private hospitals. Members can search for the nearest HIF contracted private hospital at hif.com.au/hospitalsearch.

We’re here for the long haul (since 1954 in fact) which means we make sure that our members have access to high quality healthcare when they need it most.

While many people only consider the strain on elective surgery wait times, public hospital emergency departments are also affected by increased waits.

Having private health insurance provides access to the private health system and the choice to select your own hospital, specialist or provider, all freedoms that aren't necessarily available through the public health system.

Your rate change letter will be sent to your preferred method of communication from March 2026. It will also be available to download from your Online Member Centre (OMC) inbox from March 2026.

If you’re experiencing financial hardship, we have support options available including temporary policy suspensions or call us on 1300 134 060 to speak with our member services team.

Premiums will change on 1 April 2026.

You will receive confirmation of your premium change by your preferred form of communication (email or letter) from March 2026. This information will also be available for you to view online via your Online Member Centre (OMC).

The average percentage increase is an average across all policies, states, and territories, but each product is priced individually depending on the increasing health care costs associated with that product in each state or territory.

For that reason, some of our rates have gone up less than the average and some more – depending on the costs associated with the particular product or location.

No. HIF is a member-owned, not-for-profit health fund. That means HIF has no shareholders to factor in or distribute profit to, so any net operating margin earned as a result of this year's premium increase will be directly added to HIF's reserves to ensure the future payment of claims, review benefits and reduce pressure on any future premium increases.

If you pay your premiums prior to midnight of 31 March, you'll enjoy ‘rate protection’ for that time. That means that you will pay your premiums at the current rate (2025 rate) for the duration of that upfront payment, which can be 12 months’ worth of premiums, six months, three months, one month or one fortnight. Members cannot pay more than 12 months in advance.

If you do choose to make an upfront payment of 12 months, you will also receive an additional bonus discount of 4% (or 2% for six monthly payments). This offer/ discount cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount from HIF, except where those offers or discounts explicitly state.

If you log on to pay before 1 April 2026 and your payment is due on or after 1 April 2026, the pre-populated amount shown is the new rate. You can change this by keying in the amount shown in your letter if you would like to.

Our Online Member Centre  gives you access to a range of services designed to help you manage your membership, including access to your product factsheets.

Don’t have access to the Online Member Centre yet? Simply log on to member.hif.com.au and click 'Register here'.

Product factsheets can also be found on our website.

Switching to HIF is easy. Simply join online (it only takes a few minutes) or call us on 1300 134 060 to sign up.

During the online application process, we’ll ask for the name of your current fund, your previous member number and your authorisation to cancel your previous membership on your behalf - then we do everything else. No forms to fill in, no paperwork, nothing. If you transfer to HIF on an equivalent or lower level of cover, you won't need to re-serve any waiting periods already served with your previous fund for those services for which you were already covered.