Travel healths

Is a Bronze health insurance policy right for you?

Learn what's covered by Bronze and Bronze Plus policies so you can choose the right level of cover.
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Last updated: 10 Mar 2024
bronze tier hospital insurance

Our insurance experts have reviewed Bronze hospital insurance policies from over 40 health insurers to find out which ones offer the best value. See if you can secure cover that’ll save you money by comparing health insurance.

Not sure what Bronze health insurance covers or if it’s right for you? We explain the differences between Bronze and Bronze Plus policies and how much you can expect to pay.

What is Bronze health insurance?

Bronze health insurance is a lower level of cover for private hospital insurance covering 18 categories of services in private hospital.

If you’re healthy and not planning a family but you want back-up cover for broken bones, the flu and some diabetes treatment, Bronze health insurance could work for you.

If you just want health insurance to avoid taxes and don’t actually need to use your health insurance, try the cheapest Basic policy. But if you want a higher level of cover, look for Bronze Plus, Silver or Gold health insurance.

Not sure what level of hospital insurance you need? Take our quick quiz to find out.

What does Bronze health insurance cover?

  • Breast, skin and prostate cancer surgery (including breast reconstruction), plus chemotherapy and radiation.
  • Broken bones and other bone, joint and muscle treatments including joint reconstructions (but not replacements).
  • Ear, nose and throat surgery including tonsils, adenoids and grommets.
  • Diabetes management in hospital (but not implanted insulin pumps).
  • Endoscopy and colonoscopy, plus other digestive system procedures including removal of gallstones or haemorrhoids.
  • Gynaecology, miscarriage and termination of pregnancy, sterilisation (male and female) but not pregnancy and birth.
  • Brain and nervous system treatments including for head injuries, stroke, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.
  • Hernia and appendix surgery.
  • Skin-related procedures including treatments for lesions and abscesses, and allergy skin-prick testing.
  • Palliative care, rehabilitation and psychiatric care (in a public hospital only).
Read more:
How to find the best health insurance for young and healthy singles and couples

What is Bronze Plus health insurance?

A Bronze Plus policy is a level up from Bronze but is cheaper than a Silver policy. Bronze Plus health insurance policies cover the 18 categories of services in private hospital listed above, plus at least one of the below treatments not covered by Bronze:

  • IVF, pregnancy and birth 
  • joint replacements
  • cataracts
  • heart and vascular surgery
  • lung cancer and other chest surgery
  • medically necessary plastic and reconstructive surgery
  • bone marrow transplants and other blood-related treatments
  • investigation and treatment for back, neck and spine problems such as for sciatica and scoliosis
  • dialysis
  • dental surgery (wisdom teeth and dental implants in hospital)
  • implantation of hearing devices
  • accommodation in hospital for podiatric surgery
  • insulin pumps
  • sleep studies
  • pain management with a device (for example, a surgically implanted device to manage pain caused by heart disease).

If you want cover for a specific treatment in the above list, you may be able to buy a Bronze Plus policy. Otherwise you’ll need a Silver or Silver Plus policy or a Gold policy with all the bells and whistles.

CHOICE tip: Bronze Plus policies aren’t always more expensive. We’ve found in many states that Bronze Plus policies can be cheaper than some Bronze policies that cover fewer treatments.

How much is Bronze health insurance?

Bronze and Bronze Plus health insurance monthly premiums for a single policy are on average about $120 for Bronze and $130 for Bronze Plus with a $750 excess (without the health insurance rebate).

The cost varies depending on which state you live in.

What is a health insurance excess?

An excess is an amount of money you pay when you go to hospital. The higher your excess is, the lower your monthly premium will be.

You’re better off with an excess if you’re healthy and don’t plan to go to hospital anytime soon, but consider a low or no excess option if you think you’ll go to hospital sooner rather than later.

Read more:
The good and the bad of Medibank, Bupa, HBF, HCF and NIB

CHOICE health insurance reviews

If you’re curious to know whether you’re overpaying for health insurance, we’ve built a tool that allows you to compare thousands of health insurance policies from over 40 health insurers (see the full list of below).

Our experts rate policies based on out-of-pocket costs, fund complaints, price and more, and we’re 100% independent, which means we don’t show sponsored results like other comparison sites. 

We show you all the funds – big and small, member-owned and nonprofit – to help you find the best. Compare health insurance now and see whether you can change policies and save.

Our health insurance reviews are for members, but we’ve got lots of helpful free health insurance content, like advice from our experts, explainer articles and buying guides, to help you make sense of your options.

Health funds included in our review

With our health insurance tool you can compare policies from over 40 health insurers:

  1. AAMI 
  2. ACA 
  3. AHM 
  4. AIA 
  5. Apia
  6. Australian Seniors
  7. Australian Unity
  8. Bupa
  9. CBHS Corporate
  10. CBHS
  11. Defence Health 
  12. Doctors’ Health 
  13. Emergency Services Health
  14. Frank
  15. GMHBA
  16. HBF
  17. HCF
  18. HCI
  19. HIF
  20. Health Partners
  21. Hunter Health
  22. ING
  23. Latrobe
  24. Medibank
  25. Mildura
  26. onemedifund
  27. Navy Health
  28. NIB
  29. Nurses & Midwives Health
  30. Peoplecare
  31. Phoenix
  32. Police
  33. Priceline
  34. Qantas
  35. Queensland Country
  36. Reserve Bank
  37. Real Insurance
  38. RT health
  39. see-u
  40. St.Lukes Health
  41. Suncorp
  42. Teachers Health
  43. Territory Health Fund
  44. Transport Health
  45. TUH
  46. UniHealth
  47. Union Health
  48. Westfund
Uta

I've been at CHOICE for over 20 years, starting as a research assistant and nowadays a senior content producer in the money and travel team. I am originally from Germany and my background is in journalism; I started in my teens at my local paper and then studied journalism in Germany and Australia. I hold a Master in History and Politics from the Technical University of Berlin, a Graduate Certificate in Journalism from UTS and a Certificate IV in Financial Advising from the Securities Institute in Sydney. Over the years I have worked on all types of financial topics – from credit cards to reverse mortgages and kids bank accounts. My main interest and expertise is in health insurance and I am member of the government health insurance website reference group of the Commonwealth Ombudsman.    I love working at CHOICE because I feel that we can make a real difference helping consumers to get a fair go. You can find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

I've been at CHOICE for over 20 years, starting as a research assistant and nowadays a senior content producer in the money and travel team. I am originally from Germany and my background is in journalism; I started in my teens at my local paper and then studied journalism in Germany and Australia. I hold a Master in History and Politics from the Technical University of Berlin, a Graduate Certificate in Journalism from UTS and a Certificate IV in Financial Advising from the Securities Institute in Sydney. Over the years I have worked on all types of financial topics – from credit cards to reverse mortgages and kids bank accounts. My main interest and expertise is in health insurance and I am member of the government health insurance website reference group of the Commonwealth Ombudsman.    I love working at CHOICE because I feel that we can make a real difference helping consumers to get a fair go. You can find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Jodi

I manage CHOICE's Money and Travel team. We look after health, home, car, travel and pet insurance reviews plus all the travel content. I studied a Bachelor of Commerce Majoring in Economics and worked in finance for many years in Sydney, London, Amsterdam and Switzerland before I joined CHOICE in 2012. So I've done plenty of travel and I'm no stranger to playing with numbers. I like breaking down complex consumer decisions about financial services into easy to understand steps, and comparing all the products to find the best in the market. Especially when the best products are cheaper than those that aren't so good. We see that a lot. I also really like holding companies to account for failing their customers. Unfortunately we also see a lot of that. From timeshares to airlines, funeral insurance and poor financial advice. You can find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

I manage CHOICE's Money and Travel team. We look after health, home, car, travel and pet insurance reviews plus all the travel content. I studied a Bachelor of Commerce Majoring in Economics and worked in finance for many years in Sydney, London, Amsterdam and Switzerland before I joined CHOICE in 2012. So I've done plenty of travel and I'm no stranger to playing with numbers. I like breaking down complex consumer decisions about financial services into easy to understand steps, and comparing all the products to find the best in the market. Especially when the best products are cheaper than those that aren't so good. We see that a lot. I also really like holding companies to account for failing their customers. Unfortunately we also see a lot of that. From timeshares to airlines, funeral insurance and poor financial advice. You can find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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