For eye treatment other than cataracts
Hospital Basic Plus covers eye treatment other than cataracts. Check the hospital cover for exclusions and restricted benefits before choosing.
HCF health insurance
Is it a good health insurer?
HCF has 7 hospital and 7 extras policies in our comparison, from $91.19 a month for hospital cover (Single · NSW · $500 hospital excess, after rebate).
Issued by The Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia Ltd. Hospital, extras or both.
Explore 7 hospital and 7 extras products, or find cover by treatment. Sources for HCF
Reviewed, Edited and Designed by
Grace Connolly
Created with AI assistance
Page updated 26 October 2026 · Prices effective 17 September 2026
I need cover for…
Compare cover across all Australian health funds.
HCF cover: the main choices.
Compare hospital inclusions
For dental with no annual limit
Vital Extras has no annual cap on general dental. Check the extras benefits for per-service benefits and provider conditions.
For a choice of preferred providers
HCF has preferred-provider networks across 6 service types. Use the provider search to confirm whether your provider participates.
HCF policies and example prices.
The profile you choose updates the HCF price tables, hospital shortlist and alternative-policy comparison below.
Single · NSW · $500 hospital excess · example premiums after rebate.
Monthly examples include the 24.118% government rebate, the maximum for adults under 65. Your rebate and final quote may differ.
Need an HCF price for your circumstances? Compare HCF with cover across all Australian health funds.
Compare my optionsHospital cover
7 product lines
$57.57 more per month for Hospital Silver Plus versus Hospital Standard Silver Plus after rebate for the selected example profile.
Cataracts is an additional inclusion, not the complete list of differences.
Extras cover
7 product lines
HCF joining offer
Get 6 weeks free
Join eligible hospital and extras cover and stay for 90 days to get 6 weeks free. HCF also waives the 2-month waiting periods on extras for new members who join during the offer.
For Australian residents aged 18 or over who have not held HCF or RT Health cover in the 2 months before joining.
Ends 10 November 2026
Offer termsOffer information checked: 26 October 2026. Prices, benefits and promotions can change. Before applying, check the insurer's official website for current availability, eligibility requirements, expiry dates and full terms. Read our Terms of Use. Report an error to info@healthinsurance.au.
HCF eligibility and offer terms
The offer is not available through a broker. Eligibility and other conditions apply.
Join and start an eligible combined hospital and extras policy by 10 November 2026. The offer ends at 11:59pm AEDT that day. Gold, Bronze Plus and My Family covers are excluded.
Pay premiums and keep the policy for 90 continuous days. HCF then extends the paid-to date by six weeks, which can take up to six weeks to process.
People who received a promotional discount or free weeks on HCF or RT Health cover in the 12 months before the offer are excluded.
Longer extras waiting periods and all hospital waiting periods still apply.
What does HCF hospital insurance cover?
2 HCF hospital policies fully cover cataracts
Single · NSW · $500 hospital excess. Only policies that fully include cataracts are shown. How we read hospital categories
Compare selected treatment categories across all 7 hospital policies
Selected HCF treatment categories.
More premium does not mean more back on everything.
HCF extras limits per 12 months unless the statement says otherwise
On Choose My Extras, you choose any four of the services marked with an asterisk in its policy statement. Services shown "if chosen" are covered only when chosen.
Single-policy examples. Each links to its policy statement.
Mid Extras → Choose My Extras
Both single-policy examples have a $350 physiotherapy limit. But Choose My Extras raises the optical limit from $200 to $225. It also lowers the major dental limit from $700 to $500.Choose My Extras covers physiotherapy, optical and major dental only if you choose them among your four services.The reason to upgrade is the wider benefits you need, not an assumption that every cap rises.
Top Extras: higher benefit examples
The optical examples move from 60% on Flex My Extras to 100%, with a $275 optical limit and $600 shared physio limit for the Single-policy example.Weigh those increases against the premium.
Why HCF's shared limits and waiting periods matter
Every optical benefit shown has a standard waiting period of 2 months.
HCF vs. Bupa vs. nib
How HCF compares with similar hospital policies.
These are selected Silver Plus examples from Bupa and nib, not identical policies or a search for the cheapest cover across the market.
Comparing HCF Hospital Standard Silver Plus with Bupa Silver Plus Essential Hospital and nib Silver Secure Hospital Plus. Single · NSW · $500 hospital excess · Silver Plus hospital cover
HCF and selected alternatives: monthly prices and verified coverage differences.
What the differences mean for you
All 38 treatment categories have the same status for these policies. That does not mean the policies have identical terms or out-of-pocket costs.
These alternatives match HCF Hospital Standard Silver Plus on tier, cataracts and joint replacements. How we choose alternatives
Compare all 38 hospital treatment categories
HCF and the alternatives: all 38 treatment categories, policy information as at 26 October 2026.
Compare HCF with cover from every Australian health fund.
HCF against the industry.
HCF members had no gap on 85.4% of in-hospital medical services in the 2024-25 financial year, against 87.1% across the industry. State of the Health Funds Report 2024-25 · accessed 26 October 2026
HCF paid 49.6% of members' extras (general treatment) charges in the 2024-25 financial year, against 50.7% across the industry. State of the Health Funds Report 2024-25 · accessed 26 October 2026
HCF increased premiums by an average of 4.96% in 2026, against 4.41% across the industry. Government premium-increase figures · accessed 23 October 2026
2.9 / 5
75 Google reviews
Voluntary customer reviews · HCF Sydney
Snapshot: 26 October 2026. This is the Google listing for HCF Sydney, not a rating of HCF as a whole or a representative survey. This small sample may not reflect the experience of most members.
Complaint share is close to market share, but investigated complaints are higher
Share of all complaints, 2024-2512.1%
Market share, 30 June 202512.8%
0%15%
State of the Health Funds Report 2024-25 · checked 26 October 2026
HCF's share of complaints the Ombudsman received in 2024-25 is close to its market share at 30 June 2025. Its share of complaints the Ombudsman investigated that year is 21.8%, above its market share.
Latest quarter, January to March 2026. The Ombudsman referred 79 complaints about The Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia Ltd to it to resolve, 11.9% of those it referred about all insurers, and investigated none. Ombudsman Quarterly Update · checked 26 October 2026
App Store
4.7 / 5
60,543 App Store ratingsHCF My Membership App · THE HOSPITALS CONTRIBUTION FUND OF AUSTRALIA LTD
Snapshot: 22 October 2026. HCF My Membership App is HCF's own app. This rates the app on the Australian App Store, not HCF's cover or claims.
Google Play
4.5 / 5
About 10,600 Google Play reviewsHCF My Membership App · HCF Australia
Snapshot: 22 October 2026. HCF My Membership App is HCF's own app. This rates the app on Google Play, not HCF's cover or claims.
Check the practical details.
Check your provider
Confirm that HCF recognises your provider. Ask for a treatment plan and item numbers so HCF can estimate your benefits and out-of-pocket costs.
Make or track a claim
Use HCF's health claims guidance and member login for receipts, claim tracking and remaining benefits.
Contact HCF
For quotes and joining, call 1800 062 063. Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm (AEST/AEDT).Contact details checked 22 October 2026.Official contact details and messaging options
Before you choose HCF.
Who owns HCF?
HCF is owned by its members and operates as a not-for-profit fund. That does not make every policy the best value for your needs.
Source: Government insurer profile, checked 22 October 2026.
What is the cheapest HCF hospital policy?
Hospital Basic Plus is the cheapest HCF hospital policy for a single person in NSW with a $500 hospital excess, at $91.19 a month after the 24.118% government rebate for adults under 65 (prices effective 17 September 2026). This compares all 7 HCF hospital policies, not the whole market. Check what it excludes before choosing on price.
Source: How we compare prices, checked 26 October 2026.
What changes if I move from Hospital Bronze Plus to Hospital Standard Silver Plus?
HCF Hospital Standard Silver Plus adds full cover for heart and vascular system, implantation of hearing devices and 2 more categories compared with Hospital Bronze Plus. For the Single / NSW / $500 excess example it costs $26.98 more a month, so check what each policy covers before you upgrade.
Source: Private Health Information Statements, checked 26 October 2026.
Sources for HCF.
Policy information retrieved 26 October 2026. Prices effective 17 September 2026.
Private Health Information Statements · HCF · checked 26 October 2026
State of the Health Funds Report 2024-25 · HCF · checked 26 October 2026
Government insurer profile · HCF · checked 22 October 2026
Government premium-increase figures · HCF · checked 23 October 2026
Government rebate rates and eligibility · Australian Government · checked 26 October 2026
Google listing for HCF Sydney · HCF · checked 26 October 2026
App Store listing for HCF My Membership App · THE HOSPITALS CONTRIBUTION FUND OF AUSTRALIA LTD · checked 22 October 2026
Google Play listing for HCF My Membership App · HCF Australia · checked 22 October 2026
Official contact details · HCF · checked 22 October 2026
Offer terms · HCF · checked 26 October 2026
All policies by cover type
Hospital (8)
Extras (10)
Hospital and extras (5)
Ambulance (1)
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