Hospital cover in Tasmania: the cheapest policy depends on your age
In Tasmania the lowest list price and the lowest price you can pay are not always the same policy. Your age decides.
The cheapest exempt cover costs less than the surcharge by
$139
Surcharge $1,150 against $1,011 of cover: HBF Health Limited, Basic Hospital Accident Only $750/$1500 Excess (Basic, $750 excess), $100.42 a month before rebate.
| Income tested: $115,000 | Tier 1, 1.00 % |
| Surcharge without cover, you | $1,150 |
| Cheapest exempt policy, full premium | $1,205 |
| Rebate (16.079 %) | -$194 |
| Net cost of the policy | $1,011 |
| Income from which cover is cheaper | $105,500 |
Premiums: PrivateHealth.gov.au file of 2026-10-01, 446 open policies that avoid the surcharge for this cover type in Tasmania. Premiums change on 1 April 2027.
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · thresholds read on ato.gov.au, premiums from privatehealth.gov.au data · not tax advice
The cheapest open hospital policy that avoids the Medicare levy surcharge in Tasmania is Basic Hospital Accident Only $750/$1500 Excess from HBF Health Limited, at $100.42 a month for one person before the rebate in the PrivateHealth.gov.au file of 1 October 2026. Unlike the cheapest policies of most other states, it offers no age-based discount. The next one, from see-u by HBF at $103.39, does: insurers may take up to 10 % off the hospital premium of someone who joined between 18 and 25, which would bring it to $93.05. The surcharge does not care about age: a 28-year-old on $115,000 without cover pays $1,150, exactly what a 50-year-old on the same income pays. The calculator above uses list prices; this page shows where a discount changes the ranking, and the price of every hospital tier in the state.
List price against what a young member pays
The table applies the largest allowed discount by joining age to the three cheapest single policies of the state. It is the maximum an insurer may offer, not a promise: check the policy, since a discount is attached to the product.
| Policy | Discount offered | List price | Joined at 25 or younger | Joined at 27 | Joined at 29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HBF Health Limited, Basic Hospital Accident Only $750/$1500 Excess | no | $100.42 | $100.42 | $100.42 | $100.42 |
| see-u by HBF, Starter Hospital $750 Excess with Daily Co-Pay (Basic) | yes | $103.39 | $93.05 | $97.19 | $101.32 |
| GMHBA Limited, Frank Basic Accident Boost Hospital | yes | $104.95 | $94.46 | $98.65 | $102.85 |
For someone who joins at 25 or younger, the second policy on list price becomes the cheapest by a few dollars a month. At 29 the discount is only 2 % and the ranking barely moves. The rebate is then worked out on the premium you actually pay. Our calculator sticks to list prices, the figure the file publishes; if you hold a discount, type your own premium in the folded options.
Your own Tasmanian premium against the surcharge
The cheapest exempt cover costs less than the surcharge by
$213
| Income tested: $115,000 | Tier 1, 1.00 % |
| Surcharge without cover, you | $1,150 |
| Your policy, full premium | $1,116 |
| Rebate (16.079 %) | -$179 |
Why young high earners face the question early
The surcharge threshold applies from the first dollar over $105,000, whatever your age. A Tasmanian in their late twenties on $115,000 is in tier 1 and would pay $1,150 without cover. The cheapest exempt policy costs $1,011 after the 16.079 % rebate. Holding hospital cover before the 1 July after your 31st birthday also avoids the Lifetime Health Cover loading for life, as long as you keep it: the base day page explains the date.
Couples, dependants and the age of 41
On a couple or family policy the discount is averaged between the two adults, as the Lifetime Health Cover loading is: one partner with 10 % and the other with 6 % give 8 % on the policy, the Ombudsman's own example. A young adult covered as a dependant on a parent's family policy gets no discount; they can have their own policy with a discount or be a dependant, not both. Once granted, the discount stays until the member turns 41, then shrinks by 2 % a year until it reaches zero. If you switch policy or insurer, ask first whether your discount moves with you: insurers decide whether to honour it on transfer.
For a Tasmanian couple the cheapest exempt policy on list price is $200.84 a month, and for a family $200.84; a single parent pays $157.45. A couple on a combined $250,000, $160,000 and $90,000, would pay $3,125 of surcharge between them without cover, against $2,216 a year for that couple policy after the rebate.
Every tier at its cheapest in Tasmania
| Tier | Cheapest from | Cheapest per month | Median per month | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | HBF Health Limited | $100.42 | $113.17 | 22 |
| Basic Plus | GMHBA Limited | $110.80 | $125.77 | 52 |
| Bronze | Phoenix Health Fund Limited | $123.91 | $146.60 | 26 |
| Bronze Plus | see-u by HBF | $121.79 | $154.15 | 90 |
| Silver | GMHBA Limited | $167.95 | $205.06 | 16 |
| Silver Plus | HCF | $161.08 | $252.69 | 201 |
| Gold | St Lukes | $246.40 | $372.50 | 39 |
The pattern of the other states holds here: the "Plus" tiers have many more policies than the plain ones, and their cheapest entries can undercut the plain tier below them. The state has 446 open single policies from 22 insurers in the file, about the same choice as the mainland.
Prices: PrivateHealth.gov.au file of 1 October 2026 (data.gov.au). Discounts: PrivateHealth.gov.au (Ombudsman), Age-based discount. Thresholds and rebate: ATO. Naming a policy here reports a price, it is not a recommendation. How the figures are built.