| Australian Unity | |
|---|---|
| Registered insurer | Australian Unity Health Limited |
| Who can join | Open to anyone |
| Business structure | For-profit |
| Hospital policies (30 June 2025) | 141,386 (2.3% of all hospital policies), covering 250,715 people |
| Hospital tiers on sale (1 September 2026) | Gold, Silver Plus, Bronze Plus, Basic Plus |
| Excess options on open hospital policies | $250, $500, $750 |
| Age-based discount (18-29) | Not offered on its open hospital policies |
| Ambulance | Emergency ambulance included on its open hospital policies |
| Question | What the official data shows |
|---|---|
| Out-of-pocket costs in hospital | 90.6% of in-hospital medical services had no gap for the member (industry 87.1%), and 89.5% of hospital charges were covered (industry 89.0%), 2024-25 |
| Waiting periods and pre-existing conditions | The legal maximums apply: 12 months for a pre-existing condition (signs or symptoms in the 6 months before you joined or upgraded) and for pregnancy and birth, 2 months for other hospital treatment. Every hospital policy open to new members in the Government's data at 1 October 2026, at every fund, used the 12-month pre-existing wait |
| Switching from another fund | Waits you've already served on the same or a lower level of cover carry across to Australian Unity, and from it. Ask your old fund for a clearance certificate and keep the break between policies short |
| The Medicare Levy Surcharge | Excess options on its open hospital policies go up to $750, so all are within the $750 singles limit, and every policy was flagged as meeting the surcharge rules in the Government's data at 1 October 2026 |
| Adult children (dependants) | Up to age 30, studying or not, in the fund's own record (Government data, 1 October 2026). Adult dependants often need an extended family option |
| Claims experience | 2.7% of Ombudsman complaints about insurers on a 2.1% market share (ratio 1.29), and 0.9% of the complaints the Ombudsman investigated, 2024-25 |
General advice only. This information doesn't take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether the product is right for you and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before you decide. We don't compare every product in the market, and we may earn a commission if you take up a product through our links.
A for-profit insurer inside a mutual group
PrivateHealth.gov.au lists Australian Unity Health Limited as operating on a for-profit basis. The insurer describes itself as part of a mutual company with a history of more than 180 years. Both can be true: the health insurance company is a for-profit subsidiary, while the wider group is member-owned. Its registered address is Spring Street, Melbourne, and it sells in all states and territories.
The fund says its hospital covers let children stay on the policy until they turn 23 at no extra cost. Its Government fund record lists dependants aged 18 to 22 without a study requirement, older than the common limit of 20.
Complaints and retention
Australian Unity accounted for 2.7% of Ombudsman complaints about insurers in 2024-25 against a 2.1% market share, about 29% more than its size would predict. Its share of investigated complaints was lower, 0.9%. Member retention was 81.4%, below the industry's 85.0%.
Benefits and gaps
Australian Unity paid 81.6% of premium income as benefits (industry 84.5%) with management expenses of 12.2% (industry 10.9%). On gaps it did better than average: 90.6% of in-hospital medical services had no gap (industry 87.1%) and 97.7% had no gap or a known gap. Hospital charges covered were 89.5%.
What Australian Unity sells
Its open hospital policies at 1 September 2026 are Gold, Silver Plus, Bronze Plus and Basic Plus, with excess options of $250, $500 and $750. None were listed with the age-based discount. Emergency ambulance is included on all of them.
Australian Unity against the industry: 2024-25 data
Every year the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman compares all insurers on the same measures, and PrivateHealth.gov.au republishes the results on each insurer's profile. The table below is Australian Unity's, with the industry result beside each figure. Its complaints-to-market-share ratio was 1.29: a figure of 1.00 means complaints exactly in proportion to size.
| Measure | Australian Unity | Industry | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of all Ombudsman complaints | 2.7% | Market share 2.1% | More complaints than its size |
| Share of investigated complaints | 0.9% | Market share 2.1% | |
| Member retention (hospital cover) | 81.4% | 85.0% | Weaker than industry |
| Benefits paid as % of premiums | 81.6% | 84.5% | Weaker than industry |
| Management expenses % of premium income | 12.2% | 10.9% | Weaker than industry |
| Hospital charges covered | 89.5% | 89.0% | Better than industry |
| Medical services with no gap | 90.6% | 87.1% | Better than industry |
| Medical services with no gap or a known gap | 97.7% | 97.1% | Better than industry |
| Extras (general treatment) charges covered | 49.3% | 50.7% | Weaker than industry |
How to read it: complaint share is the fairest single comparison of service across funds of different sizes, because it's measured against market share. Benefits as a % of premiums shows how much of the premium pool went back to members as claims; a mutual that returns more is not necessarily cheaper, and a fund can move this figure by changing prices. The gap measures show how often members avoided an out-of-pocket medical bill after a hospital stay, which is what most people mean by "good cover".
Hospital agreements
| ACT | NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | TAS | NT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private hospitals | 5 | 81 | 63 | 50 | 17 | 22 | 7 | 1 |
| Most held by any insurer | 7 | 95 | 73 | 63 | 17 | 23 | 7 | 1 |
| Day hospitals | 8 | 83 | 57 | 47 | 25 | 22 | 9 | 2 |
| Most held by any insurer | 11 | 109 | 73 | 58 | 35 | 28 | 12 | 2 |
What to check before you join Australian Unity
- Complaints were above its market share in 2024-25, and retention and benefits paid were below the industry.
- No age-based discount on its open hospital policies.
- If you have young adult children, check how the fund's dependant age limits apply to the specific policy.
- Over 31 and joining for the first time? Work out your Lifetime Health Cover loading first, and if you earn over the threshold, check the Medicare Levy Surcharge you'd avoid.
Common questions about Australian Unity
Is Australian Unity health insurance not-for-profit?
PrivateHealth.gov.au lists Australian Unity Health Limited as operating on a for-profit basis. The wider Australian Unity group describes itself as a mutual.
Does Australian Unity cover ambulance?
Emergency ambulance is included on all its hospital policies open to new members, according to the Government's product data at 1 September 2026.
What hospital tiers does Australian Unity sell?
Gold, Silver Plus, Bronze Plus and Basic Plus, among policies open to new members at 1 September 2026.
Other fund reviews
See every registered health insurer compared on complaints and benefits, or read how the private health insurance rebate and hospital cover tiers work.
General advice only. It doesn't consider your circumstances. Read the PDS and TMD before you decide.
This review is general information based on published government and regulator data. We don't rate or rank funds, and it doesn't consider your circumstances. Check a policy's Private Health Information Statement before you buy.