| nib | |
|---|---|
| Registered insurer | nib Health Funds Ltd. |
| Who can join | Open to anyone |
| Business structure | Shareholder-owned company, for-profit |
| Hospital policies (30 June 2025) | 627,626 (10.2% of all hospital policies), covering 1,201,246 people. Figure is for nib Health Funds Ltd, which includes GU Health and the brands nib sells through |
| Hospital tiers on sale (1 September 2026) | Gold, Silver Plus, Silver, Bronze Plus, Bronze, Basic Plus, Basic |
| Excess options on open hospital policies | $100, $150, $200, $250, $300, $400, $500, $750 |
| Age-based discount (18–29) | Offered on its open hospital policies |
| Ambulance | Emergency ambulance included on its open hospital policies |
One insurer, many names
PrivateHealth.gov.au lists nib's policies as being sold under AAMI Health Insurance, Apia Health Insurance, GU Health Insurance, ING Health Insurance, Qantas Insurance, Real Health Insurance, Seniors Health Insurance and Suncorp Health Insurance as well as nib itself. If you hold Qantas or ING health cover, your insurer is nib: the complaints process, the fund rules and the figures below are nib's.
nib is an open fund in every state and territory, and it sells overseas visitors, overseas student and corporate products.
Complaints and retention
nib (including GU Health) accounted for 9.6% of Ombudsman complaints in 2024–25 against a 9.8% market share, which is proportional. Its share of investigated complaints was 6.4%. The number that stands out is retention: 79.0% of hospital members kept their cover with nib over the year, against 85.0% across the industry. The data doesn't say why members left.
Benefits, gaps and extras
nib paid 82.0% of its premium income as benefits (industry 84.5%) with management expenses of 10.7% (industry 10.9%). 88.8% of in-hospital medical services had no gap, above the industry's 87.1%, but hospital charges covered were 85.8%, below the industry's 89.0%. nib's extras paid 58.0% of charges on average, one of the highest figures of any insurer and well above the industry's 50.7%.
What nib sells
nib's open hospital policies at 1 September 2026 include every tier from Basic to Gold, with the widest set of excess choices of any large fund: from $100 up to $750. Almost all were listed with the age-based discount, and all include emergency ambulance.
nib 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 nib's (reported at the level of the registered insurer), with the industry result beside each figure. Its complaints-to-market-share ratio was 0.98: a figure of 1.00 means complaints exactly in proportion to size.
| Measure | nib | Industry | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of all Ombudsman complaints | 9.6% | Market share 9.8% | In proportion to its size |
| Share of investigated complaints | 6.4% | Market share 9.8% | |
| Member retention (hospital cover) | 79.0% | 85.0% | Weaker than industry |
| Benefits paid as % of premiums | 82.0% | 84.5% | Weaker than industry |
| Management expenses % of premium income | 10.7% | 10.9% | In line with industry |
| Hospital charges covered | 85.8% | 89.0% | Weaker than industry |
| Medical services with no gap | 88.8% | 87.1% | Better than industry |
| Medical services with no gap or a known gap | 95.3% | 97.1% | Weaker than industry |
| Extras (general treatment) charges covered | 58.0% | 50.7% | Better 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 | 7 | 94 | 67 | 54 | 17 | 20 | 5 | 1 |
| Most held by any insurer | 7 | 97 | 74 | 58 | 17 | 23 | 7 | 2 |
| Day hospitals | 8 | 92 | 60 | 41 | 26 | 22 | 8 | 1 |
| Most held by any insurer | 9 | 98 | 64 | 50 | 30 | 28 | 11 | 2 |
What to check before you join nib
- Partner-brand policies (Qantas, AAMI, Apia, ING, Suncorp) are nib policies with different names and features. Compare the policy, not the brand.
- Hospital charges covered (85.8%) were below the industry result in 2024–25.
- Retention (79.0%) was among the lowest of the large insurers.
- 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 nib
Who underwrites Qantas health insurance?
nib. PrivateHealth.gov.au lists Qantas Insurance among the brands nib Health Funds Ltd sells its policies under.
Is nib for-profit?
Yes. PrivateHealth.gov.au describes nib Health Funds Ltd as a shareholder-owned company operating on a for-profit basis.
Does nib cover ambulance?
Emergency ambulance is included on all of nib's hospital policies open to new members, according to the Government's product data 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.
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.
