| 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 |
| Question | What the official data shows |
|---|---|
| Out-of-pocket costs in hospital | 88.8% of in-hospital medical services had no gap for the member (industry 87.1%), and 85.8% 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 nib, 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 | 9.6% of Ombudsman complaints about insurers on a 9.8% market share (ratio 0.98), and 6.4% 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.
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.
Is nib the insurer behind my policy?
If your policy carries one of these names, nib Health Funds Ltd is the registered insurer. Your fund rules, waiting periods and complaints process are nib's, and switching between these brands is switching within one insurer.
| Brand on your policy | Registered insurer | Figures on this page apply? |
|---|---|---|
| nib | nib Health Funds Ltd | Yes |
| AAMI Health Insurance | nib Health Funds Ltd | Yes |
| Apia Health Insurance | nib Health Funds Ltd | Yes |
| GU Health | nib Health Funds Ltd | Yes |
| ING Health Insurance | nib Health Funds Ltd | Yes |
| Qantas Insurance | nib Health Funds Ltd | Yes |
| Real Health Insurance | nib Health Funds Ltd | Yes |
| Seniors Health Insurance | nib Health Funds Ltd | Yes |
| Suncorp Health Insurance | nib Health Funds Ltd | Yes |
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 |
nib vs Bupa: the official data side by side
Here are both insurers' 2024-25 figures on every measure the Ombudsman publishes, with the industry result beside them. In 2024-25, nib (incl. GU Health) had the stronger figure on management expenses and extras charges covered; Bupa on member retention, hospital charges covered and the no-gap rate. They were level on complaints relative to size and benefits paid as a share of premiums. Neither set of figures is a price, and the right policy depends on what it covers.
| Measure | nib (incl. GU Health) | Bupa | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of all Ombudsman complaints | 9.6% | 25.2% | - |
| Market share | 9.8% | 25.5% | - |
| Complaints ÷ market share (1.00 = in proportion) | 0.98 | 0.99 | 1.00 |
| Share of investigated complaints | 6.4% | 16.4% | - |
| Member retention (hospital cover) | 79.0% | 86.1% | 85.0% |
| Benefits paid as % of premiums | 82.0% | 82.4% | 84.5% |
| Management expenses % of premium income | 10.7% | 11.3% | 10.9% |
| Hospital charges covered | 85.8% | 89.0% | 89.0% |
| In-hospital medical services with no gap | 88.8% | 90.2% | 87.1% |
| Medical services with no gap or a known gap | 95.3% | 97.8% | 97.1% |
| Extras charges covered | 58.0% | 51.3% | 50.7% |
| Private hospital agreements, all states | 266 | 273 | - |
| Day hospital agreements, all states | 275 | 273 | - |
| Hospital policies (30 June 2025) | 627,626 | 1,498,193 | 6,125,068 |
Read our Bupa review, or see the five largest health funds side by side.
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 | 6 | 93 | 67 | 54 | 17 | 21 | 7 | 1 |
| Most held by any insurer | 7 | 95 | 73 | 63 | 17 | 23 | 7 | 1 |
| Day hospitals | 9 | 96 | 61 | 48 | 28 | 23 | 8 | 2 |
| Most held by any insurer | 11 | 109 | 73 | 58 | 35 | 28 | 12 | 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
Does nib sell life insurance?
Yes, but nib isn't the insurer. nib's life insurance and income protection are issued by NobleOak Life Limited, and nib Life is an authorised representative of NobleOak Services. Our table of who issues each life insurance brand lists the others.
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.
What is better, Bupa or nib?
Neither leads on every measure. In 2024-25 nib's extras paid a higher share of charges (58.0% against Bupa's 51.3%) and its management expenses were lower (10.7% against 11.3%). Bupa kept more of its members (86.1% against 79.0%) and covered a higher share of hospital charges (89.0% against 85.8%). The side-by-side table on this page has every official measure; compare the actual policies on cover, excess and price.
Which is the worst health insurance company in Australia?
There is no official ranking of best or worst insurers. The closest official measure of service is each insurer's share of complaints to the Ombudsman against its market share, listed for every fund on our health fund comparison. In 2024-25 nib (including GU Health) drew 9.6% of complaints on a 9.8% market share, in proportion to its size.
What are the top 5 health insurance companies in Australia?
By market share in 2024-25 the five largest were Medibank (including ahm), Bupa, HCF, nib and HBF. Size isn't a measure of quality: our five largest health funds table sets them side by side on every official measure.
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.