OSHC comparison table 2026: cover levels, network and extras at a glance
A structural comparison of the insurers selling OSHC in 2026 — cover levels, network and extras — built only from published insurer and government sources.
Comparison tables are where OSHC marketing gets away with the most, because it is easy to publish a grid of tick marks and premium figures that no one can verify. So this one is built differently. It contains no premiums, no ratings and no rankings, because those are either commercial decisions we cannot audit or opinions we have no standing to offer.
What it does contain is structure: who sells OSHC, what the statutory floor is, and where the real differences between insurers actually live.
Who is selling OSHC in 2026
The Department of Health’s OSHC fact sheet names the insurers currently selling OSHC. On the current published position there are four insurance groups:
| Insurer | Selling OSHC | Position on this site |
|---|---|---|
| Allianz Care Australia | Yes | Compared and purchasable |
| Bupa Australia | Yes | Compared and purchasable |
| Medibank (including ahm) | Yes | Compared and purchasable |
| nib | Yes | Compared only, not purchasable here |
Two things about this table are worth stating plainly, because they are the kind of detail that ages badly:
- Medibank and ahm appear as one insurance group. The fact sheet lists “Medibank and ahm (part of Medibank)” together. They are related brands of the same insurer, not two independent competitors.
- CBHS is not on this list. CBHS has not sold new OSHC memberships since 1 November 2025. It is absent from the fact sheet’s list of OSHC insurers for that reason. If you are an existing CBHS member, your existing cover is a separate matter and you should speak to them directly — but if you are shopping today, CBHS is not an option to compare.
The insurers themselves are the authoritative source on their own products. The Department of Health and Aged Care’s OSHC resources collection is the official starting point.
The cover floor: what every insurer must meet
This is the part most comparison tables skip, and it is the part that matters most, because it is legally fixed. Every OSHC policy must meet at least the rates in Schedule 1 of the OSHC Deed commencing 1 July 2025:
| Base coverage | Statutory minimum |
|---|---|
| Ambulance services | 100% of the ambulance charge, when medically necessary for hospital admission or emergency treatment |
| Pharmaceutical items | Amount above the PBS co-payment, up to $50 per item, with a minimum total benefit of $500 (single) or $1,000 (family categories) per calendar year |
| Out-of-hospital medical services | 85% of the MBS fee |
| In-hospital medical services | 100% of the MBS fee |
| Public hospital services | 100% of the charges raised by the public hospital |
| Private hospital services | Per the insurer’s contract with the hospital, or the applicable minimum under the Benefit Requirement Rules where there is no contract |
| Medical devices and human tissue products | Per the Prescribed List Rules |
And the waiting periods are capped, not open-ended:
| Treatment | Maximum waiting period |
|---|---|
| MBS groups named in Schedule 4 row (a) | Nil |
| Emergency Treatment | Nil |
| Psychiatric hospital treatment (except emergency) | 2 months |
| Hospital treatment for a pre-existing condition | 12 months |
| Pregnancy-related treatment (products under 2 years) | 12 months |
| Any other Schedule 1 service not listed | 2 months |
If two quotes look identical on price, this is why. The statutory floor is identical. What you are comparing is everything above the floor.
Where insurers actually differ
Since the floor is common, the genuine comparison is on the four dimensions above it:
1. What sits above the statutory floor. Schedule 2 of the Deed governs additional coverage — general treatment (which is the statutory term covering dental, optical and non-Medicare physiotherapy), assisted reproductive services, treatment arranged in advance of a start date, and medical repatriation. Crucially, Schedule 2 leaves the general treatment rate as “As determined by the Insurer”. That is where the real divergence sits, and it is exactly the part each insurer describes on its own page.
2. Hospital networks and gap arrangements. Schedule 1 sets private hospital services by reference to the insurer’s contract with the hospital. What that means in practice is that your out-of-pocket exposure at a private hospital depends on whether the hospital is in your insurer’s network — which is a private agreement between two companies, not something the Deed prescribes. This is the single biggest source of surprise bills, and it is the reason to check the network before you need it. Our guide to hospital gap charges covers the mechanism.
3. Out-of-hospital gap arrangements. The statutory minimum for out-of-hospital medical services is 85% of the MBS fee. Where an insurer has arrangements with particular clinics, the gap you pay can be lower than the statutory position. The OSHC fact sheet notes that when you visit a GP in an insurer’s approved network “you only pay any gap fee”. Because these arrangements are commercial and change, we do not publish a list of participating clinics — use the insurer’s own provider lookup. See direct billing vs reimbursement for how the arithmetic works.
4. Product design and service terms. Waiting periods the insurer actually applies (which may be shorter than the Deed caps), telehealth terms, the claim channels available to you, and what the Policy Disclosure Statement says. This is the layer where insurers are most genuinely themselves, and the layer every comparison page tends to skim.
How to use this table
Use it as a shortlist filter, not as a decision.
- Shortlist on network and extras, because those are the real differences — not on price alone, since the floor is common.
- Check each insurer’s own product page for the current extras and network. We link them below rather than reproducing figures we cannot keep current.
- Get a live quote for your dates and category. Premiums are set per policy and change; a stale figure is worse than no figure.
- Read the Policy Disclosure Statement before you buy. It is the authoritative document, and clause 11.1 of the Deed requires you to receive it.
Key takeaways
- Four insurance groups currently sell OSHC — Allianz Care Australia, Bupa Australia, Medibank/ahm and nib. Medibank and ahm are one group, not two.
- CBHS no longer sells new OSHC. It has not accepted new memberships since 1 November 2025.
- The statutory floor is identical across every insurer, so identical prices mean identical base cover.
- Real differences are in extras, hospital networks and gap arrangements — the layers above the Deed’s minimum.
- We publish no premiums and no ratings. Both would be either unverifiable or editorialising, and neither is our place.
Each insurer describes its own product, so read theirs alongside this:
Compare on our comparison page, or price it for your own dates on the quote page.
Sources
- Department of Health — OSHC fact sheet — the list of OSHC insurers and the basic coverage every policy must include.
- Department of Health and Aged Care — OSHC resources collection
- OSHC Deed commencing 1 July 2025 (PDF) — Schedule 1 (base coverage), Schedule 2 (additional coverage) and Schedule 4 (waiting periods).
- Private Health Insurance Ombudsman — Overseas Student Health Cover
- Insurer product pages, linked above.
Information is current as at 1 October 2026. This is general information, not personal advice, and it does not consider your personal circumstances. CompareOSHC is not an insurer or underwriter. We may receive a commission from insurers; commissions do not influence your comparisons.