Hospital treatment coverage reaches 44.9% of Australian population

Policies for both hospital and general treatment saw an increase.

Hospital treatment coverage as of the end of December reached 44.9% of the Australian population or about 12.1 million individuals, data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority showed.

In total, policies issued during the quarter also went up to 5.9 million in December, up 1.7% year-on-year (YoY).

Family policies also expanded by 7,077 policies whilst single policies grew by 12,277.

The majority of adults with hospital cover (88.5%) enter without penalty loading if certified by age 30. 

By the end of December, 1,002,666 individuals faced lifetime health cover loading, up by 62,320 in a year. 

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Meanwhile, 106,289 individuals entered without penalty. Over the year, 121,255 individuals had their loading removed after ten years.

As of 31 December, 14,724,543 individuals (54.6% of the population) had general treatment cover, up by 53,078 from September. 

Single Policies drove a rise of 25,870 in general treatment policies for December 2023. Over the year, insured persons with general treatment cover increased by 304,225.

For the December quarter, 42,896 more people obtained general treatment (ancillary) coverage. The largest net increase, adjusted for age groups, was 24,168 in the 0 to 4 age group.