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– White-labelled insurance brands are often more expensive than the registered insurer providing that cover – Our handy tool tells you whether your insurer is owned by, or a white label of, another registered insurer – healthslips.com.au compares every Australian health insurance brand, helping you find the cheapest cover
Of the 45 Australian health insurance brands currently selling cover, a good many of them are selling policies from another insurer, marketed under a different brand. Sometimes this happens when a larger insurer acquires a smaller one, but in many cases it’s because of white labelling – where a registered insurer agrees to provide policies under another organisation’s brand. For example, nib provides health cover policies for 8 other brands, including Qantas Insurance and Seniors Health Insurance. But do these white-labelled insurance brands work out cheaper?
At healthslips.com.au we’ve got the data to answer that question, because unlike other comparison sites that only compare policies from insurers they have commercial arrangements with, we compare every insurer in Australia without bias. We discovered that out of 17 health insurance brands, 11 were more expensive than buying the equivalent policy directly from the registered insurer that owns or provides the policy.
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Interactive tool – who underwrites your insurance?
Is your insurer owned, or your policy provided by, a larger brand? Use this handy tool to find out.
Is Your Health Insurer Owned by a Bigger Brand?
Many smaller health insurance brands are actually owned by, or white-labelled from, a larger insurer. Select your insurer to find out, and compare premiums between the two.
Your result
This tool provides general information only and is not personal advice. Ownership and brand relationships between insurers can change over time – always confirm current details with the insurer or on the healthslips.com.au calculator before making decisions about your cover.
Are white-label brands cheaper than their registered insurers?
We used healthslips.com.au’s impartial data to crunch premiums for 17 brands that are white labels of, or owned by, a registered insurer. Comparing premiums for Silver tier Hospital Cover for one adult in Victoria, we found:
In 11 of 17 cases, the white label brand was more expensive
In 3 of 17 cases it was exactly the same price
In the remaining 3 of 17 cases, the white-labelled brand was cheaper than the registered insurer.
Our expert analysis found that registered insurers are usually cheaper than the white-labelled brands they own or provide policies for. That means you might pay more for a policy that has the same customer service, benefits and exclusions as the one sold directly by the insurer providing the policy.
Our expert advice
Major insurers use white labelling to capture specific customers (e.g. seniors) through white-label brands. Our analysis found policies bought through these brands are often more expensive. However, they may provide benefits to members such as frequent flyer points which make them worth the extra cost. We recommend you compare all your options before buying a policy. Use a comparison site that compares every insurer in Australia with unbiased results – the healthslips.com.au calculator is free and you can use it anonymously.
Australian health insurance brands – white labelling breakdown
Insurance brand
Registered insurer providing the policy
AAMI
nib
ahm
Medibank
APIA
nib
Astute Simplicity Health
St Lukes
Frank
GMHBA
GU Health
nib
ING Health Insurance
nib
Nurses and Midwives Health
Teachers Health
Qantas Insurance
nib
Queensland Country Health Fund
HBF
Real Health Insurance
nib
RT Health
HCF
see-u
HBF
Seniors Health Insurance
nib
Suncorp
nib
UniHealth
Teachers Health
Union Health
TUH
healthslips.com.au does not provide general or personalised advice. Your particular circumstances are likely to impact the accuracy, completeness and relevance of the information or results. Take this into account before making a decision and talk to an expert for financial advice.
Trudie McConnochie
Writer and Researcher
Knowledge is power – that’s the guiding principle behind everything Trudie writes, and it’s a philosophy she brings to her work at healthslips.com.au. By breaking down complex information into easy-to-understand blogs and stories, she aims to empower Australians to make the best choices and an informed decision around private health insurance.
Trudie understands firsthand some of the complexity of private health insurance having moved to Australia from New Zealand and having to navigate a vastly different public healthcare system and health insurance structure.
Trudie holds a Bachelor of Communication Studies (journalism major) from the Auckland University of Technology.
