Extras cover · November 2026
Best extras cover for dental and glasses
189 extras policies from funds anyone can join pay towards this. For two dental visits and one pair of prescription glasses a year, five of the 189 pay back more than they cost. Latrobe’s Core Essential Extras does best, +$49 ahead.
The ten that come out best
Worked for one adult in NSW, under 65, on the Base rebate, over a year: 2 × general dental at $200 and 1 × optical at $300. That is $700 with no cover. Ahead means the policy paid back more than its premiums; behind means paying your own way would have cost less.
$326 in premiums, $375 back
Go to Latrobe (opens in a new tab)$373 in premiums, $420 back
Go to Health Partners (opens in a new tab)$370 in premiums, $415 back
Go to HCF (opens in a new tab)$331 in premiums, $350 back
Go to HIF (opens in a new tab)$386 in premiums, $400 back
Go to HBF (opens in a new tab)$360 in premiums, $350 back
Go to Peoplecare (opens in a new tab)$482 in premiums, $460 back
Go to AIA (opens in a new tab)$267 in premiums, $240 back
Go to Health Partners (opens in a new tab)$263 in premiums, $235 back
Go to HBF (opens in a new tab)$239 in premiums, $211 back
Go to Latrobe (opens in a new tab)
The middle policy of the 189 leaves you $410 behind, and the one at the bottom, Bupa’s Top Extras 90, $1,668 behind. A policy near the bottom is not a bad policy: it covers far more than two dental visits and one pair of prescription glasses, and you would be paying for all of it.
Your year is not exactly this one.
Put in what you actually use, in your state, for a couple or a family, and the calculator ranks every policy against it. It takes about two minutes and asks for no name or email.
Work out mine →Where the biggest funds land
The best policy for this from each of the six largest brands, and its place among all 189.
- Medibank Essential Extras 6031st$112 behind
- Bupa Freedom 6018th$72 behind
- HCF Flex My Extras3rd+$45 ahead
- nib AAMI Starter Extras26th$99 behind
- HBF Value 505th+$14 ahead
- ahm choosable 60 – teeth / eyes21st$90 behind
State by state
Premiums differ by state, so the order does too. The best policy for one adult in each state, and how many pay back at least what they cost there. Prices in the ACT follow NSW.
| State | Best policy | Over the year | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Latrobe Core Essential Extras | +$49 ahead | 5 of 189 |
| VIC | Latrobe Core Essential Extras | +$49 ahead | 5 of 189 |
| QLD | Latrobe Core Essential Extras | +$49 ahead | 5 of 186 |
| WA | Latrobe Core Essential Extras | +$100 ahead | 8 of 189 |
| SA | Health Partners Flex Extras: Eyes | +$81 ahead | 4 of 189 |
| TAS | HCF Flex My Extras | +$102 ahead | 10 of 187 |
| NT | HBF Value 50 | +$123 ahead | 11 of 189 |
What to know
This is the commonest reason people hold extras: teeth twice a year and new glasses. It is also the pattern most basic policies are priced around.
Dental and optical have separate yearly limits on most policies, so a policy that is generous on one can be thin on the other. The ranking counts both.
Waiting periods count against every policy here, as they would for someone joining now. If you already hold a policy and have served its waits, the calculator can price it beside every other one.
Best extras for something else
Worked from the Australian Government’s Private Health Open Listing, 01-Nov-2026, with the same sums as the calculator: listed premiums after the rebate, benefits capped by each policy’s limits and waiting periods. Typical prices are the calculator’s defaults and your provider may charge more or less. Restricted funds, corporate products and extras sold only with a hospital policy are left out. How the sums work.
This is general information, not personal financial advice. Confirm the premium and benefits with the fund before you buy or switch. Independent of every fund listed · No affiliate fees, no commissions.