Frank health insurance: who really insures you, and what it costs in 2026

Frank Health Insurance is a brand, sold online, that has offered what it calls “simple, easy to understand health insurance” since 2009. Every Frank policy is written by GMHBA Limited, the Geelong mutual covered on the GMHBA page. That one fact explains most of what follows: Frank’s premium change, complaints record and government performance figures are all GMHBA’s.

Plain Cover does not score or rank funds. The Plain Cover methodology does not yet set scoring weights, so no rating appears here.

Who actually insures you when you buy Frank?

Frank’s legal page states: “Frank Health Insurance is brought to you by GMHBA Limited.” Its policy statements on PrivateHealth.gov.au say “Underwritten by GMHBA Limited”, and ABN Lookup shows “FRANK HEALTH INSURANCE” registered as a business name of GMHBA Limited, ABN 98 004 417 092, on 8 April 2020.

APRA’s register of private health insurers, updated 30 July 2026, lists GMHBA Limited and does not list Frank. Neither does PrivateHealth.gov.au as a separate insurer: Frank appears as a brand on GMHBA’s entry. So a move from Frank to GMHBA, or back, keeps you with the same licensed insurer.

Two Frank websites, one Frank. A search for Frank returns frankhealthinsurance.com.au and, further down, frankaustralia.com.au. The second is Frank’s overseas visitors site, signed ”© 2026 Frank Health Insurance”, and its providers page states that “Frank’s old man, GMHBA, has been in the insurance business since 1934.”

How much did Frank premiums rise in 2026?

Frank’s premium review page states an “average increase of 1.98%” that “came into effect on 1 April 2026”. It is GMHBA Limited’s figure, which GMHBA states was the lowest of any insurer. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing approved an industry average of 4.41% for the same date.

The table converts each announced 2026 average into dollars a year on the same stated A$2,400 policy. The policy is an example, not a Frank quote.

Each percentage is the fund’s own announced average for 1 April 2026. Dollar figures are Plain Cover arithmetic, last verified 8 October 2026. A single Frank policy can rise by more or less than the average.

What Frank hospital cover includes, and what it leaves out

Frank’s hospital range, read 8 October 2026, has eight covers: Basic Accident Boost Hospital, Basic Plus Hospital, Bronze Hospital, Bronze Plus Hospital, Bronze Plus Max Hospital, Silver Hospital, Silver Plus Hospital and Silver Plus Max Hospital.

There is no Gold cover. That matters, because the Gold tier is the only one required to cover pregnancy and birth, joint replacements, dialysis and several other categories. At least one ranking review quotes a monthly price for “Gold Hospital cover” at Frank. Frank sells no such product. GMHBA sells Gold Optimum Hospital under its own name.

There is one excess: A$750. Frank charges it once per person per calendar year, capped at A$1,500 on a couple or family policy. Older pages quoting a A$500 option are describing closed products: PrivateHealth.gov.au still lists, for example, “Frank Starter Bundle (Basic)” with a A$500 excess, marked “Closed to new members”.

What Frank Max Extras pays

Frank sells four extras products: Max Extras, Classic Extras, Lite Extras and Bundables, which pays 50% back on included services and is sold only with an eligible hospital cover. Max Extras is the fullest, with these limits per calendar year, rates effective 1 April 2026:

• General dental: A$600 per person, A$1,200 per couple or family.
• Major dental: A$1,000 per person, A$2,000 per couple or family.
• Optical: A$250 per person, A$500 per couple or family.
• Physiotherapy: A$400 per person, A$800 per couple or family, shared with group physio, hydrotherapy and similar services.

Frank’s dental partner is smile.com.au, whose dentists, Frank states, “reduce their fees by at least 15%”. Frank has no clinics of its own; GMHBA’s dental and eye care practices in Geelong, Ballarat and Portland carry the GMHBA name.

Does Frank sell overseas visitors cover?

Yes, through frankaustralia.com.au. Frank’s own page describes it as designed “for anyone applying for, or on a 482 Temporary Skill Shortage Visa or 485 Temporary Graduate Visa”. The covers listed are Minimum Working Visa Cover, Mid Workers Cover, Mid Workers Plus Bundle and Basic Workers Cover, and members can request a Visa Compliance Letter. Frank’s own pages do not mention visa condition 8501 by number. Read 8 October 2026. Anyone who must meet 8501 should check the visa letter against the condition before relying on it.

Is Frank online-only, and how do you claim?

Frank runs without branches. Its claiming guide lists three ways to claim: the Frank app (“take a photo of your receipt and upload it”), online through the member area, where Frank states “We’ll have the money in your account in 1-2 business days”, and on the spot at providers with an electronic claiming terminal. Frank also states a 30 day cooling-off period on new cover. Read 8 October 2026.

Does Frank cover ambulance?

Frank states that “Emergency ambulance is covered on all Frank hospital policies”, with a 0 day waiting period. Residents of Queensland and Tasmania are covered by their state government, and Frank states NSW and ACT residents are “automatically covered for emergency transportation within NSW or ACT”. The Silver Plus Max page adds that publicly funded services and state schemes are excluded from Frank’s benefit. No dollar cap appears on the current product pages. Read 8 October 2026.

How Frank performs on the government’s own figures

Because PrivateHealth.gov.au reports Frank inside GMHBA Limited, these are GMHBA’s figures, read 8 October 2026, with no period stated on the page.

The dated version is the Ombudsman’s State of the Health Funds Report 2023-24, published March 2025, which lists GMHBA’s brands as “GMHBA Ltd, Frank” and puts the pair at 0.9% of complaints on a 2.2% share at 30 June 2024. Complaints made about Frank are counted in that figure.

Frank’s premium after the rebate and the surcharge

The rebate does not depend on the brand. For 2026-27 a single under 65 earning A$105,000 or less gets 24.118% off a Frank premium from 1 July 2026, against 24.288% for 1 July 2025 to 31 March 2026. Frank applies the age-based discount for people who join between 18 and 29.

Frank’s A$750 single excess is exactly the most the Medicare Levy Surcharge rules allow, so the excess alone does not stop a Frank hospital policy counting. The surcharge starts at A$105,001 for a single in 2026-27, up from A$101,001 in 2025-26. The surcharge guide and the rebate guide have the tables.

Who tends to weigh up Frank, and against what

People in this situation typically weigh up the lowest 2026 increase in the market, online claiming paid in 1 to 2 business days and a complaint share below GMHBA’s size, against a range that stops at Silver Plus and an insurer whose retention and benefits ratio sit below the industry figures.

The question Frank cannot answer is Gold-only treatment. Anyone who expects to need pregnancy, joint replacement or dialysis cover in the next few years is looking at a GMHBA Gold policy, or another insurer, rather than Frank.