Important updates to private hospital benefits

Macquarie Hospital Services and Independent Private Hospitals of Australia (IPHoA) Hospitals have elected to terminate their agreement with Australian Unity, effective 16 March 2026.

Alternative hospital options: You may wish to explore other hospital options within our network to ensure you continue receiving cost-effective care. To search for local options that Australian Unity have active agreements with, go to our Find Agreement Hospitals page.

List of Macquarie and IPHoA hospitals:

NSW:

• Delmar Private Hospital
• Eastern Suburbs Private Hospital
• Holroyd Private Hospital
• Longueville Private Hospital
• Manly Waters Private Hospital
• Minchinbury Community Private Hospital
• President Private Hospital
• The Sydney Private Hospital

VIC:

• Essendon Private Clinic
• Malvern Private Hospital
• The Melbourne Eastern Private Hospital

If an agreement is reached, we will update this page.

Last updated: 28 January 2026

Toowoomba Private Day Hospital has elected to terminate their agreement with Australian Unity, effective 2 February 2026.

Alternative hospital options: You may wish to explore other hospital options within our network to ensure you continue receiving cost-effective care. Local options that Australian Unity have active agreements with include: 

• Toowoomba Surgicentre
• St Andrews Toowoomba
• St Vincent’s Private Hospital Toowoomba.

If an agreement is reached we will update this page.

We’re pleased to announce Australian Unity has reached an agreement with Healthscope. This means our members won’t have to pay additional out-of-pocket costs for services included in their cover if they are admitted to a Healthscope hospital.

We sincerely thank our members for their patience over the past few months as we worked to secure a fair outcome for everyone involved.

This new agreement ensures our members continue to receive quality care while maintaining affordability and value. We remain committed to treating all contracted hospitals fairly and prioritising the needs of patients and doctors by negotiating fair, sustainable contracts that help keep premiums manageable. Thank you for your continued trust in Australian Unity.

Visit our dedicated information page for Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 22 April 2025

Each health fund enters into agreements with individual private hospitals (including overnight-stay hospitals and day clinics) helping to reduce or eliminate any out-of-pocket expenses you may have to pay towards your hospital admission. These are called 'agreement private hospital'.

These agreements cover things like:

• Hospital fees for accommodation, operating theatre charges and other charges directly related to your admission (including dressings and other consumables, plus most diagnostic test)
• The costs of certain approved medications and prostheses required for treatment of your admitted condition. 

If you attend a non-agreement hospital, even if you have private health insurance, you may still have to pay out-of-pocket costs to the hospital. 

This means that the current contract will apply to admissions until it terminates. For admissions after termination, members with hospital cover may face higher out-of-pocket costs. We aim to work closely with affected members to ensure they can continue to receive pre-booked and ongoing courses of treatments without additional out-of-pocket costs. To find out more read our FAQ on 'transitional arrangements'.

There are two major things to consider when you go to hospital:

• Where does your preferred doctor or specialist work? If the specialist you want to see doesn't work at a hospital we have an agreement with, you will face large out-of-pocket costs. Because of this, you may need to consider choosing a new specialist or switching to a health fund that does have an agreement with the hospital you want. 
• Are there agreement hospitals close to your home? If you prefer a hospital that's in a convenient location and close to family and friends, it's worth using our Find Agreement Hospitals tool to check if any agreement hospitals are near to you.

If you have treatment pre-booked at a hospital where an agreement is terminated, you will be covered by the transitional arrangements, meaning you'll continue to be covered under the current contract after the effective termination date, in the following circumstances:

• If your treatment commenced prior to effective termination date and you've discharged after the effective termination date
• If you require an emergency admission within 3 months after the termination date
• If you have pre-booked a procedure for an admission within 6 months after the termination date
• Patients who are already undergoing a course of treatment prior to the effective termination date for up to 6 months after the termination date
• If you have pre-booked pregnancy treatment for an admission within 9 months after the termination date

You'll still be covered if you attend a hospital that we don't have a contract with, however there may be substantial out-of-pocket costs. If you're in this situation you should contact your treating hospital directly to obtain Informed Financial Consent in advance of you admission to understand the costs. 

We will communicate directly with impacted members through their preferred method of contact, providing reasonable prior notice. Additionally, we will keep this page updated with the latest information for our members.