Ambulance cover could save you from a big and unnecessary bill

Ambulance cover is a basic form of health insurance which means you won't be left out of pocket if you have to take an emergency ambulance trip to the hospital.

Unless you live in Queensland or Tasmania, an ambulance trip could easily end up costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars. That leaves you with a hefty bill to face as soon as you're feeling better.

Starting at around $3 a week, ambulance cover is an affordable way to make sure that doesn't happen.

Get a little more with your ambulance cover

Many extras policies in Australia include emergency ambulance cover, so you can often get a bit more bang for your buck. For example, the extras policies below from the Finder Partners include emergency ambulance cover and a limit for your annual dental check-up (plus a few other treatments).

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Name	Product	Emergency Ambulance	Physiotherapy	Dental	Price Per Month	Hide CompareBox
ahm black 50 saver			$300	$400	$12.70		Go to Site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Peoplecare Simple Extras			$300	$500	$24.90		Go to Site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Medibank Healthy Start Extras			$500	$500	$25.95		Go to Site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Qantas Basic Extras			$350	$600	$31.27		Go to Site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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What insurance covers ambulance?

Depending on the policy you take out, you can get covered for both emergency and non-emergency situations. Emergency ambulance is included in; Hospital, Extras, Ambulance only and State Subscription.

The following health funds offer ambulance cover, prices are based on a single in Sydney (checked in August 2020):

Is ambulance cover compulsory?

Whether or not you need ambulance cover depends a lot on where you live. Some state governments provide their citizens with cover and others don't.

If you live in either Queensland or Tasmania, your state government has you covered. If you live in any other state, you'll be on the hook for the costs of ambulance transport. Below is a breakdown of how each state treats ambulance cover and the costs associated with travelling in an ambulance for each state.

Does Medicare cover ambulance?

No. Many Australians wrongly believe their ambulance costs will be covered by Medicare and this is incorrect. Unless you live in Queensland or Tasmania, you could be facing big call out costs.

Is standalone ambulance cover worth it?

Medicare doesn't cover ambulance fees. Since call out fees start at $392 in NSW, plus an additional charge of $3.54 per kilometer, it's worth getting insured against the costs of ambulance services.

But is standalone ambulance cover worth it? For instance, a standalone ambulance cover policy is likely to cost you around $40* a year but this covers you for emergency ambulances only. You can get the exact same service with extras cover for as little as $3* a week, but you'll also get routine dental, physiotherapy and chiropractic cover included.

If standalone ambulance cover is all you're interested in, then you don't need to consider extras. But if you want value for money, then go for an extras policy that also includes emergency ambulance and a range of other important health services. After all, you might not need an ambulance over the course of a year, but you'll definitely use dental and physiotherapy.

State by state comparison of ambulance costs

• Nationwide
• ACT
• NSW
• NT
• QLD
• SA
• TAS
• VIC
• WA

Ambulance cover for pensioners

Depending on where you live, your state will determine how much you pay for ambulance cover (if anything). Below is a summary of how it works for seniors state by state.

Australian Capital Territory

Residents who hold a Pensioner Concession or Health Care card are entitled to free emergency ambulance services within the ACT. When travelling interstate, these cardholders can only access free emergency ambulance services in those states and territories that participate in reciprocal arrangements with the ACT, so no cover is available if you’re travelling in Queensland, SA or WA.

New South Wales

A range of pensioner card and concession card holders are entitled to free ambulance services in NSW, including people who hold a:

Northern Territory

Holders of a Pensioner Concession Card or a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card are entitled to free ambulance transport services.

Queensland

The Queensland Government covers the cost of emergency ambulance services not only in Queensland but also right around the country.

South Australia

There are pension rates available for holders of an SA Pension concession card. The rate starts at $49 for a single pensioner and you need to refer to the SA ambulance terms.

Victoria

As of July 2014, eligible Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card holders in Victoria are entitled to free clinically necessary ambulance coverage around Australia. This covers the cost of transport to the nearest and most appropriate medical facility.

Western Australia

Pensioners are entitled to free ambulance transport whenever it is medically necessary, except if you are being transferred between hospitals and one or both is a private hospital. Residents who are 65 and over but do not receive a Centrelink pension receive a 50% discount off their ambulance account.

WA residents under the age of 65 who receive a Disability, Single Parent or Carers pension or other Centrelink pensions may also be entitled to this 50% discount.

Avoid costly surprises with ambulance cover

If you shudder at how much an unexpected medical emergency could cost, you’re not alone. Nearly 60% of Australians feel the same way according to finder.com.au.

That’s why ambulance cover is so important. finder also found that more than a quarter of Australians believe Medicare covers ambulance fees.

Talk about an unexpected surprise.

You can get ambulance-only cover for as little as $60 a year and it’s readily available on most hospital and extras policies. That makes it one of the simplest and straightforward ways to avoid any costly surprises.

Find out more about ambulance cover in your state or territory

• WA
• NT
• SA
• Tas
• QLD
• NSW
• VIC
• ACT

What's included in ambulance insurance?

What's covered by an ambulance policy will depend on whether you want protection for emergency only or comprehensive non-emergency:

• Emergency Only
• Comprehensive

How much does a health fund cover?

Depending on which health fund you decide to go with, you can expect that they'll cover most if not all of the costs associated with ambulance transport.

Below are the percentage of costs covered by each fund according to the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman (PHIO) State of the Health Funds Report 2017.

The average amount of costs covered by ambulance cover

Some final questions about ambulance cover you might have

• My private health insurance includes ambulance cover but I also have a subscription with my state ambulance service – does this mean I’m paying twice for ambulance cover?

  Though the approach to this scenario differs between funds, many private health funds will reimburse some or all of the cost of your state ambulance subscription.

• Will my health fund’s ambulance only policy cover transfers between hospitals?

  Although cover differs between policies, many ambulance only policies will not include cover for non-emergency transfers between hospitals.

• Do I really need to bother with ambulance cover? How likely am I to need an ambulance?

  According to a Productivity Commission report on government emergency services, 3,197,826 Australians were attended to by ambulance personnel around the country in 2013–14. This figure is well worth considering when assessing your ambulance cover needs.

• I’m a Queensland resident – will I be covered for the cost of ambulance services all around Australia?

  Yes, you are entitled to automatic cover for emergency ambulance services Australia-wide.

• I called an ambulance for someone else – will I be sent the bill?

  No. The patient who receives treatment or transportation from an ambulance service is responsible for paying the bill.

• How much will an ambulance cost if I don’t have ambulance cover in place?

  Ambulance costs vary between states and territories. As an example, a NSW road ambulance in an emergency situation attracts a call-out fee of $364 plus a variable charge of $3.29 per kilometre. The maximum charge is $5,971. In Victoria, a fee of $1,174 applies to metropolitan emergency road transport, while a fee of $1,732 is charged for regional and rural emergency road transport.

  These figures were taken from the official website of each state and territories ambulance service and were accurate when this article was published. Please note the costs above may be subject to change.

• Do Queensland or Tasmanian residents need to purchase ambulance cover?

  No, the state governments of Queensland and Tasmania cover ambulance costs for their residents.

• Can NSW or ACT residents purchase a membership or subscription through their ambulance service?

  No, this option is not provided in NSW or the ACT. Residents can instead purchase ambulance cover through a private health fund if they wish.

• Will ambulance insurance cover me if I'm interstate?

  It depends on where you live and what type of ambulance cover you have. Most private health insurance policies will offer interstate ambulance cover no matter what state you live in. Here's a quick breakdown of some of your other choices (or lack thereof) in each state:

  • New South Wales. New South Wales offers free emergency ambulance to pensioners and concession card holders and these residents will also be covered in QLD and SA. NSW does not have a subscription service so the only solution for most people is private cover.
  • Victoria. Victoria residents with a pensioner card or certain other concession cards receive free emergency ambulance transport anywhere in Australia. For other residents, Ambulance Victoria offers a subscription service that covers their ambulance transport throughout the country. Even with the subscription service, private cover can still come in handy as it will often provide refunds for your subscription costs.
  • Queensland. Queensland offers free state-based ambulance cover to all residents and it applies Australia-wide. There's no need for private ambulance cover if you live in QLD.
  • South Australia. The South Australia Ambulance Service offers its own paid ambulance subscription service and you can upgrade to include interstate cover for an additional charge. Pensioners can receive a discount on this service. You can take out private ambulance cover as an alternative to this service, or you can look for a policy that will reimburse your subscription costs.
  • Western Australia. The not-for-profit organisation St. John Ambulance runs a subscription service for all regional SA residents and subscribers are covered Australia-wide. Perth metropolitan residents will have to take out private cover if they want ambulance cover. Full age pensioners are eligible for free state-based ambulance service and won't need the subscription service or private ambulance cover. It's also available interstate.
  • Tasmania. All Tasmania residents are eligible for free state-based ambulance cover but it's only good within Tasmania. If you want to be covered interstate, you'll need private health insurance.
  • Northern Territory. The not-for-profit organisation St. John Ambulance runs an ambulance subscription service for all Northern Territory residents and subscribers are covered Australia-wide. Pensioners are covered free through a state-based scheme and this covers them within NT, QLD and SA but nowhere else in Australia. Private cover is one way to fill in these gaps.
  • Australian Capital territory. The only residents who are entitled to free emergency ambulance cover are pensioner concession or health care card holders. Their cover extends interstate as long as it's a state with a reciprocal agreement with ACT. These states are NSW, VIC, TAS and NT. There is no subscription service so everyone else will need private health insurance.