Ambulance cover

You can get ambulance cover in a range of ways

Medicare won't cover ambulance fees. If you live outside of Queensland or Tasmania, those fees can add up to hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. In NSW emergency call out fees start from $382.

You can't predict when accidents or emergencies are going to happen, so you may want to consider taking out ambulance cover.

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.com.au panel include emergency ambulance cover and a limit for your annual dental check-up (plus a few other treatments).

*Prices based on a single male living in NSW

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.

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.

Compare options with ambulance cover

If you're looking for the very basics select extras only. On the results page, select 'Refine policies' and tick ambulance cover.

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.

Compare ambulance cover from Aussie health funds