Ambulance cover in Australia
Ambulance isn't covered by Medicare or by most state governments. However, it's covered in most health insurance policies, or standalone from as little as $2 a week.
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Key takeaways
- Taking an ambulance is not covered by Medicare. Tasmanian and Queensland governments cover some costs for residents, but everyone else will need to pay.
- The cost of an ambulance call-out can range from $262–$2,000+.
- Ambulance cover comes with most hospital or extras policies, or you can buy standalone cover from around $1 a week*.
*Prices are based on a single person living in Sydney earning less than $101,000 a year.
Ambulance bills are one of those expenses you’d prefer to forget about — and not just because it can bring up some unwanted memories.
Depending on where you live, a single call-out could cost you nothing, or it could cost you over $1,200. While no one wants to imagine a situation where they need an ambulance, having protections in place can prevent you from being severely out of pocket.
In this guide, we’ll share how much an ambulance could cost you depending on your state, the coverage options available and how you can take out ambulance cover in Australia.
How ambulance insurance works
Ambulance services aren't covered by Medicare, and only Queensland and Tasmania offer state government coverage for ambulance costs. That means an emergency ambulance trip can end up costing hundreds or thousands of dollars if you don't have private health insurance. Luckily, there are a few ways to get covered for these costs.
Private ambulance cover
Ambulance cover is a type of private health insurance that reimburses you for using an ambulance to receive emergency medical treatment. Some ambulance cover just includes emergency transport to your nearest hospital, while other policies cover a range of ambulance services, including transfer between hospitals. You'll also find ambulance coverage included in most (but not all) extras policies, as well as with some hospital-only policies. Ambulance cover is also available as a standalone policy and costs for this can be as small as $2 per week. Check the product disclosure statement (PDS) of your policy to make sure you're covered for what's important to you.
State ambulance cover
Ambulance services aren't covered by Medicare, and Queensland and Tasmania are the only 2 states that provide some coverage of ambulance costs for residents. Queensland residents will have their ambulance costs covered nation-wide, while Tasmanian residents will have their costs covered within Tasmania only. Note that you do have to be a resident of Tasmania or Queensland to be covered – non-residents aren't eligible. Some states (other than TAS and QLD) do offer free ambulance services for specific groups, like pensioners or Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) gold-card holders.
Ambulance subscription
Some state ambulance services offer a separate subscription service. These subscriptions typically cover the cost of ambulance transport in your state, and will sometimes cover you nation-wide. For example, a Northern Territory St John subscription will cover you for St John ambulance services in the NT, and also for ambulance fees across the country.
Who gets free ambulance cover in Australia?
Several groups are automatically covered for ambulance costs without the need for a subscription or private health insurance.
QLD and TAS residents
Queensland and Tasmania fund ambulance services through state taxes, which means residents don't pay for emergency or urgent ambulance transport. One thing to note: if you're visiting from another state and need an ambulance in QLD or TAS, you're also covered as a patient treated within that state.
Pensioners and concession card holders
Depending on your state, pensioners and concession card holders may be partially or fully subsidised for ambulance costs. Coverage varies significantly:
- VIC: Pensioner Concession Card and Health Care Card holders are eligible for subsidised Ambulance Victoria membership
- NSW: Some concession cardholders may receive reduced-cost cover through their health fund.
- WA & SA: Concession pricing available on state ambulance memberships
If you hold a Pensioner Concession Card, Low Income Health Care Card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, it's worth calling your state ambulance authority to confirm what you're entitled to.
DVA cardholders
Veterans holding a Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Gold Card are covered for all ambulance costs Australia-wide, with no out-of-pocket expenses. DVA White Card holders may also be covered for ambulance transport related to accepted conditions, but it’s best to check with DVA directly to confirm.
Compare ambulance insurance policies
All prices are based on a single individual with an income of less than $101,000, living in Sydney, NSW. It's likely to cost you even less in other states including South Australia and Victoria.
Finder Score - Health Insurance Extras
Each month we analyse over 10,000 extras insurance products and rate each one on price and features. What we end up with is a nice round number out of 10 that helps you compare extras cover a bit faster.
We want to compare apples to apples, not apples to apple pie. It doesn't make sense to compare a top extras policy with coverage for hearing aids and braces against a policy designed only for dental. So we've separated all the extras policies on the market into pools and categories. Once in their pools and categories, each product gets a price score and a features score, which are then combined to give the Final Score.
"No one plans for an emergency hospital visit when on a family holiday. When my back went into violent spasms while in regional Victoria, we had no choice but to call an ambulance. It was less than a 5-minute ride to the nearest hospital. I was left stunned when, a month later, a bill for more than $1,800 arrived in my letterbox. Who has that kind of cash lying about? Thankfully, I had private health insurance and it was fully covered. I didn't have to pay a dollar."
Family ambulance cover
There are a few ways you can get family ambulance cover. Here's a brief breakdown for each state.
| State | Ways to get ambulance cover |
|---|---|
| Family ambulance cover NSW | If you want cover for the family, you'll need to get family hospital or extras coverage. In NSW, emergency ambulance service is included with hospital policies. |
| Family ambulance cover VIC | A 1-year family membership with Ambulance Victoria is $106.73. Cover is also available with extras cover for families. |
| Family ambulance QLD | Free to all residents. |
| Family ambulance SA | It's $198 and $233.75 to include interstate travel for SA Ambulance Cover. Alternatively, you can buy ambulance cover through private health insurance. |
| Family ambulance WA | Ambulance cover is available with St John Ambulance south of the 26th parallel for $107 and north of the 26th parallel for $141. It's also available with private health insurance extras cover. |
| Family ambulance TAS | Free to all residents. |
| Family ambulance ACT | You will need private health insurance that covers your family. |
| Family ambulance NT | A St John Ambulance cover NT subscription is available for $175 per year. You can also get family cover with a private health fund. |
Prices checked May 2025
What's the cheapest way to get ambulance cover?
Standalone ambulance cover is generally the cheapest way to get covered. However, it's not necessarily the best value for money. For instance, a standalone ambulance cover policy is likely to cost you between $65 and $110 a year depending on the state you live in but this covers you for emergency ambulances only. You can get the same service with extras cover for around $208, but you'll also get routine dental, physiotherapy, chiropractic cover and more included.
How do waiting periods work for ambulance cover?
In some cases, there's a 1 day waiting period. In other, you won't have to serve a waiting period for emergency ambulance services at all.
Waiting periods generally only apply to in hospital or extras treatments that you can anticipate needing – for example, a hip replacement. You may have to serve a 1- or 2-month waiting period for non-emergency ambulance services. This is to ensure you access cover only when you need it.
Call-out fee vs transport fee — what's the difference?
Most states charge two separate components when you use an ambulance:
- Call-out fee (or 'attendance fee'): charged just for the ambulance attending, even if you're not transported
- Transport fee: charged per kilometre or as a flat fee for the trip to hospital
This means you can be billed even if you ultimately decide not to go to hospital — as long as the ambulance crew attended. It's a common source of confusion, and worth understanding before you need it.
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I would like to just get basic ambulance nsw cover without having to join a health fund is this possible
Hi Sher,
Thank you for leaving a question.
Yes, you may be able to just get ambulance cover for NSW. You have to purchase ambulance cover insurance from a private health fund or a subscription through the state ambulance service. You may check the page we are on for a comparison of ambulance cover. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Reggie
Hi,just making an enquiry for my in laws. They are aged pensioners in south Australia. They do a lot of caravanning in Aust. Would they b covered Aust wide just on their pension and health care cards. Cheers
Hi Leigh,
Thank you for contacting Finder.
While a pension is more on providing financial aid and not health insurance cover, health care cards usually cover free or subsidised treatment by doctors and less fee for services and procedures.
We suggest reviewing the option of having an insurance for their caravan .
If you want to explore other options as well such as getting a domestic travel insurance, simply enter your travel details on our travel insurance search form. This will allow you to compare quote from different insurers.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Loraine
hi i want to take out ambulance only cover
Hi Sandy,
Thank you for your inquiry.
You may check out the policies that include it in a hospital plan or extras plan by entering your preferences and submitting the form above.
Should you want to check out Ambulance Only policy, you may need to reach out to the insurers directly to see what they can offer you.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Maria
I am on an aged pension which entitles me to free ambulance in nsw. How do I go if travelling interstate and incur costs in relation to ambulance services. Would I be covered as a pensioner of nsw or would I need to take out private cover.
Hi Daryl,
Thank you for your question.
According to Ambulance Services of New South Wales, cover for concession card holders is provided for emergency ambulance services for all other States/Territories.
You should contact the Health Ambulance Service of NSW directly for clarification and if you have any further questions.
All the best,
Zubair