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The table below lists some affordable policies from Finder partners that include ambulance. All prices are based on a single individual with less than $90,000 income and living in Sydney.
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.
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. Check the product disclosure statement (PDS) of your policy to make sure you're covered for what's important to you.
Ambulance services aren't covered by Medicare, and Queensland and Tasmania are the only two 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 Tassie or Queensland to be covered - non-residents aren't eligible. Some states (other than TAS and QLD) do offer free ambulance services for some groups, like pensioners or DVA gold-card holders.
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 both for St John ambulance services in the NT, but also for ambulance fees across the country.
No, Medicare does not cover ambulance services - it's a common misconception among Australians. Unless you are a resident of Queensland or Tasmania or have private health insurance, you could be facing big ambulance call-out costs. Read on to find out more about the costs in your state and how you can get ambulance cover.
Nearly one in three Australians wrongly believe ambulances are free under Medicare 30% – the equivalent of 5.7 million people– think that ambulance costs are wholly subsidised by the government. One in ten (8%) have caught public transport because they didn't want to pay for an ambulance.
Residents of New South Wales are charged 51% of the total emergency ambulance service charge, with the government covering the rest. From July 2020, New South Wales residents will have to pay an emergency ambulance call-out fee of $401 plus an additional $3.62 for every kilometre travelled.
Thanks to the Ambulance NSW levy scheme, if you have hospital cover, you're automatically covered for emergency transportation within New South Wales. If you don't have hospital cover, you may need to purchase ambulance cover (either as a standalone policy or as part of an extras policy) from a private health fund. Pensioner and concession cardholders can access most ambulance services for free, as can students covered by a school or group contribution. Those eligible for free ambulance services include people who hold a:
| Service | Call Out Fee | Cost per km | Max charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road ambulance emergency | $407 | $3.67 | $6,668 |
| Road ambulance non-emergency | $320 | $1.98 | $6,668 |
| Fixed wing emergency | $407 | $3.67 | $6,668 |
| For helicopter emergency | $407 | $3.67 | $6,668 |
NSW Government: NSW Ambulance – Accounts & Fees. August 2021.
If you live in the Sunshine State, the Queensland Government covers the cost of emergency ambulance services not only in Queensland but also right around the country. In order to be covered under the Community Ambulance Cover scheme, you'll need to be able to demonstrate that your principal place of residence is in Queensland.
| QLD |
|---|
| The cost of ambulance services for Queensland residents is covered by the state government. |
The ACT Ambulance Service doesn't offer ambulance-only cover so you'll need private health insurance or ambulance-only cover if you want to avoid the fees outlined below. Residents who hold a Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card are entitled to free emergency ambulance services within the ACT. When travelling interstate though, there is no cover available if you're travelling in Queensland, South Australia or Western Australia.
| Service | Call out fee | Cost per km outside the ACT |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency ambulance service (treatment and transport) | $1,000 | $14 |
| Emergency ambulance service (treatment but no transport) | $693 | N/A |
| Non-emergency ambulance service by an Ambulance Paramedic or an Intensive Care Paramedic | $714 | $14 |
| Non-emergency ambulance service (treatment and transport) by Patient Transport Service resource | $257 | $5.40 |
ACT government ambulance service fees. August 2021.
Victorians can purchase ambulance cover through membership with Ambulance Victoria which provides a 1-year membership for $48.35. If you hold a concession card, you can get clinically necessary ambulance cover for free. Otherwise, you have the option of taking out ambulance cover through your private health fund.
| Service | Call out fee |
|---|---|
| Emergency Road - Metropolitan | $1,265 |
| Emergency Road - Regional and Rural | $1,866 |
| Non Emergency Stretcher - Metropolitan | $341 |
| Non Emergency Stretcher - Regional and Rural | $577 |
| Treatment without transport | $546 |
Ambulance Victoria fee schedule 2020-21. August 2021.
Residents of Tasmania are eligible for free ambulance services within the state, paid for by the state government. However, this doesn't cover you anywhere else in the country. If you live in Tassie but want coverage for ambulance services in another states, you'll need to take out a private health insurance policy that covers ambulance.
South Australian residents can purchase a subscription with the South Australian Ambulance Service. Prices start at $88.50 for one person. You can also get Australia-wide (interstate) ambulance cover for $104.60. Otherwise, you could be looking at $1,064 for an emergency call-out fee. There are pension rates available for holders of an SA Pension concession card. The rate starts at $53.50 for a single pensioner.
Alternatively, a health insurance policy that includes ambulance services may be better value for money as you can also get covered for other medical treatment, not just ambulance services.
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Emergency call out | $1,064 |
| Non-Emergency call out | $237 |
| Treat no Transport (flat rate) | $237 |
| Plus kilometre charges | $6.10 |
SAAS Transport Fees 1 July 2021 – 30 June 2022. August 2021.
Western Australian residents who want cover for ambulance services need to purchase health insurance that includes ambulance cover. Western Australian residents who are over the age of 65 and are receiving an Australian government pension are entitled to free ambulance services. This includes emergency ambulance services and medically necessary non-urgent ambulance services. If you're over 65 but you don't receive a government pension, you are still entitled to 50% off the cost of ambulance services.
Country Ambulance Cover is available with St John Ambulance Cover WA. Prices start at $57 for a single person if you live south of the 26th parallel and $75 for those north of the 26th parallel. In Perth, St John Ambulance operates a "user pays" system, so you need private health insurance if you don't want to pay for ambulance services.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Life threatening | $1,006 |
| Urgent | $1,006 |
| Non-urgent | $541 |
| Patient Transfer Vehicle | $494 |
St John Ambulance WA transport charges. August 2021.
St John operates ambulance services in the Northern Territory, but the cost is not covered by the territory government. In order to be covered, you're either going to need a subscription to St John, or you'll need private ambulance insurance.
There are a few ways you can get family ambulance cover. Here's a brief breakdown of each state.
| States | 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 quarterly membership for the family is $24.18 and $96.70 for 1 year with Ambulance Victoria. Cover is also available with extras cover for families. |
| Family ambulance QLD | Free to all residents. |
| Family ambulance SA | It's $176, and $208 to include interstate travel for SA Ambulance Cover. You can also get non-emergency cover for $47 a year. 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 $95 and $125 north of the 26th parallel. 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 $130 per year. You can also get family cover with a private health fund. |
Prices checked January 2021
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 $50 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 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.
When shopping around for ambulance cover, look for a policy that includes the following:
You most likely won't have to serve a waiting period to be covered for emergency ambulance services and on-the-spot treatment with either hospital, extras or a standalone ambulance-only cover or subscription. This is because waiting periods generally only apply to treatments that you can anticipate needing, but you're only eligible for emergency transport to hospital because of sudden or unexpected events, hence you don't usually have a waiting period of more than one day.
However, you will likely have to serve around a 1- or 2-month waiting period for non-emergency ambulance services. This is simply to prevent you from getting cover only when you need it.
The table below outlines typical waiting periods for emergency and non-emergency ambulance transportation.
| Waiting periods | |
|---|---|
| Emergency ambulance transportation and on-the-spot treatment | No waiting period or a maximum of 1 day |
| Non-emergency ambulance transport | 1-2 months |
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. Click the dropdown below for a breakdown of some of your other choices (or lack thereof) in each state.
St John Ambulance services operate in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. If you sign up to a membership with St John Ambulance services in the Northern Territory, subscribers are covered Australia-wide and entitled to free emergency transport in any state or territory in Australia. For Western Australians, interstate coverage is restricted to services in other states that have a reciprocal arrangement with St John Ambulance Western Australia.
If you don't have ambulance cover, an emergency ride could cost you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
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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