Ambulance Cover In Australia*
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Ambulance cover can seem a little confusing, but it’s well worth getting right.
There were 4.2 million ambulance call outs in Australia across 2020-21, showing just how many people rely on our emergency services1.
Ambulance cover is treated differently in almost every state.
Separate ambulance cover in Victoria could cost around $50 for a single person, and $100 per year for a family2. Depending on what level of Ambulance coverage you need, you could save money by including ambulance cover within your health insurance...
In an emergency, calling 000 and the resulting trip to hospital are traumatic enough, but imagine receiving a bill afterward. This is where ambulance cover comes into play, often covering expenses like hospital transport and being treated by paramedics. When sickness or injury strikes, our Australian emergency services have your back, but in the heat of the moment, you don’t want to have to worry about the potential bills that could follow calling for help.
Ambulance cover helps reduce the stress of the whole ordeal, helping to cover any large bills left when the dust settles. The cost of an emergency road transport in Victoria can be over $1,3003, while membership in states like Victoria, can cost as little as $49.94 annually for a single person2.
One of the most important things to remember about Ambulance services is that they’re not covered by Medicare. This includes both emergency transport and other ambulance services which you may need.
The main benefit of having Ambulance Cover is that it insures you against the costs of ambulance services. For example, emergency road transport by ambulance in New South Wales can cost you at least $4154.
How a private health insurance policy treats Ambulance Cover differs with each provider. For example, some funds and policies provide cover for all ambulance travel, whereas others may only cover the costs of emergency transport to the nearest hospital, ground travel, or include other limitations.
An example of a limitation is where your policy only covers you for emergency transport to your nearest hospital. After initial diagnosis of your injuries, you may choose to be transferred to another hospital. As this is not emergency transport, some health insurance policies might not cover you for it.
Another example of a limitation is when a policy doesn’t cover ‘call out’ fees or ‘on the spot treatment’. These are when an ambulance treats you at the scene but doesn’t transport you to hospital. For this reason it’s important to get clear on the details of your Ambulance Cover within your health insurance policy.
As mentioned earlier, depending on which state you live in, you may not have 100% Australia-wide ambulance cover, or you may not have ambulance cover at all.
In Queensland and Tasmania, Ambulance Cover is covered by the state Government—but only if you’re a resident. Therefore, if you live in VIC, NSW, SA, NT, ACT, or WA, you’ll need to purchase Ambulance Insurance either through a private health fund, or through a state ambulance service.
Whether you qualify for a discount, and whether or not you need cover at all depends on the state you live in. Therefore, it’s important to remember that in many cases Ambulance Cover only applies while you’re in your home state, and may not apply if you’re interstate. You’ll need to review the individual aspects of your policy to better understand how your cover is affected by interstate travel.
In very specific cases, yes.
Most ambulance services cover particular areas. These areas are called ‘operational boundaries’ and may include suburbs outside of their home state or territory.
For instance, Ambulance Victoria operates within certain areas of New South Wales and South Australia, such as Albury, Frances and Mount Gambier4. The SA Ambulance might also operate within certain areas of Victoria, but this is ultimately at their discretion5.
If you’re thinking of getting an ambulance membership for a different state or territory, it’s important that you speak with that state or territory’s ambulance service first to ensure that they will cover you—especially if any emergency trips are likely to take you interstate. Or, if you get ambulance cover on a health insurance policy, it might be worth speaking to the provider to check which state or territory’s ambulance services they’ll cover.
When selecting a policy with ambulance cover, there are a number of things you might want to keep in mind. These can include:
Like we discussed earlier, ambulance costs can vary from state to state. The table below breaks down the various costs of emergency transport. This gives you an idea of what you could pay if you’re not covered, and you require emergency ambulances services. It’s important to remember that the figures below are the base costs for getting an ambulance and you could be charged a lot more. For example, in NSW the call out fee for an emergency is $415 but the maximum you could be charged for an ambulance transportation is $6,7976.
State |
Emergency Transport |
Charge Per KM |
ACT7 |
$1,032 |
+$14/km for every km travelled outside the ACT |
NSW6 |
$415 |
+$3.74 variable rate p/km |
QLD8 |
Free |
N/A |
VIC2 |
$1,306 (metro) and $1,927 (for regional) |
N/A |
SA9 |
$1,085 |
+$6.20 p/km |
WA10 |
$1,072 (for urgent or life-threatening services) |
N/A |
TAS11 |
Waived (in most cases) |
N/A |
NT12 |
$815 |
+$5.25 p/km after the first 10 kms |
Disclaimer: All above information has been sourced from Australian state ambulance authority websites. All figures are accurate as of 7/03/2023, except for the Northern Territory’s figures which are accurate as of 27/02/2022.
Each state offers different Ambulance Cover concessions. For instance, pensioner concession card holders are often granted free ambulance cover. Additionally, residents in Queensland and Tasmania have state-funded Ambulance Cover. Take a look at the table below to view the arrangements for your state.
State |
Concession Ambulance Cover Arrangements |
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)7 | Most Health Care Concession Card and Pensioner Concession Card holders are entitled to free emergency ambulance services within the ACT. However, if you’re not eligible for a concession and you’d like Ambulance Cover, you can purchase it from a private health fund, or through the state ambulance service. |
New South Wales (NSW)13 | Some free ambulance transport services are available to Health Care Concession Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, Gold Card and White Card holders. However, if you’re not eligible for a concession and you’d like Ambulance Cover, you can purchase it from a private health fund, or through the state ambulance service. |
Northern Territory (NT)14 | If you hold a NT Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card, you’re entitled to free ambulance transport services within the Northern Territory. However, if you’re not eligible for a concession and you’d like Ambulance Cover, you can purchase it from a private health fund, or through the state ambulance service. |
Queensland (QLD)8 | Queensland residents aren’t charged for ambulance services. The state government covers these costs. |
South Australia (SA)9 | If you’d like Ambulance Cover, you can purchase it as part of your health insurance policy, or through the state ambulance service. If you hold a valid SA Pension Concession card at the time of the ambulance service, you may be eligible for concession of the gazetted fees. |
Tasmania (TAS)11 | Tasmanians aren’t charged for ambulance services, which are covered by the state government. Additionally, as a Tasmanian your ambulance costs are also covered in other states with the exception of NSW, SA, and QLD |
Victoria (VIC)15 | If you’re a Pensioner Concession Card and Healthcare Card holder, then you’re entitled to free clinically necessary ambulance services in Victoria. However, if you’re not eligible for a concession and you’d like Ambulance Cover, you can purchase a health insurance policy that includes ambulance cover, or through the state ambulance service. |
Western Australia (WA)16 | Western Australians who are over 65 and receive a pension are eligible for free ambulance services. Western Australians over 65 who do not receive a pension can still get a 50% discount off the cost of their ambulance services. If you’re not eligible for these discounts and you’d like Ambulance Cover, you can purchase a health insurance policy which includes ambulance cover, or through the state ambulance service. |
All Of Australia17 | If you hold a Veterans Gold Card or a Veterans White Card, you might be eligible for free emergency state ambulance services—as well as some non-emergency services. |
If you’re thinking of purchasing a health insurance policy which includes some ambulance coverage, feel free to give us a call on 1800 784 772 or start your comparison online. We’d be happy to walk you through options available from our range of policies and providers*