nib Ambulance Cover

As the cost of ambulance services in Australia isn’t covered by Medicare¹, you may have to pay a fee² if you need to be transported or treated by ambulance, and you don’t have private health insurance. 

Although this fee depends on which State you live in (with some State governments covering the amount²), it can be costly—in fact, nib found the average emergency ambulance claim amount for their customers for the 2022 financial year was a hefty $972³.  

Having ambulance cover included as part of your Private Health Insurance means you may avoid the fees involved, if you find yourself needing emergency ambulance services. 

Who is nib?

nib is one of Australia’s fastest-growing health insurers, providing a range of private health insurance solutions to over 1.5 million Australian and New Zealand residents⁴. 

In addition, nib provides private health insurance to more than 180,000 international students and workers in Australia, as well as cover for Aussie travellers overseas⁴. 

What ambulance cover options does nib offer?

nib provides emergency ambulance cover⁵ across all its Hospital cover options⁶, as well as all its Extras cover options.⁷ 

This means if you choose nib Hospital cover (whether as a single, couple, family, single parent family, or overseas student/visitor/worker), you’ll have emergency ambulance cover within Australia included in your policy. This applies to the following  nib Hospital cover options available through iSelect⁶: 

• Basic Essential Hospital Plus 
• Bronze Hospital 
• Bronze Hospital Plus 
• Silver Hospital 
• Silver Advantage Hospital Plus

Similarly, if you opt for any one of nib’s Extras options (with or without Hospital cover), emergency ambulance cover will be included as part of your policy⁷. This applies to all of nib’s Extras cover options, including but not limited to the following which are available through iSelect⁸: 

• Core Extras 
• Dental Boost 
• Core and Wellbeing Extras 
• Top Extras  

Keep in mind that if you’re a resident of Queensland or Tasmania, then you won’t be covered for ambulance services under these policies. This is because the ambulance services in these states are provided by a State Ambulance Scheme⁵. 

What am I covered for with nib ambulance cover?

When you take out Hospital or Extras cover with nib, emergency ambulance cover will be included in your policy, regardless of which level of cover you choose. 

This means if you need immediate medical attention and can’t be transported in another way due to your condition, you’ll be covered for⁹: 

• Emergency ambulance transport to hospital, provided by a State or Territory Ambulance Service paid at 100% of the cost (with no hospital excess applicable for this service if your ambulance cover is part of a nib Extras cover option¹⁰)
• Emergency ambulance call-out fees (when you receive treatment at the scene but don’t need to be transported to hospital)
• Transport between hospitals when the transfer occurs due to the original hospital not specialising in the required treatment 

What isn’t covered by nib ambulance cover?

The following are not covered by nib ambulance cover¹¹: 

• QLD residents who have ambulance services provided by their State ambulance schemes
• TAS residents who are covered under state ambulance schemes in TAS and when travelling in mainland Australia except SA or QLD 
• Pension and health care card holders who have ambulance services provided by their State ambulance scheme

Ambulance transportation not described by the provider as an ‘Emergency’.

What is the waiting period for nib ambulance cover?

The waiting period for nib ambulance cover is 1 day, so you can use your cover almost immediately⁵.

Can I get nib ambulance cover where I live?

If you live in the following states or territories, you might be able to get unlimited emergency ambulance cover with nib¹¹:

How do I make a claim for my ambulance costs with nib?

We’ve got good news for you—in most cases, your ambulance bill will automatically get paid by nib. However, even if you end up receiving a bill, you’ll only need to make a claim for nib to cover the costs. You can do this by: 

• Logging into your nib member account
• Using the nib app to make a claim

To make a claim, you’ll also need to upload the receipt for your ambulance service. If you end up paying the bill, you can also contact NIB on their phone line and they’ll reimburse you⁵. However, this won’t apply if you’re a resident of Queensland or Tasmania, since you’re already covered by a State Ambulance Scheme. 

Do I need ambulance cover? 

Unless you live in Queensland or Tasmania (where the cost of ambulance services is covered by the State government), or are exempt from paying ambulance fees in your State, you could benefit from taking out ambulance cover - as this means you won’t have to pay the cost of emergency ambulance services. 

For example, residents of Victoria may have to pay over $1,358 for emergency road transport and even more for air transport¹²—so nib ambulance cover in Victoria could prove to be a valuable investment. 

How do I take out nib private health insurance?

If you’d like to find out more about purchasing private health insurance - including ambulance cover with nib, call the iSelect team now on 1800 784 772. We can help you compare policies from our range , and help you choose the cover that’s suited for your needs*. 

^{Sources:
1 PrivateHealth.gov.au - What is covered by Medicare? 
2 PrivateHealth.gov.au - Ambulance 
3 nib - How much does it cost to call an ambulance? 
4 nib - About nib 
5 nib - Emergency ambulance claiming 
6 nib - Hospital Cover 
7 nib - What Extras Benefits do I get with nib? 
8 nib - Extras Cover 
9 nib - Policy Booklet (Page 35) 
10 nib - Ambulance 
11 nib - Emergency ambulance claiming 
12 Victoria State Government | Department of Health - Ambulance Fees}