How Much Will My Colonoscopy Cost?

What is a colonoscopy?

A colonoscopy is where a medical team places a camera inside your colon (your large bowel where any unabsorbed food waits for checkout time). Using the camera, they can check on your colon’s condition, including examining any polyps, to diagnose bowel cancer and other conditions. This can all happen as part of a day admission, so no need to pack your PJs. 

You might need a colonoscopy if you’ve had gut-related issues, like abdominal pain, blood in your stools or unexplained weight loss.  

If you have a family history of bowel cancer or had a positive bowel cancer screen test recently, it can also be a good idea to get a colonoscopy. After all, Australia has the dubious honour of having one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. Each week, about 300 people are diagnosed with it and, sadly, about 100 die because of it too.¹Bowel Cancer Australia – Bowel Cancer Facts

‘As a coeliac, I had to have a colonoscopy (and gastroscopy) as part of my diagnosis to rule out a number of other possibilities. To be perfectly frank, colonoscopies aren’t pleasant, but I found that the prep (which clears your bowels ahead of the procedure) was far worse than the colonoscopy itself or the recovery.

In addition to asking your surgeon about the procedure itself and associated costs, I’d recommend asking them which form of bowel preparation you’ll be required to undergo beforehand (there are a few different ones) and any tips to help make it more palatable. For example, it’s a good idea to have a variety of clear liquids on hand.’

Laura Crowden
Managing Editor, iSelect

How much does a colonoscopy cost? 

What you’ll be paying for your colonoscopy can depend on whether you go public or private. In the public system, Medicare takes care of everything so you can focus on your health but you may have to wait longer. The private system may come with out-of-pocket costs, but this can depend on your policy and insurer. 

In 2022–23, only 24% of private colonoscopy patients had an out-of-pocket cost when it came to specialist fees. That cost was typically $180.²Medical Costs Finder – Colonoscopy
These are the amounts patients typically paid for these services, rounded to the nearest dollar. They do not include hospital payments such as excesses, co-payments or other payments. These fees may vary depending on your situation. Not all patients had out-of-pocket costs; those who didn’t aren’t included in these figures. Data retrieved July 2024.

While going the private route can mean out-of-pocket costs, it could still be your preferred way to get a colonoscopy. For instance, it gives you the opportunity to choose your hospital and specialist. You may want to pick someone that you’re already familiar with, such as someone who has treated other family members. Alternatively, you may have other bowel or gastrointestinal conditions that you’d like your specialist to be familiar with. 

When you get seen can also be an important factor for people opting to go private. For starters, you have the freedom to book a time that suits you and your chosen specialist. But this can be about more than avoiding your procedure clashing with your next holiday. From the perspective of catching bowel cancer early, using the private system could be a potential lifesaver.  

As a general rule of thumb, in the public system, urgent referrals — if you have higher-risk symptoms, like a screening test that shows blood in your stool — should be seen within 30 days. Longer wait times, on the other hand, tend to go with poorer clinical outcomes. However, we all know life doesn’t always follow the doctor’s advice. Looking at wait times in 2022, only 13.5% of people aged 50–74 who had a positive screening test were seen in that 30-day window.³Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – National Bowel Cancer Screen Program: Monitoring report 2024, Supplementary tables The median wait time was actually 62 days.⁴As above 

While these statistics are for both the public and private systems, remember that private patients can have more freedom in when they’re seen. Being left in the dark too long has been associated with psychological harm, so being able to pick when they’re seen could help private patients feel more in control of their care, even if they’re choosing a time later than 30 days. 

Are there out-of-pocket costs for a colonoscopy? 

As touched on above, you may need to cover some out-of-pocket colonoscopy costs if you go through your health insurance. This could be to cover the gap on doctor and hospital fees, like theatre costs that neither Medicare nor your insurer covers. 

Depending on your insurance policy, you may need to pay an excess when you’re admitted for your colonoscopy. You can check your policy documents to see what this set amount is, or speak with your insurer. 

As an alternative to an excess, your policy may include a co-payment for each day you’re in hospital. Given colonoscopies generally are a day procedure, you shouldn’t need to pay this more than once.  Some policies even halve or completely waive the excess or co-payment for day stays, so it’s worth double checking what you’ll have to pay. 

Remember, while these out-of-pocket costs can seem less appealing than Medicare’s free option, they can mean you have more control over your experience, from choosing when you’re seen to who your specialist is. 

Will I have to serve any waiting periods for a colonoscopy through private health insurance? 

If you’ve just purchased private health insurance, you’ll need to wait two months before you book in that colonoscopy. That is, unless you’ve already been recommended to get one or have symptoms that suggest you should. When it comes to pre-existing conditions, you’ll need to wait 12 months before your insurer will cover any costs. 

What level of private health insurance do I need to cover a colonoscopy? 

Bronze, silver and gold tier health insurance policies all cover colonoscopies.  

If you’re looking for more than colonoscopy cover, though, you may want to consider your budget and circumstances, including any other health concerns you may have. This could help you pick a tier and policy that will give you more value. 

Where can I find and compare private health insurance? 

Colonoscopies are a vital step in diagnosing bowel cancer early. While the thought of them might leave some people blushing, being proactive about your health is nothing to be ashamed of. 

And you can get proactive about your health right now by looking at private health insurance policies through iSelect. You can compare your health insurance through different insurers online or call one of our health comparison experts on 1800 784 772. Either way, you could set yourself up on a policy that offers you value on colonoscopies and more in just a matter of minutes.