Health Insurance Ambulance Cover

The cost of transport to hospital via ambulance isn’t covered by Medicare, so if you have an unexpected need for urgent hospital treatment, the ambulance ride can end up costing thousands of dollars. However, the cost and cover you have access to will depend on which state you live in, as it works differently across different parts of Australia. This is where private health insurance can help with the cost of your ambulance transport.

You can compare your options for ambulance cover here through Savvy. You’ll be able to consider online ambulance cover quotes side-by-side here through Savvy today. Start the process with us today to find out what cover you may need to help you be prepared for any unexpected ambulance trips.

What is ambulance cover and how does it work?

Most ambulance cover is a form of health insurance that can help pay for the cost of transport to hospital by ambulance. It’s available as a separate form of insurance on its own with some insurers, known as ambulance-only cover, or it can be provided in a package along with hospital cover, extras cover or a combined hospital and extras policy.  Options to take out ambulance cover include:

Private health ambulance cover

Private health insurance policies often include ambulance cover with either hospital cover or extras cover. Be sure to check the exact details of what your policy covers, as some ambulance policies just cover transport to the nearest accident and emergency department, whilst others also include inter-hospital transfers, in case you need to travel from one hospital to another to receive your medical treatment.

Ambulance subscriptions

In some areas, the state or territory-based ambulance service offers direct subscriptions to the public, which cover you for ambulance transport not only in your home state but also nationwide. For instance, St John Ambulance NT is one example of such a region-based service.

State-funded ambulance cover

Some states in Australia provide ambulance cover for all their residents free of charge, both within the state and sometimes nationwide. Other states may offer free transport for pensioners and Centrelink recipients.

Federal funding for veterans’ ambulance transport

All Department of Veterans Affairs Health Card holders are entitled to free ambulance transport, both for emergency transport to hospital and also in many cases to attend non-urgent medical appointments.

What is and isn’t included under ambulance cover?

Ambulance cover can vary in the cover that it offers, so it’s important to compare policies carefully and make sure you understand what the limitations are.

• Some insurers provide cover for all ambulance travel
• Others only provide cover for ground transport (and exclude air evacuations, such as by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Air Ambulance Australia or CareFlight Air Ambulance)
• Some health funds do provide cover for non-urgent transport and transfers to other medical facilities, while others don’t
• Call-out fees (where a patient calls an ambulance, but receives treatment on-site and is not transported to hospital) may be covered by some funds, but not others
• Co-payments may or may not be covered (where a patient is billed for a co-payment for non-urgent transport)

Because the range of cover provided by health funds varies so much, it’s important to compare private health insurance ambulance cover so you understand exactly what coverage you’ve got. You can compare ambulance cover policies side-by-side right here through Savvy.

What are the different rules for ambulance cover around Australia?

The need for ambulance cover varies across the country as each state and territory in Australia has different rules regarding ambulance transport. The rules for each state are as follows:

ACT

Ambulance cover is provided free for:

• Pensioners who hold a Health Care Card
• Concession Health Care Card holders

All other ACT residents need private ambulance health insurance

NSW

Ambulance cover is provided free of charge for:

• Health Care Card holders
• Pensioner Concession Card holders
• Commonwealth Seniors Health Care card holders

All other NSW residents need private ambulance health insurance

NT

Free ambulance transport is provided for the following:

• Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card holders
• Health Care Card holders

All other NT residents need private ambulance health insurance. Subscriptions to the NT St John Ambulance Service are also available.

QLD

All emergency ambulance treatment and transport costs are covered by the state government, so no private ambulance cover is required by Queensland residents. This extends to transport required for Queensland residents in another state or territory.

SA

Subscriptions to the state’s SA Ambulance Service are available, or else private ambulance health insurance is required. There are no concessions for pensioners available.

TAS

The Tasmanian state government provides free ambulance transport within the state for all Tasmanian residents, so no private ambulance cover is required on the island state. However, the state only has reciprocal agreements with the ACT, NT, Victoria and WA.

VIC

Free ambulance transport is provided to the following (in limited circumstances):

• Pensioner Concession Card holders
• Health Care Card holders

However, if the holder of one of these cards is transported from a private hospital or healthcare facility, the cost of that ambulance transport is passed onto the private health provider, who may choose to bill the patient. All other VIC residents need private ambulance health insurance. Subscriptions are available to the state ambulance service, Ambulance Victoria.

WA

Ambulance services are provided to the following free of charge for medically necessary, emergency and urgent ambulance transport:

• Residents who are over 65 years of age and receive an Australian Government pension

All other WA residents need private ambulance health insurance. Subscriptions are available to the state ambulance service, St John WA.