New South Wales (NSW) will no longer charge residents for ambulance fees if they have COVID-19.
People who call an ambulance in NSW usually have to pay an emergency ambulance call-out fee of $401, plus an additional $3.67 for every kilometre travelled, with a maximum charge of $6,668. However, the state introduced a new bill that exempts ambulance fees for COVID-19-positive NSW residents, highlighting ambulance fee issues across the country.
A Finder survey found that nearly one in three (30%, equivalent to 5.7 million) Australians wrongly believe ambulances are free under Medicare. In comparison, one in ten (8%) have taken public transport because they didn't want to pay for an ambulance.
Unless you're a concession cardholder, the only way to avoid paying an ambulance call-out fee (unless you live in Queensland or Tasmania, where the state government picks up the cost of emergency ambulances) is through private health insurance, which is available with most basic hospital or extras insurance policies.
As of writing, Finder did not find any confirmed details of any other state's position on ambulance fee waivers for people who contracted COVID-19. In most states, people still have to pay out-of-pocket for ambulance services or ensure that they have private health insurance, such as Ambulance-only cover.
Ambulance-only cover usually costs around $3 a month, and residents can purchase the product with extras cover that includes other treatments like dental and physiotherapy, according to Finder.
Finder recommended the following health funds that offer ambulance cover, with prices based on a single individual living in Sydney (as of August 2021):
Meanwhile, the insurance providers with ambulance cover that includes extras insurance are:
