Almost a third of Australians believe ambulances are free under Medicare, new research finds

NEW research has found that almost six million Australians are confused by this ambulance loophole.

IF YOU didn’t know ambulances weren’t free in Australia, don’t worry — you’re not alone.

New research from Finder has found that almost a third of Australians wrongly believe ambulances are totally covered by Medicare.

The findings, which came from a survey of 2085 Australians, found that 30 per cent believe ambulance costs are subsided wholly by the government.

In reality, getting an ambulance can be a costly experience if you don’t have a concession or health card.

In Australia, the cost of calling an ambulance without one of these cards differs by state.

In Queensland and Tasmania, ambulances are subsidised in full by their state governments — although these don’t fall under Medicare.

But other states they can be surprisingly costly.

In rural Victoria, it costs $1776 to call an ambulance for an emergency — and $1204 for non-rural parts. In Western Australia it costs $967.

South Australia, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Canberra charge both a call-out fee and a per-kilometre rate.

In South Australia it’s $976 for an emergency, then $5.60 per kilometre.

In the Northern Territory, it’s $790 for a call-out, then $5.10 per kilometre.

NSW & ACT are notably cheaper — at $372 for an emergency, plus $3.35 per kilometre.

In NSW, residents who use emergency ambulance services are charged 51 per cent of the actual cost and receive a State Government subsidy of 49 per cent for the remainder.

“This research shows that many Australians think that, like other essential medical expenses, the cost of using ambulance transport is covered by Medicare. Unfortunately, this isn’t true,” said Finder Health Insurance Expert Bessie Hassan.

“Most insurance providers will offer a form of Ambulance cover but much like differences between the states, this can vary significantly between insurers.

“If you aren’t sure whether you are covered by your private health policy, it is usually listed under extras or sometimes as a stand-alone policy. It might also specify whether it is for emergency only or all ambulance use.”

The research also found it was mostly younger generations who were confused by the costs, with 47 per cent of Gen Z and a third of Gen Y believing it was free under Medicare.

Of the states who had to pay, people in New South Wales and Victoria were most confused about the costs.

Originally published as Almost a third of Australians believe ambulances are free under Medicare, new research finds