Yes! All Phoenix Health policies provide benefits for Ambulance cover – what you’re covered for will depend on the level of cover you hold…
- Hospital Cover: All Phoenix Health Hospital covers provide unlimited benefits for all medically necessary emergency and non-emergency ambulance treatment and transport across Australia – road, sea and air.
- Extras Only Cover: Some Extras only covers provide partial cover for Ambulance. If you have Extras only cover, check your individual product information statement for benefits are available to you, as some covers have limited benefits available.
Medically necessary means:
- medical treatment by Ambulance and paramedics on-site; or
- Ambulance transport to the closest hospital or emergency department that’s required for medical reasons (not just for convenience) where no other form of transportation would be safe for the patient due to their medical condition or accident.
Yes – Ambulance cover has a 1 day waiting period.
- Emergency Ambulance is treatment or transport generally in response to a life-threatening or urgent medical situation.
- Non-emergency Ambulance is generally in response to patients who are medically stable but require assistance or monitoring during treatment or transport.
Whether an Ambulance service is considered an emergency or a non-emergency is decided by the Ambulance provider at the scene.
Yes… Phoenix Health Ambulance benefits will cover you Australia wide, by road and air.
Thinking of going on a cruise? Once you cruise more than 20km offshore, private health insurance and Medicare benefits no longer apply. We recommend you take out travel insurance to cover any medical and ambulance expenses while cruising and travelling overseas.
Medicare does not pay benefits towards Ambulance treatments or transports. The amount you’ll be charged depends on the state you live in. Here’s how Ambulance works around Australia…
- New South Wales
- Average cost: $464 call-out fee, plus $4.18 per kilometre travelled.
- The NSW Government subsidise 51% of the cost of Ambulances services, meaning residents who don’t hold private health insurance that has Ambulance benefits, are responsible for the remaining 49% of the cost.
- Victoria
- Average cost: over $1300 per service in the city.
- If you don’t have an Ambulance VIC membership, or private health insurance that covers Ambulance, it will be your responsibility to cover the full cost.
- Queensland
- Cost covered by the QLD state government for all permanent residents of QLD.
- South Australia
- Average cost: $1100 for an emergency and $260 for a non-emergency.
- If you don’t have an SA Ambulance membership, or private health insurance that covers Ambulance, it will be your responsibility to cover the full cost.
- Western Australia
- Average cost: $1100 for an emergency priority one service.
- If you don’t have a St John WA membership or private health insurance that covers Ambulance, it will be your responsibility to cover the full cost.
- Tasmania
- Cost covered by the TAS state government for all permanent residents of TAS.
- ACT
- Average cost: $1100 for Ambulance transport and $767 for an emergency ambulance treatment – no transport.
- If you don’t have an ACT Ambulance membership, or private health insurance that covers Ambulance, it will be your responsibility to cover the full cost.
Most states provide discounts to concession card holders – but this varies state to state. You should contact your local Ambulance provider for more information.
- If you give your Phoenix Health details to the Paramedics when they’re assessing you, often the Ambulance account will come directly to us, so there’s nothing you need to do.
- If you receive an ambulance account in the mail after your treatment, the quickest and easiest way to claim is to submit a photo claim through your Online Member Services portal, or on the Phoenix Health App. Alternatively, you can send it into us with a Phoenix Health Claim Form and we’ll pay the ambulance provider directly on your behalf.
Please note: If you have a State Ambulance subscription or can claim your Ambulance service through a third party (for example if you need an Ambulance after a car accident and can claim it through your car insurance), you will need to claim through these first.