Urgent Ambulance cover

The cost depends on where you live in Australia. In the Perth metro area, an urgent ambulance by road will cost $1,133 (as at Aug 2024) but this isn't the story in all states.

Some states fully subsidise the cost of ambulance services for everyone, while other states only cover holders of specific concession cards. To find out how it works in your state, check out the government's guide.

It's important to remember that Medicare does not cover urgent ambulance and other emergency transport, so without the right type of ambulance insurance, in most situations you will need to cover the full cost out of your own pocket.

HBF Urgent Ambulance insurance covers the cost of any emergency or urgent ambulance transport by road.

There is a 7-day waiting period before you can claim on HBF Urgent Ambulance.

'Urgent' and 'non-urgent' are two terms used to indicate how quickly you need an ambulance.

When you call for an ambulance, the operator will use the information you provide to figure out how fast the ambulance needs to get to you. Based on this information, you will be assigned as priority 1 (emergency call), priority 2 (urgent call) or priority 3 (non-urgent call).

HBF Urgent Ambulance will cover you for emergency and urgent ambulance transport by road. It will not cover non-urgent ambulance services, or ambulance transfers between your home and hospital.

That's where HBF Ambulance Care steps in — it covers non-urgent ambulance services, as well as transfers.

Yes. No matter where you are in Australia, HBF will fully cover the cost of any on-site emergency ambulance treatment and medically necessary ambulance transport by road to a hospital emergency department where provided by an approved HBF provider.

HBF Urgent Ambulance insurance covers ambulance transport by road or on-site treatment, for circumstances classified as emergency or urgent by an approved HBF provider. The ambulance provider is responsible for determining whether or not your incident is classified as urgent, emergency or non-urgent.

The most common urgent ambulance service is a call-out that requires a trip to a hospital emergency department. Emergency or urgent treatment performed by paramedics at the scene, such as resuscitation, are also considered an urgent ambulance service.

The following are not included under HBF Urgent Ambulance insurance:

• Situations where the service is not classified as emergency or urgent and you are not transported to, and received by, an emergency department, including transport to medical appointments.
• Any transport not by road, including air ambulance services.
• Situations where the benefit or cost is subsidised by a state scheme or is payable by a third party, including inter-hospital transfers.
• Any transport between public hospitals.