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Pacemaker surgery

Get an overview of the out-of-pocket costs associated with your procedure so you know what to expect.

What is a pacemaker?1

A pacemaker is a small electronic device that’s placed under the skin on your chest, most frequently to treat an irregular heartbeat.

How much does pacemaker surgery cost?

Our out-of-pocket calculator will provide you with a clear understanding of the typical costs associated with this common hospital procedure.

It’s important to understand how getting your procedure in a public or private hospital differs.

The comparisons below are for planned procedures only, and exclude emergency surgery performed in conjunction with an emergency department admission.

QuestionPublic system 
(Without health insurance)
Private system 
(With health insurance)
Will I avoid public hospital waiting lists?

No.

Yes.

Will I be able to choose my hospital?

No.

Yes.

Will I be able to choose my doctor or surgeon?

No.

Yes.

Will I have out-of-pocket costs?

No.

Yes.

In a public hospital, pacemaker surgery is covered by Medicare for eligible residents.

Once you are discharged from hospital, you may still need to pay out-of-pocket for things like medicines and physiotherapy.

In a private hospital, private health insurance can cover some costs of pacemaker surgery. You may have an out-of-pocket cost if you use private hospital cover when you get treatment.

You can minimise some of these costs by choosing a hospital and specialist that have agreements with your health insurer. If you have an excess on your cover, you will have to pay for that out of pocket.

Hospital excess is the amount of money you contribute upfront (out of your own pocket) before you can claim a benefit on hospital treatment. With HBF hospital cover, you choose a set excess option when you first get hospital cover, but you can change your excess at any time.

With HBF, you only pay hospital excess once per person, per calendar year (to a maximum of twice on a family policy) when you’re admitted to hospital.

Are you an HBF member? You can check your excess in myHBF or the HBF App. This is the set amount you’ll pay when you’re admitted.

A hospital out-of-pocket cost is the portion of a hospital bill that you pay from your own pocket for which you won’t be reimbursed – by either health insurance or Medicare.

If you want private health insurance cover for pacemaker surgery, look for HBF hospital cover (not extras cover) that includes a category called ‘Heart and vascular system’.

You need to hold hospital cover that includes Heart and vascular system for two months before you can claim for pacemaker surgery (or 12 months if you need pacemaker surgery due to a pre-existing condition such as coronary heart disease).

Find hospital cover for pacemaker surgery

Ask your GP for an open referral

Your GP is the one who’ll most likely refer you to a specialist – but they may not recommend the specialist you’d want to perform your surgery. Asking for an open referral can let you:

Holding a pacemaker

What heart conditions require a pacemaker?1

A permanent pacemaker may be recommended if you have:

A temporary pacemaker may be recommended while your heart recovers from a heart attack, heart surgery or drug overdose.

This is a heart procedure, which can be connected to serious heart health issues like blocked coronary arteries and heart attacks. If you experience sudden chest pain, go to your nearest emergency department or call triple zero (000) immediately and ask for an ambulance.

Pacemaker x ray

How does pacemaker surgery work?3

Pacemaker surgery is performed in hospital and usually takes 30-60 minutes.

Grand parent sitting with child

Recovering from pacemaker surgery3

You should be able to go home the same or the next day.

You should avoid contact sports like football, and you’ll get instructions about being careful with some electrical equipment and medical procedures.

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Further reading

Doctor with notebook
Understand your hospital cover and reduce stress during your stay with our simple hospital guide.
Learn more
Woman having a cup of tea with laptop
Already an HBF member? See what you’re covered for and manage your cover by logging into myHBF.
Learn more
Man looking at xray
Learn about other common hospital procedures, their costs and what recovery might look like.
Learn more

1 Health Direct - Pacemaker (2020)

2 Health Direct - Arrhythmias (2022)

3 Heart Foundation - Permanent Pacemaker (2021)