5 ms·

I don't know about Canada but in Australia the person who the ambulance is called for gets charged.

djsumdog 9y ago
How much is an ambulance in Australia? Last time I was there, I saw a protest against the Abbot government (yea it was that long ago) because he wanted to put in a co-pay (yes, Australians don't have co-pays). In the US, with insurance, they're typically like $300.
- philliphaydon 9y ago
  I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but about 8 years ago I got gastro and thought I was dying because I was in so much pain. I was a Kiwi living in Australia l, called myself an ambulance and I don’t have Medicare so figured I had to pay the bill. After being discharged I gave them my passport and the hospital bill was $0 while the ambulance bill was around $950 Aud. When I moved to singapore to live I got appendicitis. I called a taxi and paid $9 to go to the hospital. Too scared to get ambulance now even if it’s covered by insurance.
  - djsumdog 9y ago
    So Aussies and Kiwis can live/work in the other country without visas (instant residence) but whoever drafted that agreement really fucked up. Aussies get instant ACC in NZ but Kiwis don't get Medicare in Australia. I remember there were discussions about it on Radio NZ a few years back. There is a big private health care industry in Australia (for better or worse) that's not employer based (you see adverts on TV), so I'm guessing a lot of Kiwis just get private care in the AU. But I'm wondering how much it costs an actual Australian resident/citizen with medicare. I know as a non-resident, a doctor cost around $70 ~ $80 (went once in Melbourne and once in Sydney) and I saw a real doctor. That's a far cry from America where you pay $200+ to see a Nurse Practitioner (yes, pretty advanced, but still not an MD).
    - philliphaydon 9y ago
      Oh I could get Medicare, but because I was never in the country for 6 consecutive months at a time over the 5 years I lived there (traveling for short holidays) they wouldn't grant for me. Doctor + Prescription in Australia is expensive! Would cost me like ~200 give or take. In Singapore, consultation is like $15 and the medicine is prescribed by the clinic so no need to go to a pharmacy, total is like $50. So I don't even bother seeing my insurance doctor where it costs me like ~$5 total, I just go see my normal doctor cos I trust him. (been to same doctor for 6 years)
    - SyneRyder 9y ago
      > I'm wondering how much it costs an actual Australian resident/citizen with medicare. Here's the costs for St John's Ambulance. It's $949 for a life-threatening or urgent call, $510 for non urgent. It mentions that Medicare doesn't cover the cost, and that the costs will always be incurred by the patient. (I actually thought it was covered by my private health insurance, but apparently not.) http://www.stjohnambulance.com.au/ambulance-and-health-services/metro-ambulance-service/metro-ambulance-fees http://www.stjohnambulance.com.au/ambulance-and-health-servi... Some doctors in Australia bulk-bill, so it's free for me to go to see a doctor whenever I want. Though for a short period when the government changed the billing rules, he started charging $25 per visit, but he's gone back to bulk-billing again.
- KyeRussell 9y ago
  Ambulances are not a nationalised service in Australia. In some States it is State run, in others it is a private company. I live in Western Australia and it's all done by St John's Ambulance. My partner has needed two non-urgent ambulance call-outs (transfer to a public hospital), which were both charged at ~$500. She's on my private 'extras'* insurance policy, and my insurer fully covers an unlimited amount of ambulance transfers ($50 co-pay for non-urgent). I believe this to be a common thing for this type of insurance policy - I'm not on any fancy tier of coverage. HOWEVER: A couple of years ago my significant other had an accident in a public area where she unable to move or call an ambulance. A nearby resident heard her yelling and called the police / ambulance. The paramedics seemingly had the authority to take her away from the police officers who were questioning her. She was taken to the nearest public hospital and was discharged from the ED shortly thereafter. She never received a bill. She's only young and the accident (very apparently) occurred as a result of drug use, so I think that the paramedics operating the ambulance are allowed discretion when deciding whether or not somebody should be charged. * Physio, psychology, dental.etc. (all non-emergency). These services are not (fully) covered by our public health system, so many people opt for private cover. These policies work heavily on annual limits, so it's a bit unfair to call them insurance.
  - mmjaa 9y ago
    Just to give you some context, I'm a West-Australian, living in Austria. I've had to take an ambulance to hospital a number of times. Cost to me: eu0. I've also had to stay in hospital a couple of times, had a couple operations. Cost to me: eu0. Of course, I pay regularly into the Austrian health system with portions of my pay check every month. But there is no suffering beyond that, if I have to have any medical procedures or take the ambulance for an accident.
make3 9y ago
in Canada you get charged only if you get in the ambulance
- 47 9y ago
  Actually that is not true in BC, Canada. According to BC Emergency Health Services [1], It charges a fee of $50 if transportation is not required. $80 if transportation is required. [1] http://www.bcehs.ca/about/billing/fees http://www.bcehs.ca/about/billing/fees

How much is an ambulance in Australia? Last time I was there, I saw a protest against the Abbot government (yea it was that long ago) because he wanted to put in a co-pay (yes, Australians don't have co-pays). In the US, with insurance, they're typically like $300.

philliphaydon 9y ago
I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but about 8 years ago I got gastro and thought I was dying because I was in so much pain. I was a Kiwi living in Australia l, called myself an ambulance and I don’t have Medicare so figured I had to pay the bill. After being discharged I gave them my passport and the hospital bill was $0 while the ambulance bill was around $950 Aud. When I moved to singapore to live I got appendicitis. I called a taxi and paid $9 to go to the hospital. Too scared to get ambulance now even if it’s covered by insurance.
- djsumdog 9y ago
  So Aussies and Kiwis can live/work in the other country without visas (instant residence) but whoever drafted that agreement really fucked up. Aussies get instant ACC in NZ but Kiwis don't get Medicare in Australia. I remember there were discussions about it on Radio NZ a few years back. There is a big private health care industry in Australia (for better or worse) that's not employer based (you see adverts on TV), so I'm guessing a lot of Kiwis just get private care in the AU. But I'm wondering how much it costs an actual Australian resident/citizen with medicare. I know as a non-resident, a doctor cost around $70 ~ $80 (went once in Melbourne and once in Sydney) and I saw a real doctor. That's a far cry from America where you pay $200+ to see a Nurse Practitioner (yes, pretty advanced, but still not an MD).
  - philliphaydon 9y ago
    Oh I could get Medicare, but because I was never in the country for 6 consecutive months at a time over the 5 years I lived there (traveling for short holidays) they wouldn't grant for me. Doctor + Prescription in Australia is expensive! Would cost me like ~200 give or take. In Singapore, consultation is like $15 and the medicine is prescribed by the clinic so no need to go to a pharmacy, total is like $50. So I don't even bother seeing my insurance doctor where it costs me like ~$5 total, I just go see my normal doctor cos I trust him. (been to same doctor for 6 years)
  - SyneRyder 9y ago
    > I'm wondering how much it costs an actual Australian resident/citizen with medicare. Here's the costs for St John's Ambulance. It's $949 for a life-threatening or urgent call, $510 for non urgent. It mentions that Medicare doesn't cover the cost, and that the costs will always be incurred by the patient. (I actually thought it was covered by my private health insurance, but apparently not.) http://www.stjohnambulance.com.au/ambulance-and-health-services/metro-ambulance-service/metro-ambulance-fees http://www.stjohnambulance.com.au/ambulance-and-health-servi... Some doctors in Australia bulk-bill, so it's free for me to go to see a doctor whenever I want. Though for a short period when the government changed the billing rules, he started charging $25 per visit, but he's gone back to bulk-billing again.
KyeRussell 9y ago
Ambulances are not a nationalised service in Australia. In some States it is State run, in others it is a private company. I live in Western Australia and it's all done by St John's Ambulance. My partner has needed two non-urgent ambulance call-outs (transfer to a public hospital), which were both charged at ~$500. She's on my private 'extras'* insurance policy, and my insurer fully covers an unlimited amount of ambulance transfers ($50 co-pay for non-urgent). I believe this to be a common thing for this type of insurance policy - I'm not on any fancy tier of coverage. HOWEVER: A couple of years ago my significant other had an accident in a public area where she unable to move or call an ambulance. A nearby resident heard her yelling and called the police / ambulance. The paramedics seemingly had the authority to take her away from the police officers who were questioning her. She was taken to the nearest public hospital and was discharged from the ED shortly thereafter. She never received a bill. She's only young and the accident (very apparently) occurred as a result of drug use, so I think that the paramedics operating the ambulance are allowed discretion when deciding whether or not somebody should be charged. * Physio, psychology, dental.etc. (all non-emergency). These services are not (fully) covered by our public health system, so many people opt for private cover. These policies work heavily on annual limits, so it's a bit unfair to call them insurance.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  Just to give you some context, I'm a West-Australian, living in Austria. I've had to take an ambulance to hospital a number of times. Cost to me: eu0. I've also had to stay in hospital a couple of times, had a couple operations. Cost to me: eu0. Of course, I pay regularly into the Austrian health system with portions of my pay check every month. But there is no suffering beyond that, if I have to have any medical procedures or take the ambulance for an accident.

make3 9y ago

in Canada you get charged only if you get in the ambulance

47 9y ago
Actually that is not true in BC, Canada. According to BC Emergency Health Services [1], It charges a fee of $50 if transportation is not required. $80 if transportation is required. [1] http://www.bcehs.ca/about/billing/fees http://www.bcehs.ca/about/billing/fees