The Burrow
Nov 4, 2024
Ambulances are crucial as they provide life-saving care when people are in an emergency and can transport patients to hospital for surgery and treatment.
But this important medical service isn’t cheap, and patients will typically be given a bill for having been saved and transported by an ambulance.
These prices differ widely between countries, and between states and provinces within those countries. So, who has the cheapest costs, and which nations are the most expensive?
As experts in comparing health insurance, we did some digging to get average ambulance prices for seven different countries across the globe, as well as which ones charge extra per kilometre.
Here are the results.
America is infamous for expensive medical bills, and the same applies to their ambulance call outs, which are the most expensive of the seven countries we analysed, with an average fee of AU$2,033.66.
These ambulance callouts are more than twice as costly as the next most expensive nation – Australia (which had an average of AU$915.25 for ambulance fares) – and five times that of Canada, the third-most expensive with fees at AU$365.58.
Looking at the states that made up the US average, Illinois was the most expensive at AU$4,468.80 for advanced life support, or AU$4,364.43 for basic life support. Other states like Michigan and Maryland were much more affordable. Basic life support was AU$536.55 in Michigan and AU$735.00 in Maryland, while advanced life support was AU$955.50 in Maryland, and AU$984.90 in Michigan.
On the flip side, the UK, New Zealand and Japan have free ambulance journeys under the right circumstances. For example, in Japan most ambulances are free – but you might have to pay if you’re able to go home on the same night the ambulance takes you in. In that case, you could face a fee of AU$77.00.
New Zealand offers free ambulance call outs for those who pay for ambulance membership cover. Most foreigners and locals without ambulance membership will be charged AU$90.16.
In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) provides free ambulance transport, however patients may opt to pay for a private service for non-emergency care and transport, which usually operates with faster response times. In this case, the cost is AU$193.05.
| Country | Average ambulance call out fee (AUD) | Average cost per kilometre charge (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| USA | $2,033.66 | $45.83 |
| Australia | $915.25 | $6.07 |
| Canada | $365.58 | $3.76 |
| UK | $193.05* | $0.00 |
| New Zealand | $90.16 | $0.00 |
| Japan | $77.00^ | $0.00 |
| Germany | $16.64 | $0.00 |
Disclaimer: These prices are subject to change and are intended as a guide only. Based on the circumstances additional charges and costs may apply. Prices accurate as of 20/09/2024.
* UK ambulance patients only have to pay if they opt for private ambulance transport. Ambulance transportation under the NHS is free of charge.
^Japanese ambulance patients might have to pay if they are able to leave hospital that same night. If they require overnight stays, their ambulance trip is covered by the nation’s healthcare system.
While costing less than half of the average in America for an ambulance call out, Australia still costs more than anywhere else with an average fee of AU$915.25. However – looking deeper, the situation is a bit more complicated than that, depending on the location and which state the patient was born in.
For example, all Australian states have higher prices for more urgent emergency calls than non-urgent calls. Additionally, the state of Victoria has higher prices for people in rural locations, with a rural ambulance emergency call in Victoria being the most expensive ambulance call out of all states and categories at AU$2,059.00.
Interestingly, Queensland residents don’t have to pay anything, regardless of whether they’re in their home state or in another state or territory. Non-Queenslanders in Queensland, however, will face Australia’s third most expensive ambulance emergency fee at AU$1,459.09.
Another example of the complicated rules is that Tasmanian residents won’t have to pay for ambulance journeys except when in Queensland or South Australia, which don’t have any healthcare agreements with Tasmania.
It’s worth noting that pensioners receive discounted ambulance transport fees, though some states require them to be within their home state when the incident happens, and military veterans are able to get ambulance rides for free, regardless of what state they’re from or where they are when they need the service.
Given how crucial ambulance transport can be when patients need urgent medical care, and how expensive they can be, health insurance can help cover these costs should you need them. Some countries have specific health insurance policies or state government subscription services just for ambulances, such as New Zealand, Canada, and Australia.
Canadians with health insurance for ambulance cover still have to pay, but it’s a much smaller out-of-pocket fee than those who aren’t insured. Ambulance insurance or ambulance subscriptions in Australia covers the callout fee and other charges regardless of where the patient is in the country, helping simplify the process for non-Queensland residents.
Compare the Market’s Executive General Manager of Health, Life & Energy, Steven Spicer, explains that for places where ambulances aren’t free, ambulance cover can be a great option.
“Private ambulance cover or ambulance subscription services are a lot more affordable than the cost of actually getting emergency medical care and transportation. We see this in multiple countries, including here in Australia,” says Mr Spicer.
“Also, here in Australia the waiting periods for ambulance cover – which can be held on its own or as a part of a more extensive private health policy – are typically quite short, so you may be able to start using it in as little as one day after taking out cover, depending on the policy.”
To calculate the average prices for ambulance trips in the seven countries we examined, we gathered prices for multiple states and provinces in Canada, the USA, and Australia, and calculated the average based on all costs, including ‘emergency’ and ‘non-emergency’ trips.
Further research revealed that the situations in Japan, New Zealand, Germany and the UK are vastly different, so the costs are taken from one source for the country.