As a public patient, you will not have to pay for your treatment or stay if:
- you have a Medicare card
- your treatment is clinically necessary.
You will have to pay for your care if:
- you are not a permanent Australian resident/citizen or from a country that holds a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia
- you are visiting Australia on a student visa
- your treatment is not covered by Medicare.
Your doctor may suggest a medicine or treatment that is not on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This is because cancer treatments evolve rapidly and sometimes effective medicines, while approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), have not yet been listed on the PBS.
This means there might be a cost for the medicine or treatment that you have to pay yourself.
Your doctor may suggest a diagnostic test that is not fully covered by Medicare. This means there might be a cost for the test that you have to pay yourself.
Your doctor will talk through the options with you, including alternatives. Your doctor should give you an estimate of any costs associated with your treatment.
As a private patient it is your responsibility to check if you have enough health care insurance to cover your hospital charges.
Funding your treatment
There are multiple ways to fund treatment that is not otherwise funded. You can read more about practical and financial assistance on the Cancer Council website. Cancer Australia also has information about costs of treatment.
People visiting from overseas
If you are not a permanent Australian resident/citizen or from a country that holds a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia, you will need to meet the full cost of your hospital care.
We will give you a list of the fees and charges when you come to hospital.
Please let us know if you have health or travel insurance. You may be able to claim through your insurance company. Where possible we will bill your insurance company directly. You may need to pay the gap payment between what we charge and what your insurance company pays.
International students
You are not covered by Medicare if you are visiting Australia on a student visa. We advise you to take out your own health insurance cover.
Treatment not covered by Medicare
You will have to pay for medical services not covered by Medicare. These include:
- medical or hospital treatment that’s not immediately necessary
- medicines not subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
- treatment arranged before your visit to Australia
- accommodation and medical treatment as a private patient in a public hospital.
