1300-44-2201

You can request to be admitted to a hospital as a private patient regardless of whether you have health insurance. As a private patient you have the right to choose your own doctor, and decide whether you will go to a public or a private hospital that your doctor attends. You may also have more choice about when you are admitted to hospital and avoid public hospital waiting lists for non-emergency procedures.

When you are a private patient, in either a public or private hospital, you will be charged for the hospital accommodation and the medical and other services you receive, which might include:

As a private patient treated in a public or private hospital, Medicare will refund 75% of the Medicare Benefit Scheduled fee (MBS fee) for your medical services including doctors/specialists fees, pathology, radiology/imaging fees etc (Medical practitioners can charge above the MBS fee). These Medicare benefits are available regardless of whether you have private health insurance. However, Medicare will not pay benefits towards your hospital costs nor will it provide benefits towards the balance of your medical costs.

Private health insurance can cover all or part of the charges for these services.