Hospital costs
You can choose to be a public or private patient when you go to hospital. As a public patient in a public hospital, you won't pay for anything if you have a Medicare card. Some long stay patients also have to pay fees.
Getting a Medicare card
Find out how to enrol and get a Medicare card on the Services Australia website.
You can get your own Medicare card and number if you’re over 15 and enrolled in Medicare.
The Services Australia website also explains Medicare services for Indigenous Australians.
Long stay patient fees
If you need to stay in hospital for more than 35 days and don't have an Acute Care Certificate, you'll pay a daily fee.
The long stay fee is indexed against the aged pension. Fee increases occur in line with pension increases. This is the same for self-funded retirees.
If you need more information, ask your nurse or social worker.
Private patients
You can choose to get treated as a private patient in a public hospital.
If you do:
- eligible services will be bulk billed to Medicare
- your private health insurance may cover some of your hospital fees and charges
- we'll discount all or part of your private health insurance policy excess or co-payment up to the cost of your hospital admission.
We can help you make an informed choice about getting health care as a public or private patient. Call our patient options liaison officers on 07 4885 7018 or 07 4885 7019 for more information.
Discharge medicine
You'll have to pay for your discharge medicine. You can get this from the hospital pharmacy or any other pharmacy if they have the medicine you need.
Travel costs
If you have to travel more than 50 km to your local public hospital, you may be eligible for the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme.
The subsidy helps with travel and accommodation costs if you need to use specialist medical services that aren't available in your local area.
Read more about the subsidy scheme on the Queensland Government website.
People visiting Australia
Some of your treatment in Australia might be free if your home country has a reciprocal health care agreement with us.
The Services Australia website has information about reciprocal health care arrangements.
People seeking asylum who don't have a Medicare card
If you're seeking asylum in Australia and don't have a Medicare card, you can still get health care in public hospitals.
The Queensland Health website has:
- fact sheets in other languages
- information about accessing public health care for people seeking asylum.
Paying your account
You can pay your account in person at our hospital service desks. We accept cash, cheque, EFTPOS and electronic bank transfer. You can also pay online or over the phone by calling the hospital or health centre you went to.