Patients without a Medicare card

Patients without a Medicare card (called Medicare Ineligible Patients) are required to pay for all costs associated with their health care while at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

If you do not have a Medicare card, then you can choose to use your private health insurance to cover your costs. But if you do not have private health insurance, then you will need to pay the full estimate of your account on or before the day of admission.

Fees for additional or unplanned services are payable on, or after the day of your discharge.

There are some instance where people without a Medicare card can receive free treatments.

Visitors to Australia

If you are a visitor to Australia, and you do not hold a valid Medicare card, or do not fall under one of the classifications below, then you are not eligible for free treatment under Medicare, either as a planned (elective) or emergency patient:

• Patients from countries with reciprocal rights
• Asylum seekers and refugees

In these cases, patients will be responsible for the payment of all expenses associated with treatment, including medical, diagnostic, hospital stay, prosthetic, pharmaceutical and ambulance fees. Holders of travel insurance may be able to lodge a claim for these costs through their travel insurance company after payment has been made.

Depending on your visa classification type, you must have adequate and appropriate health insurance cover for the duration of your stay in Australia. If you need to access services at the Royal Melbourne Hospital you will be asked to provide the following:

• Your passport and visa status (documentation and date of entry validation)
• Contact information during your stay in Australia
• Overseas residential address and contact details
• Relevant health insurance policy details

If visa holders do not meet their health insurance conditions, then they may be considered in breach of their visa conditions. The Royal Melbourne Hospital is obliged to notify the Department of Immigration in these cases, which can result in the cancellation of the visa and payment for any outstanding public health costs incurred.

Upfront payment for services

While every effort is made to provide an accurate estimate of expenses, additional costs are sometimes incurred. This may be due to:

• Variations in proposed treatment, procedure, prosthesis, or length of stay
• Sundry charges such as medicines and take home items like walking aids

Any balance outstanding is payable before or on discharge from the hospital.

We accept major credit cards, cheque, and cash, EFTPOS or direct bank deposit. Be aware many banks have a daily limit of cash withdrawal.

You will need to sign a copy of the estimate of financial expenses to acknowledge that you have received and understand the estimate, and that you agree to pay for any unforeseen charges