Is it free to go to the ER in Australia depends on whether you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident with Medicare, or a tourist. For Australian citizens, permanent residents and those enrolled in Medicare, going to the Emergency Department in a public hospital is free, you will be triaged and treated without charge, regardless of condition. Medicare covers all emergency department costs in public hospitals. For private emergency departments, there may be fees. For tourists, it is not free unless you are from a country with Reciprocal Health Care Agreement RHCA. Tourists from UK, New Zealand, Ireland, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Malta, Slovenia and Italy can access public hospital emergency departments as a public patient for free or low cost for medically necessary treatment by enrolling in Medicare at Services Australia with passport and visa, but you still need to enrol and you may pay for ambulance to get to ER, which costs $1,000 to $1,500. For tourists from other countries like USA, Canada, India, China, Germany, France, you must pay for ER, with typical emergency department visit costing $500 to $1,000 for triage and doctor, plus extra for tests, X-rays $200 to $500, and admission $1,500+ per day if admitted. If you have Overseas Visitor Health Cover OVHC or travel insurance, your insurer will cover ER costs if medically necessary. So for locals it is free in public system, for tourists it is generally not free unless RHCA applies.
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