Australia🇦🇺

For most tourists the law does not ask for it. If you hold a US passport you normally enter on an Electronic Travel Authority, which the Department of Home Affairs issues through the Australian ETA app for a service charge of AUD 20. The ETA application has no insurance condition.

There is one exception worth knowing. Home Affairs can attach condition 8501 to some Visitor visa (subclass 600) grants. That condition requires you to maintain adequate health insurance for your whole stay. It is applied case by case, and migration advisers report it most often for older applicants and longer stays. If your grant letter lists 8501, check with Home Affairs or your adviser that the cover you buy satisfies it.

Required or not, the practical case is strong. The US State Department says you are responsible for your medical expenses in Australia even when a public hospital treats you. You can compare travel medical plans on Ombrela before you fly.

Hospitals and ambulance services in Australian cities operate to a high standard. The State Department describes ambulances as widely available and staffed by trained paramedics. The limit is who pays, not the quality of care.

• Medicare is for residents. Australia's public scheme covers residents and visitors from the 11 countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
• Everyone else pays in full. The State Department says public emergency departments will treat you in an emergency and bill you afterward, while doctors and private hospitals often want payment upfront for care that is not an emergency.
• Ambulances are billed. Services Australia notes that even the reciprocal agreements exclude ambulance transport, private hospital care and dental treatment. Charges vary by state.

Public hospitals publish separate fee schedules for overseas patients, and a day in an emergency department or a ward can run to thousands of Australian dollars. Use the medical cost estimator to get a feel for what an uninsured bill could look like.

Australia's hazards are mostly environmental, and they change with where you go.

• Distance. The State Department warns that ambulance response in rural and Outback areas can be much slower because of the distances involved, and that aeromedical transport is often used.
• Water. Rip currents are common on surf beaches, so swim between the red and yellow flags on patrolled beaches. In tropical Queensland, box jellyfish and Irukandji risk is higher from November to May.
• Sun and heat. Ultraviolet levels are very high in summer, and sunburn and heat illness affect visitors quickly.
• Mosquitoes. The CDC lists dengue and Ross River virus as risks to prevent by avoiding bites, and recommends Japanese encephalitis vaccine only for some travelers, such as those spending a month or more in affected areas like the Murray River region.
• Northern soil and floodwater. The CDC notes melioidosis in northern Australia and advises against contact with floodwater.
• Bushfire. Fire seasons vary by state, and smoke can affect people with asthma far from the fire front.

The CDC also asks every international traveler to be up to date on routine vaccines, including measles.

The Bureau of Meteorology defines the tropical cyclone season as 1 November to 30 April. It affects the tropical north: northern Queensland, the Top End of the Northern Territory and the northwest coast of Western Australia. Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmania sit well south of the usual cyclone zone.

The same months bring the wet season to the north, with flooded roads and closed national parks. A travel medical plan pays for treatment and evacuation if a storm injures you. It is not trip cancellation insurance, so it will not refund a tour or hotel you could not use. If you are continuing across the Tasman, see our guide to New Zealand, where the weather risks are different.

Match the plan to the trip you are actually taking.

• A policy maximum sized for hospital care. Overseas patient rates are charged per day and add up quickly after surgery or intensive care.
• Emergency medical evacuation. The State Department says rescues from remote areas or at sea are extremely expensive and that patients must cover transfers between hospitals. Our guide to emergency medical evacuation cover explains how the benefit works.
• Ambulance benefit. Confirm ground and air ambulance are both included.
• Your activities. Scuba diving, surfing and four wheel drive touring may be limited or excluded. Read the sports list, and see how adventure sports are treated.
• Existing conditions. Most travel medical plans limit cover for conditions you already have, so check the wording on acute onset.

None of the international plans in Ombrela's catalog, including Atlas International, Patriot International Lite, Patriot Platinum International and Safe Travels International, list Australia as a restricted destination. Compare plans on Ombrela by deductible and maximum, and use the glossary for any term that is unclear.

In an emergency call 000 and ask for an ambulance. From a mobile phone 112 also connects. For advice that is not urgent, the government funded Healthdirect line on 1800 022 222 is staffed by registered nurses around the clock in most states.

• Call your plan's assistance number as soon as you can, before admission where possible. Many plans require notice for hospital stays.
• Tell the hospital you are an overseas visitor with travel insurance and give them the assistance contact so they can ask for a payment arrangement.
• For a general practitioner or pharmacy visit you will usually pay and claim later. Keep itemised receipts and the doctor's notes.
• If you need to be moved, let the assistance team arrange the transfer. Evacuations organised without the insurer's approval are often not reimbursed.