Pregnancy, Birth and Baby home

Medicare during pregnancy

Key facts

  • Medicare covers many of the health care costs of having a baby, including doctor and midwife visits, ultrasounds, blood tests and having your baby in an approved facility.
  • Your state or territory government may also help to pay some of the costs of some services after your baby is born.
  • If you are not eligible for Medicare, you will usually have to pay the full cost of your care — consider signing up for private health insurance before you get pregnant.
  • Private health insurance probably won’t cover all the costs of your pregnancy care, so you may still have out-of-pocket expenses.

What is Medicare?

Medicare is a health insurance scheme funded by the Australian Government. It gives eligible people access to many kinds of medical care and hospital services at a lower or no cost. This includes many medical costs for pregnancy and birth.

Medicare covers:

If you need help to conceive (get pregnant), Medicare may also help you to cover the costs of fertility treatments or IVF.

Am I eligible for Medicare?

All Australian residents are eligible for Medicare, as are some visitors to Australia. You can check your eligibility for Medicare (Opens in new tab) at Services Australia.

If you don't have a Medicare card, you will need to apply for one to access Medicare-funded services. Contact Services Australia to find out how to enrol (Opens in new tab).

What is covered by Medicare during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood?

If you have a Medicare card, your costs during pregnancy and birth will be partly covered by Medicare. Your choice of antenatal care provider and where you give birth will impact how much Medicare will cover and whether you have to pay any out-of-pocket costs.

Antenatal care

While you are pregnant, Medicare may help with the costs of:

You can usually claim Medicare benefits for these services when you are at the doctor's office. If your doctor bulk bills (Opens in new tab) you, you won't have to pay any 'gap' or 'out-of-pocket' cost.

Labour and birth

When you give birth, you can choose to be a public or a private patient.

Medicare may cover:

  • care from midwives and obstetricians that care for you in a public hospital, birth centre, or publicly funded homebirth program
  • your stay in a public hospital or birth centre
  • some in-hospital medical tests and scans

If you are a private patient and choose to give birth in a public or private hospital, you will often have some out-of-pocket costs that are not covered by Medicare or by your private health fund.

Make sure to ask about the costs involved in your birth when you make your booking.

Postnatal care

After your baby is born, Medicare covers some or all the costs of:

  • care from midwives, nurses and doctors in a public hospital, birth centre or publicly funded homebirth program
  • immunisations for your baby
  • visits to your GP

Medicare may also cover some of your costs if your baby needs special care, such as from a specialist or intensive care unit.

Your state or territory government may also help cover some of the costs of services after your baby’s birth.

How do I add my baby to my Medicare card?

After your baby is born, it's important to add them to your Medicare card as soon as possible. Your midwife or hospital will give you a Newborn Child Declaration form as part of your Parent Pack. You can sign your baby up to Medicare using this form. 

You can find more about enrolling your baby in Medicare (Opens in new tab) on the Services Australia website.

What isn’t covered by Medicare during pregnancy and birth?

Some services are not covered by Medicare, such as:

  • your accommodation as a private patient in a private or public hospital
  • gap fees for private obstetricians or private midwives who care for you during pregnancy or after the birth
  • fees for private midwifery care during labour or during a birth at home
  • out-of-pocket private hospital costs, including medicines
  • some antenatal tests, such as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT)

If you have private health insurance, it may cover some of these services.

What if I am not eligible for Medicare?

If you are not eligible for Medicare, you should plan to pay for all the costs of your pregnancy, birth and postnatal care, whether you go to a public or private hospital.

A private health insurance policy that includes maternity care may help you with some of the costs.

If you are planning a pregnancy, it’s a good idea to check your options early. Many private health insurance funds have a waiting period of 12 months before they will cover you for maternity care. If you get pregnant before this period, you may need to pay the full costs of your care.

Public hospitals may offer financial support for people who need help paying the out-of-pocket fees. You can ask about this when you make your booking.

You can read more about pregnancy care on a visa if you’re not an Australian resident.

How to manage costs

It’s a good idea to speak to your doctor or the hospital before making an appointment to understand the costs involved. 

They might be able to help you find some support so that you can get your recommended pregnancy care. 

Resources and support

Find out more about what Medicare covers during pregnancy from Services Australia (Opens in new tab).

Read more about Medicare and other benefits

Speak to a maternal child health nurse

Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 (Opens in new tab) or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

Last reviewed: June 2026

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