Pregnancy care

Choosing private or public care

Your pregnancy care (also called antenatal care) is usually linked to where you plan to give birth.

If you choose to give birth in the public health system, Medicare will cover most or all of your pregnancy care and birth costs.

If you choose to give birth in the private health system, Medicare will cover part of the costs. Private health insurance may cover some or all of the costs.

To help you choose, find out more about maternity care in Australia on the healthdirect website.

Public care in your state or territory

You can find out about pregnancy care near you on your state or territory website.

State or territory	Resource
ACT	Canberra maternity options in ACT
NSW	Pregnancy care options in NSW
NT	Pregnancy, birthing and child health in NT
Qld	Deciding where to give birth in Qld
SA	Pregnancy in SA
Tas	Options of care during your pregnancy in Tas
Vic	Pregnancy and birth care options in Vic
WA	Your maternity care options in WA

Medicare during pregnancy

During pregnancy, you may get tests and scans to check your health and the baby’s health and development. Medicare may help pay for things like:

visiting a doctor
routine pregnancy tests, like ultrasounds and blood tests
care from midwives and obstetricians
your stay as a public patient in a public hospital
some immunisations
pregnancy counselling.

You can claim Medicare benefits at the doctor’s office or your service could be bulk billed. If it’s bulk billed, you won’t have to pay anything.

Find out more

Find out about Medicare and pregnancy, claiming and when to get check-ups.

Higher Medicare benefits

You may get more money back from Medicare if you spend over a certain amount on medical costs for out-of-hospital services in a calendar year.

If you’re part of a family or couple, you can register as a family to combine your medical costs.

How to check if you’re in a Medicare Safety Net family

You can check if you’re already registered in a Medicare Safety Net family in your Medicare online account through myGov.

If you haven’t linked Medicare, find out how to link Medicare to your myGov account.

How to register or update your Medicare Safety Net family

You can find a registration and amendment form on the Services Australia website.

Find out more about Medicare Safety Nets on the Services Australia website.

Pregnancy care if you’re visiting Australia

If you’re pregnant while visiting Australia or on a visa, the cost of health care will change depending on your status.

Find out what to expect for pregnancy care on a visa on the Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website.

Help in your language

You can find Medicare information in your language on the Services Australia website.

You can find the number to call the Medicare program line on the Services Australia website. Let them know if you need an interpreter and they’ll arrange one for free.