Lung and Chest

What is covered under Lung and Chest?

Hospital Cover for Lung and Chest includes hospital treatment to investigate and treat the lungs, lung-related conditions, the chest and the mediastinum.

Examples include:

• open chest surgery to treat lung cancer
• treatments for:
  • respiratory disorders such as asthma
  • pneumonia
  • trauma to the chest
  • emphysema.

This clinical category includes these treatments listed in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS).

Some treatments you might expect to be in the Lung and Chest clinical category are under different clinical categories. For example, cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy are under Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy for cancer.

Which Hospital Cover tiers include Lung and Chest?

What does it mean if cover is ‘optional’?

‘Optional’ means that the Australian Government allows insurers to choose whether or not to cover the clinical category under that Hospital Cover tier.

What does ‘restricted cover’ mean? 

Restricted cover means the insurer pays only limited benefits. 

If insurers offer cover for Lung and Chest under Basic Hospital Cover, they can do so on a ‘restricted’ basis. If you are admitted as a private patient in a private hospital for treatments under this clinical category, you will face considerable out-of-pocket costs.

Always check with your insurer before agreeing to be treated as a private patient in a private hospital if you have restricted cover for Lung and Chest. 

Does Medicare cover Lung and Chest?

Yes. Medicare includes all treatments under the Lung and Chest clinical category.

If there is an MBS item number for the treatment, Medicare covers it. 

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