Estimate the out-of-pocket costs of pregnancy and birth in Australia. Costs vary widely — this gives you a ballpark to plan around.
Public antenatal care in Australia is comprehensive and free under Medicare. It includes: all routine antenatal appointments, the 12-week dating scan and 20-week morphology scan, routine blood tests and urine tests, glucose tolerance test (GTT), Group B Strep screening, delivery and postnatal care, and postnatal home midwife visits.
Optional additional costs (not covered): Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) for chromosomal screening (~$450–$550), 3D/4D scans (~$150–$300), and some GP visits during shared care may have a gap.
Most private health insurers require a 12-month waiting period for pregnancy/obstetric cover. This means you need to have the policy active for 12 months before you conceive (not before the birth). If you're already pregnant, you generally cannot take out new pregnancy cover for this pregnancy.
Check your policy's excess (the amount you pay per hospital admission, typically $250–$750). Some policies have a separate excess for each admission — e.g. if you're admitted for complications during pregnancy AND for the birth, you might pay the excess twice.