What an STI test costs, with or without Medicare

The 2 parts of the cost

The first part is the appointment: a doctor or nurse has to assess you and request the tests. At a GP clinic (opens in new tab) that’s either bulk billed, so you pay nothing, or privately billed, so you pay a gap. Public sexual health clinics (opens in new tab) usually don’t charge at all, and many will see you without a Medicare card – though they can have long waits, limited hours, and priority groups they see first.

The second part is the lab tests. When a doctor requests them and you hold a Medicare card, the lab bulk bills Medicare and you pay nothing. Without Medicare, the lab charges a fee – to your insurer if you have overseas health cover that includes pathology, or to you.

If you have a Medicare card

All 3 Medicare cards (opens in new tab) work for STI lab tests – green (citizens and permanent residents), blue (interim) and yellow (visitors from countries with a reciprocal health care agreement). Your lab tests are bulk billed to Medicare.

If you’re an international student or visitor

Overseas student health cover (OSHC) (opens in new tab) and overseas visitor health cover (OVHC) usually cover pathology requested by a doctor, so the lab bills your insurer. Policies differ – some have waiting periods or exclude pathology – so it’s worth checking yours. If your policy doesn’t cover it, the lab invoices you directly.

If you have neither – or you’d rather nothing was billed anywhere

You can pay for the lab tests yourself. Some people with a Medicare card choose this too, because nothing is then billed to Medicare or an insurer in their name. Public sexual health clinics are the other route: many don’t need a Medicare card and don’t charge.

What Prickly costs

Prickly is an Australian at-home STI testing service for people without symptoms. It tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV, and there are 3 ways to request a test:

• Medicare STI test – $69 out-of-pocket. For Medicare card holders (green, blue & yellow) – with lab tests bulk billed to Medicare.
• OSHC/OVHC STI test – $69 out-of-pocket. For overseas student/visitor health cover holders – with lab tests billed to your insurer. If your policy excludes pathology, our partner lab invoices you directly – typically around $70.
• Private STI test – $139 out-of-pocket. For maximum discretion – nothing billed to anyone else, and opted out of My Health Record by default.

Every test includes doctor review & follow-up, delivery & return shipping and at-home sample collection.

The service fee is out-of-pocket on every test. Medicare doesn’t cover asynchronous care delivered via questionnaire, chat or email, so we don’t bill Medicare for it, and it can’t be claimed back from Medicare, private health insurance or OSHC/OVHC.

If a result needs action, your telehealth follow-up appointment is included at no extra charge – bulk billed if you have Medicare and are happy to use it. As we can only prescribe medication, not dispense it, any prescription is charged separately by your pharmacy.

Current fees are always on the home page under Pricing.

How you pay changes what’s on your records

• Medicare. Lab tests bulk billed to Medicare are recorded in your Medicare claims history.
• My Health Record. By default, lab test results are submitted to My Health Record (opens in new tab), as they are from any healthcare provider. If you opt out of uploading your results, that preference is passed to our partner lab. A Private test opts out of uploading by default.
• A Private test. Nothing is billed to Medicare or any OSHC/OVHC insurer, the lab tests are included in the fee, and your lab test results are opted out of My Health Record by default. If maximum discretion is your priority, a Private test is the one to choose.
• Notification. However you pay, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV are notifiable conditions, so a doctor is legally required to report confirmed positive results to the relevant state health department – the same obligation that applies to any sexual health clinic, GP clinic or lab in Australia.

How at-home testing works with Prickly

• Request online. Complete a five-minute online request. A doctor then reviews your answers and confirms that at-home STI testing is suitable for you.
• Receive your equipment. Collection equipment tailored to your exposures usually ships the next business day in an unmarked mailer box with Australia Post tracking.
• Collect at home. Follow the included STI testing self-collection guide – swabs and urine for the lab, and a fingerprick HIV self-test you read at home in 15 minutes.
• Post to the lab. Post your lab samples back the same day using the included prepaid return label – at any Australia Post Office, red street posting box or Parcel Locker.
• Get your results. A doctor reviews every lab test result and emails you privately. Telehealth follow-up included – with help accessing treatment and telling partners, if needed.

The same steps are on the home page under How it works.

When at-home testing isn’t right

See someone in person at a sexual health clinic (opens in new tab), GP clinic (opens in new tab) or urgent care clinic (opens in new tab) instead if you have symptoms or if you’re under 16. And if you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, don’t wait for a test – visit www.getpep.info (opens in new tab) or go to a sexual health clinic (opens in new tab) or emergency department (opens in new tab) as soon as you can. If something happened without your consent, 1800RESPECT (opens in new tab) is also available 24/7 for free, confidential support.