What is Medicare?

Medicare is Australia’s universal health insurance scheme. It provides access to medical and hospital services for all Australian residents, as well as some visitors to Australia.

If you are eligible, you can register for Medicare and receive a Medicare card. You can use this card to receive a wide range of medical services.

Am I eligible for Medicare?

You are eligible for Medicare benefits if you:

• are an Australian or New Zealand citizen
• are an Australian permanent resident
• have applied for permanent residency (some conditions apply)
• are a temporary resident covered by a Ministerial Order
• are a citizen or permanent resident of Norfolk Island, Cocos Islands, Christmas Island or Lord Howe Island
• are covered by a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with another country

To find out if you are eligible and to register, see ‘Enrolling in Medicare’ on the Services Australia website.

What does Medicare cover?

If you have a Medicare card, you can access:

• free or subsidised medical services from health care professionals such as doctors and specialists, including mental health care
• free or subsidised treatment from participating allied health professionals, including optometrists and dentists
• free of charge hospital treatment and accommodation for public patients in a public hospital
• partial cover for some services and procedures, if you are a private patient in a public or private hospital
• lower costs for some prescription medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)

The benefits or refunds that you can get from Medicare are based on the Medical Benefit Schedule (MBS) that is determined by the Australian Government.

If your doctor or service provider bulk bills you, you won’t have to pay for the service at all. If your doctor chooses to charge more than the set MBS fee, you will have to pay a ‘gap fee’.

Learn more about bulk billing for medical services.

If you spend a lot of money out-of-pocket on medical appointments and tests, you may be eligible for the Medicare Safety Net. This means that you will get extra help from the government with your out-of-pocket expenses.

Learn more about Medicare .

What other benefits are available for parents and families?

In addition to Medicare, the Australian Government provides other forms of support for families who meet certain eligibility criteria. These include:

• Newborn Upfront Payment and Parental Leave Pay
• Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
• Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

Family Tax Benefit

The Family Tax Benefit is a 2-part payment that helps you with the cost of raising a child. You may be eligible if you:

• have a dependent child aged 19 years or under
• care for the child at least 35% of the time
• meet the eligibility income test

There are 2 payments available:

• Family Tax Benefit Part A is a payment made per child, depending on your family's circumstances.
• Family Tax Benefit Part B is a payment made per family, to give extra help to families that need it.

For more information on eligibility and claiming, visit Services Australia’s Family Tax Benefit page.

In order to receive the Family Tax Benefit Part A supplement, your child needs to be up to date with their vaccinations. Your child may also need to have a health check.

Newborn and parental leave payments

When you have a baby or adopt a child, there are 2 types of payments available. You are only able to claim one type of payment per child. Visit Services Australia’s baby payments page, to find out if you are eligible.

• Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement is available to eligible parents. It is an increase to your Family Tax Benefit Part A payment when you have a baby, adopt a child or a child comes into your care.
  • The Newborn Upfront Payment is a lump sum payment that you can get per child. It is not taxable.
  • The Newborn Supplement is a payment that you can get for up to 13 weeks. It is not taxable. The amount that you receive depends on how many children you have and your family’s income.
• Parental Leave Pay is a payment to help eligible parents take time off work to care for a newborn or recently adopted child. It is paid at the national minimum wage.
  • From July 1, 2024, the maximum number of Parental Leave Pay days that you can get is 100 days, or 20 weeks.
  • You must meet the eligibility requirements to make a claim. You must also meet an income test, work test and residency requirements.
  • The number of days your family can get depends on when your child came into your care.
  • You can choose to share your Parental Leave Pay with other caregivers of your child, including your partner. For more information on sharing your Parental Leave Pay, visit Services Australia — Sharing your payment.

Child Care Subsidy

A range of payments and services are available to help families with the costs of approved child care. The subsidy is paid to your child care provider, and reduces the amount that you need to pay in fees.

To be eligible for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), your child must meet certain criteria as well as be either immunised, on an immunisation catch-up schedule, or exempt from immunisation. You can find details of your child’s immunisation status on the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register.

You may be eligible for the CCS payment if you meet these criteria:

• You care for a child aged 13 or younger who is not attending school.
• You use an approved child care service.
• You pay child care fees.
• You and your child meet residency and immunisation requirements.

If you’re eligible for Child Care Subsidy you may get extra help with the cost of approved child care. This is called Additional Child Care Subsidy.

Find child care services at StartingBlocks.gov.au using their tool Find Child Care. If you need extra help paying for child care, there are additional child care subsidies available through Services Australia for eligible families.

Other payments for families

The Australian Government provides a range of additional payments for families and services that help with the cost of your children’s education and health care.

There are also payments available for people looking after children in special circumstances. You can see explore different payments and services with Centrelink's Payment and Service Finder.

Resources and support

To find out more about the different benefits and payments available to help you raise children, visit the Department of Social Services website or Services Australia’s guide to Australian Government payments.