What is covered under Medicare in Australia?
Medicare is Australia's universal health care system that covers free treatment as a public patient in a public hospital, alongside free or subsidised doctor visits, medical tests, and medicines.
For official details, you can visit the Department of Health and Aged Care or check the guidance on Services Australia.
What Is Covered
- Doctor and Specialist Visits: Covers all or part of the fee for seeing a General Practitioner (GP) or specialist. If a doctor "bulk bills," Medicare covers 100% of the cost with no out-of-pocket expense.
- Public Hospitals: Covers 100% of treatment, accommodation, and care when you are admitted as a public patient in a public hospital or treated in an emergency department.
- Tests and Scans: Subsidises pathology tests (like blood tests), X-rays, MRIs, and eye tests by optometrists.
- Medicines: Subsidises the cost of prescription medicines through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
- Mental Health: Covers specific mental health treatments and structured counseling sessions under a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan.
What Is Not Covered
- Ambulance services (except in specific states like Queensland and Tasmania)
- Most dental care examinations and procedures
- Physiotherapy, chiropractic, and occupational therapy (unless under specific GP referral schemes)
- Glasses, contact lenses, and hearing aids
- Private patient costs in a private hospital (though Medicare covers a portion of doctor fees inside a private hospital)
- Elective cosmetic surgery