Family Health Care in Australia
Australian Medicare aims to provide a high quality of care and make health care affordable for all Australians.
This public health scheme gives you access to:
- free treatment as a public patient in a public hospital, and
- free or subsidised treatment by practitioners such as doctors, including some specialists and participating optometrists or dentists.
Australian Medicare is funded through taxation and you will make financial contributions to the scheme through your taxes and a Medicare levy which is based on your taxable income.
Enrolling with Medicare
If you have been granted permanent residency in Australia you need to enrol with Medicare after you arrive here.
You need to take your passport and travel documents to a local Medicare office and, if all the enrolment requirements are met, you will be given a Medicare number and your Medicare card will be posted to you about three weeks later.
Cost of treatment
Depending on what doctor you see you may have to pay for some of the cost of your treatment.
Some General Practitioners charge more than the Medicare schedule fee and you have to pay the difference. Some doctors bulk bill and you don't have to pay anything, but others charge you and you have to claim the cost back from Medicare.
Find out more
To read more about Medicare or to download the Medicare Australia Information Kit, please visit the Medicare Australia website. Medicare Australia's Information Kit is also available in 19 community languages for people who speak English as a second language.