If you are 15 or older you can get your own Medicare card!
This means you can get bulk billed. Bulk billing means you see your GP for free with the costs being covered by the government. If you are under the age of 15 you can still get bulk billed; either borrow your parents’ Medicare card or simply take a photo of it and show it to reception at the Doctor’s practice saying that you are a student and wish to be bulk billed.
Some GPs are ‘private billing’ – meaning they have a set fee for the appointment to be paid on the day. But show the reception your Medicare card anyways, as a certain amount of the fee can be covered by the government. So then all that needs to be paid by you (or the person paying for your appointment) is the ‘gap’ or difference. E.g. a GP appointment may cost $100, but showing the Medicare card means the government will cover $40, so your out-of-pocket cost is $60.
For more information on Medicare and bulk billing please refer to the link below.
