Indigenous services

Caring about health, caring about community

Our promise is that we will deliver great service to all Australians and we are working with Indigenous communities and health care providers to improve access to our services. One way that we are working towards this is through our Indigenous Access Program [PDF, 122Kb].

Are you enrolled in Medicare?

Medicare makes seeking a doctor and some health specialists cheaper or free. Medicare can help you:

• save money on blood tests
• save money on medicine
• keep track of children’s immunisation
• Have a Medicare card—it’s your right [PDF, 311Kb]
• find out more about enrolling in Medicare

Closing the Gap—PBS Co-payment Measure

What is the Closing the Gap—PBS Co-payment Measure?

The Closing the Gap—PBS co-payment measure (the measure) starts on 1 July 2010 and as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander patient, you may be eligible to participate in the measure and obtain cheaper Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines.

Who is eligible?

The measure is intended to benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of any age who present with an existing chronic disease or are at risk of chronic disease, and in the opinion of their general practitioner (GP):

• would experience setbacks in the prevention or ongoing management of chronic disease if the person did not take the prescribed medicine and
• are unlikely to adhere to their medicines regimen without assistance through the measure.

Your GP will assess your eligibility for assistance under the measure. If you are eligible, you will need to give your GP consent by completing a Patient Consent form. Your GP will then need to register you for the measure and complete a Patient Registration from. Once you have been registered for the measure, you will have access to co-payment relief for your PBS medicines. For more information about eligibility for the measure or the registration process speak to your GP.

PBS Safety Net

The measure does not change the operation of the PBS Safety Net for patients participating in the measure, or their families.

The amount that can be added towards a family’s Safety Net tally for each prescription is the same amount that would have been added in the absence of the measure.

Eligible prescriptions

To ensure your prescription is eligible for co-payment relief, ask your GP to check that your prescription is annotated correctly.

For more information

Online: Department of Health and Ageing

Email: PBS-Indigenous@health.gov.au

Call: 02 6289 2409*

*Call charges apply

Medicare Safety Net—more choices for you and your family

If you use an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island health service or other doctors who bulk bill—it will still be free. There may be a time when you need to see other doctors, specialists or have tests where you will have to pay money.

When you reach the Medicare Safety Net this may cost you less money.

Individuals are automatically registered but couples and families need to register.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Access Line

 We have a free-call telephone service to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers.

The Access line is supported by the Medicare Liaison Officers for Indigenous Access who are culturally aware to the flexibility and special conditions that may affect Indigenous people.  Call—1800 556 955.

What is the Voluntary Indigenous Identifier?

Medicare Australia promotes Voluntary identification within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander is completely voluntary and has been incorporated into all Medicare Australia forms.

The information captured will be used to assess the effectiveness of current and new initiatives and programs to enhance quality health status, and to improve access to health programs for Indigenous people, by directing services and funding to those locations which require them most.

All data we collect is held securely and protected by privacy rules.  When information is grouped for statistics or reports, it contains no names or identifying facts.  Your identity is closely protected.

If you would like more information, please call the Medicare Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Access line on 1800 556 955.

You can fill in the Voluntary Indigenous Identifier [PDF, 317Kb] form and send it to:

Indigenous Access Program
PO Box 1001
Tuggeranong DC ACT 2901

Where can I go for Medicare services?

Find a Medicare office or other Medicare claiming facility close to you.

You can also access some Medicare services from Centrelink Remote Area Service Centres and Customer Service Centres.

At some Centrelink Customer Service Centres you can:

• enrol in Medicare
• update your contact details
• hand in a Medicare claim
• order a new or replacement Medicare card.

This is part of the Department of Human Services commitment to making it easier for Australians to access more government services. Centrelink now offers some general Medicare services via the Centrelink Remote Area Service Centre (RASC) network, some Small Customer Service Centres (SCSCs) and some Centrelink Agent sites nationally.

To find a location near you, please call the Medicare Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Access line on 1800 556 955.

Also our Medicare customers in Northern Australia can now access Medicare Australia information and support via the Centrelink Indigenous Call Centre on 13 63 80.

What else can Medicare Australia help me with?

Medicare Australia takes care of many of Australia’s national health programs, like:

• Medicare
• Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
• Family Assistance Office services
• Australian Organ Donor Register
• Australian Childhood Immunisation Register

Some documents on this page may require the free Adobe PDF reader.

Last updated: 1 December, 2011

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