What is Medicare?
Medicare is a program that gives many Australian residents access to healthcare. It gives all Australian citizens, and some overseas visitors access to a wide range of health services at low or no cost.
If you are enrolled for Medicare, you should have a green, plastic Medicare card with your name on it. You might be sharing this card with your family members.
You can use your Medicare card to get free or low cost:
- Medical appointments with doctors or specialists
- Public hospital treatment
- Many prescription medicines
Who is eligible
You are eligible for Medicare benefits if you are:
- 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 (for visitors from Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom).
If your parents have a Medicare card, or you were born in Australia, you’ve probably been automatically enrolled in Medicare.
Getting your own Medicare card
From the age of 15, you can get your own Medicare card. To do that, you’ll need to fill in a form and provide copies of some identification (such as your passport, birth certificate or driver’s license).
Even if you don’t have your own physical card, you can just take your Medicare number with you to access health services.
Medicare and privacy
From age 14, no one else can see your Medicare records without your permission – not even your parents, partners or friends. You have your own private records even if you do not have your own card.
For more information, go to Services Australia.
