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Australians are lucky to have access to a range of concessions, which provide them with access to numerous discounted medical and health services.
These services include:
The Health Care Card is a concession card available to some Australians that can provide access to cheaper medicines and concessions on services such as ambulance, dental and eye care.
Health Care Card eligibility requires you to live in Australia and receive:
One beneficial aspect of the Health Care Card is it requires no application. If you’re eligible you’ll receive a card.
Aussies earning below varying thresholds are eligible to the Low Income Health Care Card, which provides them with:
Depending on where you live, your state might also offer you discounted power bills, rego and public transport costs.
Below are the thresholds that you’ll need to fall below depending on your living situation:
The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is available to Australians once they reach pension age, which varies depending on the year you were born:
If your birthdate is | Eligible at |
---|---|
1 July 1952 to 31 December 1953 | 65 years and 6 months |
1 January 1954 to 30 June 1955 | 66 years |
1 July 1955 to 31 December 1956 | 66 years and 6 months |
From 1 January 1957 | 67 years |
From 1 July 2017 pension age will be 65 years and six months and will go up six months every two years until 1 July 2023.
Just like the Low Income Health Care Card, those with a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card can access bulk-billed doctors, get increase refunds once they hit the Medicare Safety Net and cheaper medicines under the PBS.
Those with a Pensioners Concession Card can access cheaper medicine under the PBS, bulk bill doctors (depending on your doctor), receive increased refunds once they’ve met the Medicare Safety Net and get help with hearing services.
To be eligible for a Pensioner Concession Card you must be on:
You’re also eligible if you’re over the age of 60 and have been receiving one of the following benefits for nine months or more:
If you are a foster carer or are currently looking after someone else's child, you’ll be eligible for the Foster Child Health Care Card, which provides you with access to cheaper medicines through the PBS and some discounts for foster children in your care. These concessions vary from state to state.
The Ex-carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card is available to Australians who are full-time students between the ages of 16 and 25, and it provides recipients with more affordable medications and some other discounts. The Ex-carer Allowance (child) Health Care Card is not means-tested.
Picture: Pexels and Humanservices.gov.au
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