With the cost of living surging, every dollar counts. Yet nearly one million Australians are missing out on cash that is rightfully theirs, owed to them in the form of unclaimed Medicare rebates.

Are you one of them?

New figures obtained from Services Australia revealed that as of August, over 954,000 people across the country have Medicare rebates, adding up to a staggering $225 million waiting to be claimed.

But why are so many rebates going unclaimed? And what can you do to ensure you receive every cent you're entitled to?

Over 954,000 Aussies are eligible for a Medicare rebate. Credit: Shutterstock

What are Medicare rebates, and why are they unclaimed?

Medicare rebates help cover some of the medical services you availed. The rebate is the amount that Medicare contributes, reducing your out-of-pocket expenses.

The main reason why the rebates are still unclaimed is that people's contact details are not up to date. If Medicare doesn't have your current bank details, they can't pay you the rebate.

'The agency can't make payments to Medicare claimants if there isn't a valid bank account registered to their Medicare account or if the details are incorrect,' said Services Australia's General Manager Hank Jongen.

'Once bank details are updated, unclaimed Medicare benefits are usually made within three days,' he added.

It is understood that Services Australia will hold the rebates if they don’t have the claimant’s bank details.

‘We’ll write to you within two days of assessing your claim. We’ll tell you how to give us your bank details so we can pay you,’ they said.

‘Keep in mind we only send one letter. We won’t write to you each time we hold your Medicare benefit,’ the agency clarified.

Have you moved house or changed banks recently? This could see your rebates held up unless you update your info.

How much is going unclaimed across Australia?

As of writing, the amount of unclaimed rebates for each state is exponential.

15,000 residents of the Australian Capital Territory are eligible for $4.1 million of rebates, while New South Wales has a total of $69.7 million to be distributed to 278,000 people.

In the Northern Territory, 7,000 residents were owed $1.5 million, and $44.1 million were waiting for 198,000 eligible claimants from Queensland.

Meanwhile, 75,000 residents from South Australia are entitled to $16.7 million, and 20,000 people from Tasmania can claim $4.4 million.

The state of Victoria has a total of $57.4 million in Medicare rebates for 237,000 people, and Western Australia’s 116,000 residents are eligible to claim $26 million.

You can see the full list here:

A breakdown of the unclaimed rebates per state. Credit: Services Australia

How can you claim your share?

Eligible Aussies can make their claims for these rebates by signing in to their myGov account and updating their account details:

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We also have detailed instructions in the previous article about Medicare rebates. You can visit it here.

Services Australia suggested that those who don’t have an online Medicare account should set one up and link it to their myGov account.

You can also visit the nearest service centre in your area to get your details updated.

'Millions of families are struggling, and we have a government that focuses more on spin than substance when it comes to supporting households,' said Opposition Government Services Spokesman Paul Fletcher.

‘Mr Shorten needs to get his act together and have his agency devise a plan to reach these affected customers. Putting it in the ‘too-hard’ basket is unacceptable, and Australians deserve better,’ he declared.

Key Takeaways

• The Coalition has accused Labor of withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid Medicare benefits owed to nearly one million Australians.
  
• Services Australia claims that the unclaimed money belongs to Australians who have not updated their details, and they cannot make payments to Medicare claimants if there isn't a valid bank account registered to their Medicare account.
  
• Over 278,000 NSW residents have $69.7m in unclaimed Medicare benefits, followed by about 237,000 Victorians with $57.4m unclaimed and 198,000 Queenslanders with $44.1m unclaimed.
  

Have you checked if you’re eligible for the rebate, members? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[Gaena]

Am I the only one who is worried about changing their bank details listed with Medicare? I recently received a cheque from Medicare as payment for an out of pocket expense and realised that the bank details I did have with them must be incorrect, after news of so many Hacked government web sites I am feeling a little worried about updating my bank details with them, I cannot lose anything but time and inconvienience if my current details are incorrect can I?

 

[Pierre-Poppi]

Am I the only one who is worried about changing their bank details listed with Medicare? I recently received a cheque from Medicare as payment for an out of pocket expense and realised that the bank details I did have with them must be incorrect, after news of so many Hacked government web sites I am feeling a little worried about updating my bank details with them, I cannot lose anything but time and inconvienience if my current details are incorrect can I?

I'm the same. I've been caught out once, never again.