MedicarePlus SAFETY NET

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM MEDICARE

With the recent upgrade of Medicare you are now protected against high medical costs for Medicare services provided outside hospitals, including specialist treatment and IVF services.

From January 2006 the MedicarePlus Safety Net pays 80% of the out of pocket costs for Medicare services provided (outside of a hospital) for:

1. Individuals and families covered by a Commonwealth Concession Card or receiving **Family Tax Benefit (A) once out of pocket expenses (outside of a hospital) exceed $500 in a calendar year.
2. Other individuals and **families once out of pocket expenses (outside of a hospital) exceeds $1,000 in a calendar year.

**For the purposes of the MedicarePlus Safety Net a ‘family’ is designated as:

1. a legally married couple, not separated, or a man/woman defacto relationship, with or without dependant children
2. a single person with dependant children under 17 years of age, or a dependant student (full time) under 24 years.

To qualify for the MedicarePlus safety net, families need to register with Medicare. Individuals do not need to register as expenses will be calculated automatically.

$500 threshold
Once you have reached a total out of pocket of $500 Medicare will pay 80% of the out of pocket expenses for medical services provided (outside of a hospital) for the remainder of that calendar year.

$1,000 threshold
Once you have reached a total out of pocket of $1,000 Medicare will pay 80% of the out of pocket expenses for medical services provided (outside of a hospital) for the remainder of that calendar year

What you need to do once you have reached the threshold

When you have reached the threshold Medicare will confirm your details and confirm your registration as a family. If you are an individual you will automatically receive safety net benefits without being formally notified. After the threshold is reached, the higher rebate is automatically applied.

Most of IVFAustralia’s fertility treatment procedures incur out of pocket expenses and we anticipate many of our patients will be eligible for the MedicarePlus Safety Net rebates.

Please contact Medicare on 132011 for further details or consult the Health Insurance Commission web site www.medicareaustralia.gov.au and follow the links to MedicarePlus.

Should you need further clarification please do not hesitate to contact the IVFAustralia clinic you are registered with.