Rebates

There are various rebates available for psychology consultations.

Medicare rebates – Better Access Initiative

Medicare rebates are available to individuals who are referred by their GP under a Mental Health Care Plan, by a psychiatrist or (in the case of children) a pediatrician.

How much will I get back?
The amount you can claim back depends on your personal situation. See the medicare website for further information about calculating your personal rebate.

The table below offers a guide about the amount of money to expect back from medicare per session. This is a guide only, and will vary depending on the length of session, the location of the session, and whether you have reached the medicare safety net.

	Psychologist	Clinical Psychologist
Initial Consultation	$84.80 – $232.96	$124.50 – $264.90
Standard Consultation	$84.40 – $165.31	$124.50 – $189.13
Review Consultation	$60.10 – $104.35	$84.80 – $121.20
Group Consultation	N/A	$31.65 – $66.33 (per session)

Note: that the maximum amounts described above apply to people who qualify for the medicare safety net. You can find out if you are eligible by contacting Medicare Australia.

How many sessions can I claim a medicare rebate for?
Eligible people can claim a medicare rebate for up to 10 individual sessions and 10 group sessions per calendar year under the Better Access Initiative. Some individuals may also be able to claim a further rebate under the Chronic Disease Management initiative.

Medicare rebates – Chronic Disease Management items

This initiative applies to individuals with a complex and/or chronic medical illness. It allows them to claim a Medicare rebate for up to five visits (in total) to allied health professionals within a calendar year. The person must be referred by a GP who is managing them under a GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements (TCA). These arrangements are developed in conjunction with at least two other allied health professionals, and referrals are provided to those allied health services the GP believes will be of most benefit to the patient/client. In some cases an individual may be eligible to obtain rebates for psychology services under both the Better Access Initiative and the Chronic Disease Management initiative.

Private health fund rebates

Some private health funds also offer rebates for psychology services, and this can significantly reduce the cost of treatment. Rebates will depend on your fund and your level of cover, so we suggest you contact your fund directly for further information.

Please note that it is not possible to claim both a medicare and a private health fund rebate for the same session and that some funds request that you use your allotted medicare rebates before applying for a rebate from them.