THE HON BILL SHORTEN MP
MINISTER FOR THE NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME
MINISTER FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICES
SENATOR ANNE URQUHART
CHIEF GOVERNMENT WHIP IN THE SENATE
SENATOR FOR TASMANIA
MEDIA RELEASE
TASMANIANS OWED $4M IN UNCLAIMED MEDICARE BENEFITS
Tasmanians are being urged to check their eligibility to claim close to $4 million of unpaid Medicare benefits.
20 000 Tasmanians are currently missing out on Medicare rebates they are owed.
Minister for Government Services, the Hon Bill Shorten MP and Anne Urquhart, Senator for Tasmania, explained that it’s common for people to forget to update their details with Medicare when they move house or change banks.
“Medicare payments are held by Services Australia when a customer’s bank details aren’t valid,” Minister Shorten said.
“Services Australia will try to contact people with held Medicare payments to let them know, however contact details are often also out of date.
“The quickest and easiest way to check your details with Medicare is through the new myGov app, which is available in the App Store and Google Play. Over 1 million people have already downloaded the myGov app since its release in December 2022, which takes less than a minute to do.
“If you don’t have a Medicare online account, you can set one up and link it to your myGov.
“After you update your details, Services Australia will usually pay you any unclaimed benefits within a few days.”
Senator Urquhart said, “It’s easy to check if you’re one of the 20,000 Tasmanians who are owed a share of the $4 million. Simply log into your Medicare online account, check and update your bank details.”
“I urge Tasmanians to check their details are up-to-date. It’s important that people don’t miss out on any Medicare rebates they might be owed,” said Senator Urquhart.
Nationally there are over $200 million of unclaimed Medicare payments being held by Services Australia.
More information on updating your bank details with Medicare is available on the Services Australia website at servicesaustralia.gov.au/medicare-online-account-help-update-your-bank-account-details
More information on the myGov app is available at my.gov.au/app including direct links to the app in the App Store and Google Play.
[ENDS]
Media contacts:
Isabella Tilley (Shorten) 0414 894 040
Susan Wallace (Urquhart) 0418 372 198
