Strengthening Medicare

Access to healthcare should depend on your Medicare card, not your credit card. That’s why we’re strengthening Medicare by making it easier for more Australians to see a doctor, buy cheaper medicine, and get the healthcare they need.

On this page

  1. Cheaper medicines
  2. Making it easier to see a doctor
  3. Mental health
  4. Women's health
  5. More information
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Cheaper medicines

We've made medicine cheaper. On 1 January 2023, we reduced the maximum amount you'll pay for PBS medicines.

Find out more and check if your medicine is on the PBS.

And we're freezing the maximum cost of PBS prescriptions until 1 January 2026. This means no one will pay more than $31.60 for a PBS script. And for Australians with pensioner or concession cards, we've frozen the price for 5 years, until 1 January 2030. So those Australians won't pay more than $7.70 for the medicine they need.

We've cut medicine costs further with 60-day prescriptions. Nearly 200 medicines are available for a 60-day prescription for a range of ongoing health conditions. Australians with eligible prescriptions are now able to collect twice the medication for the cost of a single prescription.

Find out if your prescription is eligible.

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Making it easier to see a doctor

We're expanding the network of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics to a total of 87 across the country. This means more Australians can better access the care they need and it will take pressure off busy hospital emergency departments. These new bulk-billed clinics are open 7 days a week with extended hours, and all you'll need is your Medicare card.

Find a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic near you.

Find a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic near you.

We're making the biggest-ever investment in bulk billing. It will help more than 11 million children under 16, pensioners and other Commonwealth concession card holders see the doctor for free.

Find out more about bulk-billed GP appointments.

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Mental health

Living in a rural or regional area shouldn't mean going without mental health support. That's why we've restored funding for video mental health consultations in rural and regional areas. We've brought back access to this vital support for even our smallest towns.

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Women's health

We're delivering Australia's first Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics across all states and territories. The 22 clinics provide expert, multidisciplinary services and care for women with endometriosis and pelvic pain.

We're also delivering a tailored women's health package to tackle gender bias in the health system, upskill medical professionals, and improve sexual and reproductive care for women. 

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More information

For more information about accessing the healthcare you need, visit Department of Health and Aged Care.

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