The following information has been copied from the Department of Health and Ageing
website.
Click here to see the full version on their website.
The scheme is aimed to help people with long-term medical illnesses, where poor dental
health may be part of their problem. Medicare provides a rebate for most dental treatment
including diagnosis, prevention, fillings, extractions, crowns, implants, orthodontics,
and dentures. Eligible patients can receive up to $4,250 in rebates over the 2 calendar
years following the first dental visit.
Your GP will determine if you are eligible. You must have:
- A chronic medical condition and complex care needs, and
- Your dental health must also be affecting, or likely to affect, your general health.
Patients can be billed in one of three ways:
- The patient is bulk-billed (there is no co-payment); or
- The patient pays the full amount at the end of each appointment and claims the rebate
from Medicare; or
- The patient is given an invoice and claims a cheque from Medicare for the rebate
to pay the dentist. The patient pays the gap between the fee and the rebate.
In our practice, we have a flat fee for the first visit which helps to cover the
cost of the mandatory reporting. All subsequent treatment is bulk-billed except for
crowns and bridges where there is a significant laboratory cost.
A more detailed introductory letter can be seen by clicking here or contact our receptionist.
