Aussies urged to claim share of $241 million in unpaid Medicare benefits
More than 930,000 Australians are owed their share of $241 million in unclaimed Medicare benefits.
The unpaid Medicare benefits have been withheld from recipients who have not updated their bank details, the Department of Social Services said on Thursday.
The average Australian is owed about $260 each, but 200 Australians are owed more than $10,000.
Young people seem to be owed the most, with more than $52m owed to more than 224,000 Aussies aged between 18 and 24.
“Once you update your details, Services Australia will pay your unpaid benefits within three days,” National Disability Insurance Scheme and Government Services minister Bill Shorten said.
He added that it takes less than a minute for the average person with a myGov account linked to Medicare to check and update their bank details.
Those owed money are being notified directly through their myGov inbox.
“Services Australia is in the process of sending over half a million notifications to people’s myGov inbox asking them to update their details,” Shorten said.
He added that in the last financial year, Services Australia paid nearly $30bn in Medicare benefits, and since December 2023, they have reunited over half a million Australians with $117 million in unpaid benefits.
“We know a bit of extra money is always welcome in the lead up to the holidays – so there’s no better time than now to check if your bank details with Medicare are current, and if you have any unpaid benefits," Shorten said.
“With everyone doing it tough due to cost of living, this is good news for nearly a million Aussies from all walks of life all over Australia.”
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