Thousands of Aussies missing out on $225million in unclaimed Medicare benefits – here’s how you can check if you’re owed money
Hundreds of thousands of Australians are missing out on Medicare benefits which have been left unclaimed due to an issue which can be easily fixed.
A massive $225million in Medicare payments remains in the coffers of government agency Services Australia.
The unpaid benefits have been mounting up because millions of Aussies have not updated their details on their Medicare and MyGov accounts.
Hundreds of thousands of Aussies are yet to claim their Medicare (pictured) benefits as their details are not up to date on their Medicare and MyGov accounts
Figures obtained from Services Australia at the end of August show more than 954,000 Australians are eligible to receive their share of unclaimed benefits.
NSW has the largest number of residents with unclaimed repayments.
Almost 280,000 people are yet to claim almost a whopping $70million in benefits.
About 237,000 Victorians are yet to claim benefits worth more than $57 million while almost 200,000 Queenslanders are eligible for more than $44million in repayments.
Opposition government services spokesman Paul Fletcher lashed out at the government for keeping money from those that need it most.
He urged Government Services Minister Bill Shorten to ‘come clean’ and explain why the government is ‘sitting on so much money rather than it being directed to the relevant customers’.
‘Millions of families are struggling, and we have a government that focuses more on spin than substance when it comes to supporting households,’ Mr Fletcher claimed.
Thousands of Aussies are yet to claim Medicare benefits worth more than $200million according to figures (pictured) obtained from the Services Australia website
Liberal government services spokesman Paul Fletcher (pictured) urged the government to release the payments to those who need it most
General Manager of Services Australia Hank Jongen said the repayments cannot be processed until recipients update their details online.
‘The agency can’t make payments to Medicare claimants if there isn’t a valid bank account registered to their Medicare account, or if the details are incorrect,’ Mr Jongen said.
‘Once bank details are updated, unclaimed Medicare benefits are usually made within three days.’
Services Australia states on its website that payment will be withheld until they have the correct details from customers.
‘We’ll hold your Medicare benefit if we don’t have your bank details,’ the website states.
‘As soon as you tell us your bank account details, we can pay you your Medicare benefits.
‘We’ll automatically pay any future benefits into this account once we assess and approve your claim.’
The Services Australia website states people can only claim their Medicare benefits if the agency has the correct details for the customer, otherwise the repayments will be withheld
People have been urged to update their contact and bank details on their Medicare and MyGov accounts to ensure they get their payments.
Those without a Medicare account have also been urged to set one up and link it to their MyGov account so their details are up to date.
People can also contact or visit their nearest service centre to get assistance in managing their details.
The simple workaround would allow refunds and payments to be processed and sent to recipients.