Health & Ageing Factsheet

Things you should know

• The Extended Medicare Safety Net now recognises same-sex couples as a family. This means that if you see a doctor or have tests regularly, your costs are combined, making it likely you’ll reach the threshold sooner. Once you meet the threshold, Medicare will reimburse you 80% of all further out-of-pocket expenses for out-of-hospital Medicare services, except for selected items where the benefits are capped. You must register your family on the Medicare Safety Net to receive these benefits.
• The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Safety Net threshold is designed to help lower the costs of medicines for your family. It now recognises same-sex couples as a family for the purposes of the threshold. This means that expenses are combined, saving you money if members of your family need a lot of prescription medicine: once your family reaches the threshold in a calendar year, you will pay less for your medication. There are two different thresholds, one for concession card holders and one for general patients. In order to receive these benefits you need to keep a record on your PBS Prescription Record Forms and apply for a Safety Net card.
• If you or your dependent child is still living in your family home when your partner enters a residential aged care facility, that house will no longer be included in the assets assessment for the purposes of calculating an accommodation bond or accommodation charge. This could mean reduced costs associated with accommodation in aged care facilities, and also protects the partner still at home from having to sell off the family home in order to meet expenses.
• When determining an accommodation bond or accommodation charge amount, assets of both partners are used to calculate the accommodation payment for entry into an aged care facility (each person is deemed to own 50% of the total asset value of the couple).
• Reforms to the definition of a couple will not affect people who moved into aged care facilities before 1 July 2009 in respect of his or her accommodation bond or accommodation charge. If a resident moves to a different aged care facility after 1 July, they may have another asset assessment, which could affect the calculation of the resident’s accommodation bond or accommodation charge in the new facility.
• In determining an aged care resident’s income tested fee the total deemed income of the couple will be considered. Each member of the couple is deemed to own a 50% share of the couple’s total income. If an income tested fee is applicable, it will be based on the resident’s 50% share of total income.
• Same-sex couples can now have both their name and their partner’s name appear on their Medicare card. You can request this by contacting Medicare.
• Under the Age Discrimination Act 2004 people providing private accommodation are exempt from discrimination laws a ‘near relative’ of the accommodation provider resides at the premises. The term ‘near relative‘ now includes same-sex partners, their children and their respective families.
• The same sex partner of an eligible client of the Australian Government Hearing Services Program is now eligible for the Program.
• • Changes to social security law mean that in most cases your same-sex de facto partner’s income will now be taken into account when calculating payment rates for all payments made by Centrelink, the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Family Assistance Office, eg Aged Pension, Disability Support Pension, War Widow’s/Widowers Pension. Please see the Social Security Factsheet for more information about this.

Frequently asked Questions

The Health & Ageing laws that have changed

#76

Health Insurance Act 1973

#77

Aged Care Act 1997

#78

Age Discrimination Act 2004

#79

Medibank Private Sale Act 2006

#80

National Health Act 1953