Medicare and government services apps

Accessing Medicare the traditional way

To take advantage of Medicare rebates and make claims without the use of technology, you can visit a government services offices in your state (such as Service NSW or Services Victoria), where you'll need to fill in forms and join a queue.

The Medicare app is an alternative

Instead of queuing, you can use the Medicare app to take care of many things you might need to do with your Medicare account.

You can lodge a claim, sort out your banking details for receiving benefit payments, and you can organise to get your Medicare card replaced if it's lost, damaged, or has expired.

How to set up the Medicare app

To get started with the Medicare app, you'll need a MyGov account, set up with a username and password. You'll use this to sign in to the Medicare app.

You can find out more about creating a MyGov account in the Introduction to MyGov topic.

Other government service apps are state based

Medicare is a national service, but other government service apps are different, depending on the state you live in. For example, in NSW the app is called Service NSW.

You can find out more about your state or territory government's online services in the State and territory government services online topic.

Government services apps can store ID

Some government services apps let you store digital versions of certain identity (ID) documents, such as your drivers licence. This can be handy if you ever forget your licence or need to show some ID and don't want to go digging through your purse or wallet.

Other features of government services apps

Your government service app also includes lots of other information collected in one convenient place. Depending on your state, you might find information about:

• vouchers
• events
• what to do during natural disasters such as floods and bushfires.

Other features of government services apps (cont'd)

Your government services app might also let you:

• manage your car's registration
• check the status of your drivers licence
• see if you have any demerit points.

These apps also save you time on the phone

Both the Medicare app and your government services app will save you lots of time on the phone waiting on hold. In particular, if you just need to check a detail or find out some basic information, you can look in the app instead of having to call.

eSafety tip

The Medicare app and your government services app are designed to help you access everyday information. If you have a problem or issue, you can always call Medicare on 13 20 11, or your state's government service and speak to someone to help.

Well done!

This is the end of the Medicare and government services apps activity. You've learned about the apps that help you access these services quickly and easily.

Next up is the Banking apps activity where you can find out about doing everyday banking using an app, and some of the benefits to doing this.