See how close you are to reaching the Medicare Safety Net — and how much you could save on future medical costs this year.
When you see a doctor who doesn't bulk bill, you pay a gap — the difference between what the doctor charges and what Medicare pays back. The Medicare Safety Net means that once your gaps add up to a certain amount in a calendar year, Medicare starts paying you back more for the rest of that year.
There are two safety nets — think of them as two rungs on a ladder. The first kicks in earlier and helps a bit; the bigger one kicks in later and helps a lot.
Once your gaps hit this amount, Medicare pays 100% of the schedule fee instead of 85%. You still pay anything above the schedule fee.
💡 On a $290 specialist visit, roughly $24 goes toward this.
Once your total out-of-pocket costs hit this amount, Medicare pays 80% of your future out-of-pocket costs for the rest of the year (capped per service).
💡 On the same $290 visit, roughly $155 goes toward this.
Confused by the two different numbers? That's normal — even doctors mix them up. See the walk-through examples below before using the calculator.
Sarah has diabetes and high blood pressure. She sees her GP every 2 weeks. Her GP charges $95. Medicare rebates $45.05 (the Level B schedule fee). Sarah pays $49.95 out of pocket each time.
What Sarah looks at in myGov: "Extended Medicare Safety Net balance." That's her running total.
David sees a cardiologist regularly. Consult fee $290. MBS schedule fee is $158.15. Medicare pays 85% of the schedule fee = $134.45.
See how the two numbers are different? That's why they're tracked separately. After David crosses $594.40 in OMSN gap (roughly 25 specialist visits with no other services), Medicare pays 100% of the schedule fee for the rest of the year — he starts saving that $23.70 gap on every specialist consult.
What David looks at in myGov: Both OMSN and EMSN balances (they're shown separately in the Safety Net section).
The Nguyens hold general Medicare cards (no concession). They registered as a family with Medicare — this pools all four members' out-of-pocket costs toward one shared threshold.
Between the kids' allergy specialist, mum's physiotherapy referrals, and dad's cardiology follow-ups, their combined out-of-pocket costs hit $2,699.10 in October. For the last two months of the year, Medicare pays them an additional 80% back on top of the standard rebate (capped per service — usually $50–$300 saved per visit depending on the item).
Key point: if the Nguyens hadn't registered as a family, each of them would have their own separate threshold — and none of them might have reached it. Registering as a family can be the difference between saving hundreds of dollars and saving nothing. Call 132 011 or register in myGov.
Find these numbers in myGov → Medicare → Safety Net. Not sure which is which? See examples above.
The Medicare Safety Net provides additional Medicare rebates once you've spent a certain amount on out-of-hospital Medicare services in a calendar year (1 January – 31 December). There are two separate thresholds:
Original Medicare Safety Net (OMSN): Once the gap between what Medicare pays and the MBS schedule fee reaches the threshold, Medicare pays 100% of the schedule fee for the rest of the year (instead of the usual 85% for non-GP services).
Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN): Once your total out-of-pocket costs (the amount above the Medicare rebate) reach the EMSN threshold, Medicare pays an additional 80% of your future out-of-pocket costs for eligible services for the rest of the year, up to a benefit cap per service.
Both thresholds reset on 1 January each year.
Only out-of-hospital Medicare services count toward the Safety Net. This includes: GP visits (if not bulk-billed), specialist consultations, pathology, imaging, allied health services attracting a Medicare rebate, and some procedures done outside of hospital.
Not included: Hospital services (even as a private patient), PBS medicines, ambulance, dental (unless Medicare-eligible), optical, and services with no Medicare rebate.
Individuals are automatically registered for the Safety Net. However, families (including couples) need to register as a family to pool their out-of-pocket costs together — this helps you reach the threshold faster.
You can register your family online through myGov, at a Medicare service centre, or by calling Medicare on 132 011. Eligible family members include spouses/partners and dependent children under 16 (or under 25 if full-time students).