Do you Struggle to Afford Medical Care While Living on Centrelink or on a low Income?
Read on to learn how to cover some major medical expenses, afford the help you need and what free help is available for those on Centrelink or low incomes.
Disclosure, there are a couple of affiliate links in this post for things we use. Check out my full disclosure here.
1. NDIS
First and foremost, check your eligibility for help from the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Many things such as support people, one-off items like wheelchairs, connections and more are available and a plan will be tailored to you if you are eligible.
Find out more about NDIS here.
2. Ambulance
If you are on a pension, the ambulance is covered. You will likely still be sent a bill, you call and it gets sorted. Do not stress.
If you can afford private health insurance or choose to have private health insurance make sure your policy includes ambulance cover.
You will be sent the bill and you process it with your insurer so you won’t pay but you need to do it quickly.
Alternatively, you can get ambulance-only cover for under $100 a year for a family or under $50 a year for singles. This alone can save thousands.
3. Dental Care
If you have kids and get Family Tax Benefit A or a relevant payment, you are eligible for some dental treatments for them up to $1,000. You can find out more here.
For yourself, there is some public dental help available, which varies state from to state. Find more information here.
Some private health funds cover some dental care, in my experience, it doesn’t cover much and isn’t really worth it.
If you have private health insurance with extras, find out what you are entitled to. If it’s not worth it, compare and see how much you can drop your premium by getting rid of dental.
Prevention is the Best Option With Dental Costs
These are tips from a dentist:
– Get an electric toothbrush (they often go on sale for half price).
– Use it for the full 2 minutes. They have an automatic timer and will vibrate, stop, and vibrate when finished.
– Floss properly by cupping your teeth with the string and flossing. “Not flossing is like going to the bathroom and not wiping your butt!”
– Use a mouthwash or at least rinse with water to get the rest of what you flossed from your teeth out of your mouth. If you prefer all-natural, put sage in water and leave it for a few hours then rinse with that water.
– Do not wash your teeth right after soft drinks or sugary drinks as this can cause more damage.
– Limit the sugary, unhealthy foods you consume.
– Drink more water and make sure you eat well as this also helps your teeth.
– If you need urgent dental care such as a filling, root canal etc you can ring to get approximate quotes, and see if there are dentists who offer discounts for people on Centrelink or low incomes.
Ask if they have ‘cheaper times’ (e.g. some offer a reduced rate on Mondays and Tuesdays, mainly for seniors.
– If you need x-rays and have the time, request a referral to a bulk billing place, go get them done, then come back to the dentist. Not all dentists do this, but it can save money.
4. Doctor’s visits
Look for a doctor who will bulk bill, as rare as that is now. Some only bulk bill on certain days.
If it is a chronic condition, try to do the days they do bulk bill if you can or ask if they bulk bill for chronic conditions.
Some tests can be bulk billed as can results, check with your doctor or the lab if needed. Some other tests have a reduced fee when you have to do them a few times. Find out more here.
5. Specialists
While it might seem like they have a licence to print money and charge like a wounded bull, they are necessary.
If you are referred to a specialist, follow these tips to reduce the costs.
Get on the Public Waitlist ASAP
You may wait years depending on where you live, what treatment you need etc but if you aren’t on the list, you’ll never get treatment.
Location can make a huge difference to the length of the waitlist for treatments.
Shop Around and Ask for a Discount
Most specialists do not bulk bill or offer options unless you are a long-term client or on the public waitlist.
Talk to them about your situation and any potential options.
They might say no, but they might also say yes, saving you a small fortune.
Apply for Payments or Benefits you Might be Entitled to
If you have to care for someone full time there are payments or if you are disabled now because of a life change or a diagnosis etc there are payments.
Check out all the information and articles I have about Centrelink for more information.
Go On A Plan
For physiotherapy and similar treatments, your GP might be able to put you on a plan which provides you with a limited amount of treatments either bulk billed or at a reduced rate.
Ask them. We know of plans for physiotherapy, speech therapy and psychology, but there are probably more.
These plans are individual and require a longer appointment with your GP to get on the plan and get a referral but they can be worth thousands.
6. Glasses and contacts
Purchase glasses from either Zenni Optical or Eye Buy Direct.
Zenni Optical uses the same company as Specsavers. Their frames for $99 or two for one deals etc are all in the Zenni range.
Zenni has prescription glasses from $6.95 plus postage. You can upload a photo of yourself to get an idea of how you will look or try them on in Specsavers then buy online instead.
What you need to do:
– Get your eyes tested.
– Try on different styles to see what suits your face.
– Ask for the prescription including your PD or pupillary distance. (I have heard some places, especially private ones do not give them to you, so ask before you get tested).
– Jump onto Zenni, upload an image of your face, set the little crosses to your pupils then go through and ‘try’ glasses on that you like.
Pick the one you want to order, put your prescription details in and save those details in there to refer to later if you need new ones. Order and wait a few weeks.
7. Medication
Whether you need medication rarely, have a prescription for the pill or need a bunch of medications each month, there are ways to reduce the expense.
PBS
Some medications come under the PBS and if you have a health care card (or pension card) you get these medications for a heavily reduced fee.
This does not cover ALL medications though, and the cost of essential medications can be difficult for many.
Ask for the generic brand. There generally isn’t a difference except for the packaging.
Unless your doctor is explicit about you needing the brand name, ask if generic is ok then get the cheaper option from your pharmacist.
Compare Pharmacies
Medications as well as regular items are priced differently, despite being the same brand, size, and everything else at different stores.
This applies to prescription medicines too. Ask how much they cost at each and compare as the prices can differ.
Join reward clubs
Many pharmacies have loyalty programs you can join and collect points whenever you make a purchase which can be redeemed for money off future purchases.
See our list of VIP and loyalty programs.
Keep track of it
Make sure you get your scripts before they expire so you don’t need to pay for an extra appointment or script from the doctor.
Take your medication as instructed or it won’t be as effective.
8. Educate yourself
Learn about your conditions, what helps and what makes them worse. Keep a diary to make notes for yourself as well.
Use apps to track everything where possible such as symptoms, days things happen etc. It will help significantly when at your appointments.
For some conditions, certain foods will cause issues. With other conditions, too much or too little movement can impact them.
Get to know your body, your conditions and what works for you.
9. Watch What You Eat
Alcohol, sugar, high acid food and most processed foods can aggravate many conditions, especially ones that have chronic pain involved.
Do some research to find out which foods help and which foods make your condition worse.
10. Stay hydrated
We underestimate the value of water and how it helps our bodies, helps us heal and reduces many issues.
Our bodies are mainly water, if we don’t drink enough we cannot function properly.
Drink at least 2 to 3 Litres a day.
11. Try other options
For starters, most people go to the doctor for sniffles and coughs which are viruses and they expect antibiotics.
Most of the time the doctor can’t give you anything and the appointment is a waste of money.
Talk to your pharmacist and they can offer some suggestions or tell you if you need to see a doctor.
Call the health line on 1800 022 222 before going to your GP or the hospital, they can often advise what you should do.
Check out medical co-ops which have a monthly or annual fee and provide medical care.
A list of options can be found here.
Leave emergency or 000 for ACTUAL emergencies. I cannot stress this enough.
People die because emergency services are tied up in dealing with non-emergencies.
How do you get the Money to pay for Medical Treatment?
If you have been struck down by illness or injury, the medical bills are one problem, the inability to work and pay for everything in life is usually another which adds to the stress making it next to impossible to get better.
1. Check if you are Eligible for Centrelink benefits
If you are going to be off work for a while, change your income status so your family tax benefit, rent assistance and other payments adjust.
Check what else you might be eligible for. Disability is notoriously hard to get and it might not be the right benefit for your situation.
But you might be able to get another payment with a medical exemption if you are partnered, they might be eligible for carers payment and allowance.
Check this part of the Centrelink website to see if there are any one-off payments or assistance available to you.
2. Private Health Insurance
We have a fairly good medical system in Australia, however, waitlists can be years.
If you can afford private health insurance, you will get in everywhere quicker and be treated differently.
It would be nice if we were all treated the same but the reality is, private patients get seen quicker and have more options.
If you already need the assistance, private health insurance probably isn’t going to help immediately.
If you have it, check what you can claim and what assistance you can get.
Compare to ensure you are on the best deal and that you are covered for what you need.
Many private health insurance extras aren’t worth it unless you already use those services.
Hospital or ambulance can be, especially if you have medical issues or are not eligible for a pension/low-income card.
3. Find Alternative Ways to Make Money
A job is not the only way to make money
Aside from Centrelink benefits, it can be difficult to find other ways to make money. Read 43 ways for single mums to make money and 22 ways to make money on the side in 2022.
You can also try these options:
Online surveys – the best ones we have used are here.
Become a freelance writer (tips on how to do that here) or a virtual assistant (tips on that here).
Buy stuff to resell (we made over $10,000 a month doing that).
Mystery shopping (tips in this article) or market research (tips here) are two options that provide money occasionally.
How do you afford medical care when living on Centrelink?
Sounds like you are teaching people how to bludge off the system.
Hi Lea, it is unfortunate you view it that way. So many people cannot afford medical and most of the information above isn’t about government payments. I’ve received numerous emails about this specific article and how it has enabled people to get medical treatment and get back to work instead of remaining on the system.
Maybe check out the research on what happens long term if people can’t get medical treatment. It can see people stuck on payments for years compared to getting the medical help and getting back to work quickly which costs significantly more than these minor medical assistance.
My husband has macular degeneration in his eye and has to have injections every mth at a cost of $549 each time as on pension we can not afford this
Allied health can often be found cheaper through university clinics. I’ve used quite a few and they’re fantastic – on top of the learning, fully supervised … would always recommend looking into what you can access near you.