Older Australians missing out on $60m in unpaid Medicare benefits

Nearly a million Australians are eligible to claim millions of dollars in unclaimed Medicare benefits before Christmas.

The federal government has announced that $234m in unclaimed funds will be paid back to people without valid details updated on myGov.

There are about 300,000 people who are owed money but do not have an active myGov account.

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said people should claim by checking that their banking details were updated with Medicare before the holidays to have any unpaid funds automatically paid within three days.

“We know Australians are doing it tough, and I want to reunite people with millions in unpaid Medicare benefits before the holidays,” Mr Shorten said.

Those living in NSW have the most unpaid cash to claim back, with 284,000 citizens sitting on $72.6m in unclaimed benefits as of October 31.

There is about $59.7m unclaimed for about 243,000 Victorian residents

About 203,100 Queenslanders have $46m unclaimed rebates, and just over 100,000 West Australian residents will be eligible to recoup $27m.

Over 220,000 people aged between 18 and 24 are owed more than $49m, with the average young person eligible to claim about $240.

There is $50m in unpaid benefits for more than 260,000 Australians aged between 25 and 44.

Older Australians between 55 and 75 are missing out on $60m.

A notification will soon be sent to more than 690,000 Australians with an active myGov account, informing them that Medicare owes them money.

“We will never ask you to open a link in a text message. To securely sign in to your myGov, go to my.gov.au or use the official myGov app,” the minister said.

Contact and bank details can be easily updated through the myGov app.

For Australians without an online Medicare account, Services Australia recommends setting one up and linking it to myGov.

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