Who is eligible for bulk billing?

Abby Health bulk bills most telehealth consultations for eligible patients, meaning Medicare covers the consultation in full and there is no out-of-pocket cost for eligible patients. To be eligible, you generally need a valid green Medicare card, you need to be physically located in Australia at the time of your appointment, and your consultation needs to be for a service Medicare covers under the MBS telehealth items. If you don't hold a Medicare card, privately billed consultations with an Abby clinician are still available.

What bulk billing actually means

Bulk billing is a Medicare arrangement. When a clinician bulk bills you, they accept the Medicare benefit as full payment for the consultation and bill Medicare directly. You sign nothing, you pay nothing at the counter, and there is no rebate to claim back later. It's the quiet, tidy version of Medicare — the way it was always meant to feel.

For a deeper explainer on how Abby handles this end-to-end, see Is Abby bulk billed?

Who qualifies for a bulk-billed Abby consultation

To access a bulk-billed telehealth consultation with an Abby Specialist GP or Nurse Practitioner, you'll generally need to meet all of the following:

• A valid green Medicare card. Your card must be current — not expired — and the name on the card must match the person attending the appointment.
• Physically in Australia at the time of the appointment. Medicare telehealth items are only payable for consultations that happen while you are inside Australia. A card alone isn't enough if you're overseas that day.
• A consultation that fits an MBS telehealth item. The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) includes specific telehealth items for GP and Nurse Practitioner consultations. Most everyday primary-care reasons — a sore throat, a script review, a mental-health check-in, a follow-up — sit neatly inside these items.

Interstate Medicare cardholders are fully eligible. A card issued in Queensland works the same way in Tasmania; Medicare is federal, not state-based.

What about DVA cardholders?

If you hold a current DVA Gold or White Card, your GP and Nurse Practitioner consultations are generally covered under DVA arrangements rather than Medicare, at no out-of-pocket cost for covered services. When you create your Abby account, you can tell us you're a DVA cardholder and our team will confirm how your consultation is billed before you see a clinician.

If you don't have Medicare eligibility

Some people living in Australia aren't eligible for Medicare — for example, many international students whose home country doesn't have a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, or people on certain temporary visas. If that's you, Medicare bulk billing isn't available, but Abby can still help:

• Privately billed consultations with an Abby Specialist GP or Nurse Practitioner are available. The fee is shown clearly before you book, so there are no surprises.
• If you hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) or Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC), you may be able to claim part of the consultation fee back from your insurer. We'll issue a paid invoice so you can lodge the claim.
• International students from reciprocal-agreement countries (such as the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Slovenia, Malta, New Zealand, and Italy) may be eligible to enrol in Medicare for medically necessary care. If you've enrolled and hold a card, bulk billing applies as normal.

The care itself is the same care, delivered by the same Specialist GPs and Nurse Practitioners, supported by the same clinical standards. Only the billing pathway changes.

Ready to book?

If you have a valid Medicare card and you're in Australia, you can follow the steps in How do I book a bulk-billed appointment on Abby? If you're not sure whether you're eligible, create an account and our team will confirm before your appointment begins.

Frequently asked questions

My Medicare card expired last month — can I still be bulk billed?

Not until it's renewed. You can renew your card quickly through the Medicare app or myGov. Once the new card is issued, your next consultation can be bulk billed in the usual way.

I'm an Australian citizen travelling overseas — can I have a bulk-billed telehealth appointment?

No. Medicare telehealth items require you to be physically in Australia at the time of the consultation. If you're overseas, a privately billed consultation may still be possible, subject to the clinician's judgement about what's safe to manage remotely.

Does bulk billing cover everything in the consultation?

Bulk billing covers the clinician's consultation fee under the relevant MBS item. Some things that may sit outside the consult itself — for example, certain procedures, specialist referrals, or allied-health services — aren't always covered by the same item. Your clinician will explain if anything falls outside bulk billing before it happens.

My child is on my Medicare card — are they eligible?

Yes. Children listed on a parent's or guardian's valid green Medicare card are eligible for bulk-billed consultations on the same terms, provided the parent or guardian is present (or has consented) as appropriate for the child's age.

What if I'm not sure whether I'm eligible?

Create an account and enter your Medicare details. Our team verifies eligibility before the consultation, and if anything looks off we'll reach out before you're charged. No guesswork required.

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