Row 2 of 5 · Better Access and Medicare
Better Access and Medicare
Better Access is the Australian Government initiative that pays Medicare benefits to eligible people for selected mental health treatment services, wherever they live in Australia. When this guide checked on 8 October 2026, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said eligible patients could claim Medicare benefits for as many as 10 individual and 10 group therapy services each calendar year, once assessed with a clinically diagnosed mental disorder.
General information, not medical advice. Call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency, or go to the emergency department of your nearest hospital. The Department’s Better Access page is the official place to check the current rules. To check that a psychologist is registered, search Ahpra’s register of practitioners.
Dates
Figures that can change
Session numbers, referral rules and plan rules change over time. Every figure on this page is as the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Services Australia or healthdirect stated it when checked on 8 October 2026, with its source named beside it. Check the Department’s Better Access page before relying on any of them.
One rule is worth knowing first. The Department’s patient fact sheet says a GP’s or prescribed medical practitioner’s referral must come from the practice you are enrolled in for MyMedicare, or from your usual medical practitioner. Psychiatrists and paediatricians can instead refer a patient with a clinically diagnosed mental disorder directly.
The path
From a first appointment to a session
A doctor
The Department says to begin by talking with your GP, or where relevant your psychiatrist or paediatrician, and that they decide whether you are eligible. healthdirect suggests asking for a longer appointment when you book, or saying you are interested in a mental health treatment plan, and notes it can take a few visits to diagnose a mental health condition and prepare a plan.
A plan
Better Access is for people a GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician has assessed as having a mental disorder needing at least moderate care, who would benefit from a structured approach to treatment. To claim, a patient needs a mental health treatment plan (MHTP) or else a psychiatrist assessment and management plan (PAMP) in place. Psychiatrists and paediatricians can refer a patient with a clinically diagnosed mental disorder directly, without either plan.
A referral
When the referral comes from a GP or prescribed medical practitioner, a Medicare benefit is paid only if that doctor is at the practice you are enrolled in for MyMedicare, or is your usual medical practitioner. The fact sheet counts as usual a practitioner at the practice that gave most of your care over the past 12 months, or will over the next 12. Your referral says how many services it covers: up to 6 in the first course of treatment.
A review
The plan should be reviewed at least once per course of treatment, and the Department says you will typically need no more than 2 reviews a calendar year. healthdirect’s version: once you have had 6 appointments, you need to go back to your doctor to stay covered for further sessions.
The yearly limit
Medicare benefits stop at 10 individual and 10 group therapy services a calendar year, which runs from 1 January to 31 December. A person can have more sessions, but Medicare will not cover them. healthdirect adds that group therapy does not include family and couple therapy.
The figures
The numbers, as at 8 October 2026
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Individual sessions a year | Up to 10 | Department of Health, Disability and Ageing |
| Group sessions a year | Up to 10 | Department of Health, Disability and Ageing |
| Sessions per referral | Up to 6 at a time | Services Australia; the Department’s fact sheet |
| Plan reviews | At least once per course; typically no more than 2 a year | The Department’s fact sheet |
| Family or carer sessions | 2 a year, counted within the patient’s 10 individual sessions | Services Australia; the Department’s fact sheet |
| Counselling in pregnancy | If you are pregnant, or have been in the last 12 months, a doctor can refer you for counselling, and Medicare may help cover the costs of up to 3 sessions | Services Australia |
Fees
What Medicare pays, and what it does not
Services Australia puts it in one line:
“Health professionals set their own fees, so we may only cover some of the cost.”
Services Australia, mental health care and Medicare
The Department’s fact sheet says the same in more detail. Practitioners, allied health professionals included, are free to set their own fees and to decide whether to bulk bill, and have no obligation to charge the Medicare Benefits Schedule fee. Anything charged above the Medicare benefit is the patient’s to pay, and private health insurance ancillary cover cannot be used to ‘top up’ the benefit. healthdirect suggests asking about a psychiatrist’s or psychologist’s fees before you make an appointment.
Telehealth
Sessions by video or phone
The Department’s fact sheet says all eligible Australians can use MBS telehealth by video or phone, wherever they live, where it is safe and clinically appropriate, and the same yearly limits apply. Group therapy by telehealth is different: it is limited to patients in areas classified as Modified Monash Model 4 to 7, and for those group sessions by video, the fact sheet says the patient and the allied health professional must be at least 15 kilometres apart by the most direct road route at the time of the session.
Family and carers
When a family member or carer takes part
A patient’s family member or carer can use 2 Better Access services as part of the patient’s course of treatment, if the patient consents. The patient must have a plan and a referral, and benefits are paid only when the patient is not there for the session. Services Australia adds that these sessions count towards the patient’s 10 individual sessions.
Providers
Who can give Better Access services
The fact sheet lists eligible GPs and prescribed medical practitioners, psychologists who are eligible clinical or eligible registered psychologists, and eligible social workers and occupational therapists. It describes two kinds of service: psychological therapy from eligible clinical psychologists, and focussed psychological strategies from the others it names, when appropriately qualified or eligible. Who can provide CBT explains the title ‘psychologist’ and how to check the register.
A referral is not always needed to see a mental health professional, healthdirect says, but you need one to get a Medicare rebate. Some free services need no referral at all; CBT online covers them, and Help now covers the crisis lines. The home page sets the routes side by side.