Is telehealth free in Australia?

Yes, telehealth can be completely free in Australia when the GP bulk bills the consultation. Bulk billing means the doctor accepts the Medicare benefit as full payment, so the patient has no out-of-pocket cost. You need a valid Medicare card and to meet current Medicare telehealth provisions. Not every telehealth provider bulk bills, and some charge extra fees for scripts, medical certificates, or referrals, so it pays to check before you book.

What "free telehealth" actually means

In Australia, a GP visit is either bulk billed or privately billed. With bulk billed telehealth, the doctor charges Medicare directly at the scheduled fee and the patient pays nothing. With private billing, the patient pays upfront and claims a Medicare rebate back, leaving a gap (the out-of-pocket cost) between the rebate and the doctor's fee.

A telehealth consultation is "free" from the patient's point of view only when it is bulk billed. The Medicare rebate is the same regardless of whether the visit happens by video, phone, or in person, so the difference is entirely about whether the provider accepts the rebate as full payment. For a deeper breakdown of how bulk billing works in telehealth specifically, see Is telehealth bulk billed in Australia?.

Who is eligible for bulk billed telehealth?

Three things determine eligibility:

• A valid Medicare card. Australian citizens, permanent residents, and some visa holders are eligible. Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) card holders may also be covered for medically necessary care.
• Location under current telehealth provisions. Most of Australia is covered. Some specific item numbers still have location-based or relationship-based rules; the platform checks eligibility at the time of booking.
• The clinical nature of the consult. Some Medicare telehealth item numbers apply to common GP consults; others are specialist, mental health, or procedure-specific.

Your telehealth provider will run the eligibility check when you book. If you do not meet the criteria, a private fee applies and you will see the price before you confirm.

What is included at no extra cost?

At NewDoc, a bulk billed telehealth consultation for an eligible Medicare patient includes:

• The consultation itself, by phone or video
• Any eScript issued during the appointment, sent to your phone
• Any medical certificate for work, school, university, or carer's leave
• Any pathology or imaging referral
• Any specialist or allied-health referral
• A Mental Health Treatment Plan, if one is clinically appropriate

Not every telehealth provider includes all of these in the bulk billed consult. Some charge extra for certificates or scripts on top of the Medicare-rebated visit.

What is not covered by "free" telehealth?

A few things are outside the scope of a bulk billed GP consult:

• The medication itself. Your eScript is free to issue, but you still pay the pharmacy price for the medicine. Many prescriptions are subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), so the out-of-pocket cost at the pharmacy is usually modest.
• Specialist appointments. A GP referral is free at NewDoc, but the specialist you see may charge a private fee beyond the Medicare rebate. Some specialists bulk bill; most do not.
• Dental and optometry. Medicare covers very limited dental services; most dental and some optometry costs are separate.
• Consultations outside Medicare-eligible scope. For example, certain cosmetic or lifestyle-only services are not Medicare-rebated and fall outside the bulk billed pathway.
• Consultations where you are not Medicare-eligible. If you do not hold a valid Medicare card, a private telehealth fee applies. NewDoc's private fee is capped (up to $69.95 for a standard consult) and is disclosed at the time of booking.

How do I know a telehealth provider will bulk bill me?

The eligibility check is usually part of the booking flow. At NewDoc, you complete a short questionnaire and your Medicare details are verified before the appointment is confirmed; if you are eligible, the consultation and included services cost you nothing. If you are not eligible, the private fee is shown on-screen so there are no surprises.

It is worth asking the provider directly if:

• You want cover for a family member under the same card
• You are on a bridging or temporary visa with partial Medicare entitlement
• You are near a state border or overseas and unsure if telehealth provisions apply
• You are booking a specialist or Mental Health Treatment Plan and want to confirm what is included

Is all telehealth in Australia bulk billed?

No. There are several different billing models across providers:

• Bulk billed by default. NewDoc and some other telehealth services bulk bill every eligible Medicare patient automatically.
• Hybrid. Some providers bulk bill concession card holders or after-hours bookings and privately bill others.
• Private only. A few telehealth services charge a flat private fee and offer the Medicare rebate back to the patient. These are "free after rebate" at best, not truly free.

If cost matters, confirm the billing model up front. The words "may be bulk billed" and "Medicare rebate available" usually mean the provider is not fully bulk billing.

How to book a bulk billed telehealth consult

Visit NewDoc bulk billed telehealth to book. The booking takes under two minutes, eligibility is checked automatically, and same-day appointments are available seven days a week. For eligible Medicare patients, the consultation and everything issued during it are included at no cost.

Written by

Dr. Jason Yu FRACGP

Chief Medical Officer, NewDoc

A practising GP with over a decade of clinical experience, specialising in allergies, metabolic health, and chronic disease management.