Mental health care plans and telehealth: the current rules

A Mental Health Treatment Plan (commonly called a mental health care plan) unlocks Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year with a psychologist, accredited mental health social worker, or occupational therapist. Since 1 November 2025, Medicare requires the plan, its reviews, and the psychology referral to be provided at the practice you are registered with under MyMedicare, or by your usual GP. NewDoc, as a telehealth-only service, therefore does not prepare them, and this guide explains the pathway that works instead.

What is a mental health care plan?

A mental health care plan is a GP-prepared treatment plan for people experiencing mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, grief, stress, or insomnia. It sets out your concerns, your treatment goals, and the support recommended, and it acts as the referral for psychological therapy.

Once you have a plan, Medicare subsidises up to 10 individual sessions with a registered psychologist, accredited mental health social worker, or accredited occupational therapist per calendar year. Without a plan, you pay the full fee for these sessions out of pocket.

What changed on 1 November 2025

Medicare's Better Access initiative changed on 1 November 2025. From that date, the plan, its reviews, and the referral for psychological therapy must be provided:

• at the practice you are registered with under MyMedicare, or
• by your usual medical practitioner, broadly the GP or practice that has provided most of your care over the past year.

The requirement applies patient by patient, and no telehealth exemption changes it. A telehealth-only service without consulting rooms cannot be your MyMedicare-registered practice, and when NewDoc asked the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's AskMBS enquiry service about exactly this in 2026, the written answer was that telehealth services alone would not normally be expected to make a practice your usual medical practitioner. NewDoc therefore does not prepare, review, or refer under mental health care plans.

We would rather tell you that plainly than book you into a consultation that cannot deliver the rebate. Plenty of telehealth websites still advertise care plans; if the service has no physical practice you attend, the same rules apply to them.

How to get a plan under the current rules

1. Book with the practice you normally attend. Ask for a mental health appointment and mention it is for a mental health care plan, so the practice sets aside a longer consult (a new plan typically takes 20 to 40 minutes).
2. Register with MyMedicare if you have not already. You can register with your regular practice online through Medicare or at the front desk. If you do not have a regular practice, any general practice you attend in person can become that home.
3. Attend the consultation. Your GP takes a structured mental health history, often using validated screening tools, and prepares the plan with you if it is clinically appropriate.
4. Get your referral. The plan acts as the referral for psychological therapy. Your GP can address it to a specific psychologist or leave it open so you can compare providers.

If your own practice offers telehealth appointments for its patients, the plan consultation itself may still happen by video through them. Medicare has no phone item for preparing a plan, so it is video or in person, and the practice-tie rule is about which practice provides the plan, not about whether the appointment is a video call.

How many psychology sessions does Medicare cover?

Under the current Medicare rules, a mental health care plan gives you access to up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year with a registered:

• Psychologist (clinical or general)
• Social worker (accredited mental health)
• Occupational therapist (accredited mental health)

The first 6 sessions are covered under the initial plan. A review with the GP who manages your plan, at the same practice, unlocks the final 4. The session count resets on 1 January each year.

The rebate amount is set by Medicare, depends on the type of provider you see, and is indexed each year. If your psychologist bulk bills, the sessions have no out-of-pocket cost. If they charge above the Medicare rebate, you pay a gap fee. As Services Australia explains, health professionals set their own fees and Medicare may only cover some of the cost, so ask before booking.

What a NewDoc telehealth GP can still do

Mental health care is bigger than the plan document. A NewDoc GP can see you the same day, bulk billed if you're Medicare eligible, for:

• Talking through what you are experiencing and assessing how you are travelling
• Discussing treatment options, including whether a care plan is the right next step
• Medication questions, and prescriptions or repeats where clinically appropriate (see mental health support)
• Referrals to a psychiatrist, which are standard GP referrals not tied to the care-plan rules
• Practical guidance on getting a plan from your usual practice, including MyMedicare registration

Any eScript, psychiatrist referral, or medical certificate from the consult is included at no extra cost for eligible Medicare cardholders.

Do I need a mental health care plan?

You might benefit from one if:

• You are experiencing persistent low mood, anxiety, or stress that is affecting your daily life
• You want to see a psychologist but the cost is a barrier
• You have been through a difficult event (relationship breakdown, job loss, bereavement, trauma)
• You are finding it hard to cope with work, study, or family responsibilities
• You have a diagnosed mental health condition and want ongoing support

You do not need to be in crisis to access one. The program is designed for early intervention and ongoing support, not just acute situations.

If you are in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, call 000 in an emergency, or contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, 13YARN on 13 92 76 (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for 5 to 25 year olds), or PANDA on 1300 726 306 (for perinatal mental health). Telehealth is not appropriate for an acute mental health emergency.

How to get started

Book the care-plan appointment with the practice you normally attend. If you want to talk it through first, or you need support, medication, or a psychiatrist referral in the meantime, NewDoc offers same-day bulk billed telehealth consultations seven days a week for eligible Medicare cardholders.

References

• Healthdirect, Mental health treatment plan
• Services Australia, Mental health care and Medicare
• Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, MyMedicare
• Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Better Access initiative

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.