Thousands of Aussies lose $225 million in unclaimed Medicare benefits – here’s how to check if you’re owed money
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Hundreds of thousands of Australians are missing out on unclaimed Medicare benefits because of an easily fixable problem.
A massive $225 million Medicare payout remains in the coffers of government agency Services Australia.
The unpaid benefits have increased because millions of Aussies have not updated their details on their Medicare and MyGov accounts.
Hundreds of thousands of Aussies have yet to claim their Medicare benefits (pictured) as their details are not up to date in their Medicare and MyGov accounts
Figures obtained by Services Australia at the end of August show more than 954,000 Australians are entitled to receive their share of unclaimed benefits.
NSW has the highest number of residents with unclaimed payments.
Almost 280,000 people have yet to claim nearly $70 million in benefits.
About 237,000 Victorians have yet to claim more than $57 million worth of benefits, while almost 200,000 Queenslanders are entitled to more than $44 million in repayments.
Opposition government services spokesman Paul Fletcher attacked the government for withholding money from those most in need.
He asked Government Services Minister Bill Shorten to ‘come clean’ and explain why the government is ‘sitting on so much money rather than addressing relevant customers’.
“Millions of families are struggling and we have a government that focuses more on spin than substance when it comes to supporting families,” Fletcher claimed.
Thousands of Australians have yet to claim more than $200 million worth of Medicare benefits according to figures (pictured) obtained by the Services Australia website
Liberal government services spokesman Paul Fletcher (pictured) urged the government to free up payments to those who need it most
Australian Services general manager Hank Jongen said payments cannot be processed until recipients update their details online.
“The agency cannot make payments to Medicare claimants if there is no valid bank account registered to their Medicare account, or if the details are incorrect,” Jongen said.
“Once bank details are updated, unclaimed Medicare benefits are usually processed within three days.”
Services Australia states on its website that payment will be withheld until it has the correct details from customers.
“We will withhold your Medicare benefit if we do not have your bank details,” the website says.
Once you tell us your bank account details, we can pay you your Medicare benefits.
“We will automatically pay any future benefits into this account after we evaluate and approve your request.”
The Services Australia website says people can only claim their Medicare benefits if the agency has the correct customer details, otherwise payments will be stopped.
People have been urged to update their contact and bank details on their Medicare and MyGov accounts to ensure they receive their payments.
Those who do not have a Medicare account have also been asked to create one and link it to their MyGov account so that their details are up to date.
People can also contact or visit their nearest service center to get help in managing their data.
The simple solution would allow refunds and payments to be processed and sent to recipients.
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