Funding Options
Are you looking for ways to make private speech therapy affordable? There are a range of funding options available for many families but knowing what options you may have is not always easy. At Talking Matters we help eligible families to access a range of funding options for their children because we want to help families access any support they are entitled to. To help you on your way we have provided the following information and your speech pathologist can assist you in determining if you may be eligible for any of these options.
Carers' Allowance
The Carers Allowance is a payment available through Centrelink for families with children who meet their criteria as a child with a disability. Many families use this payment to pay for their child's speech pathology sessions. For further information about the payment and the process to apply please refer to the information published on the Centrelink information page here.
Medicare Allied Health Initiative (formerly known as Enhanced Primary Care Plan or Chronic Disease Management)
We are happy to work with clients who have an Enhanced Primary Care plan, written by their General Practitioner. There will however be a gap payment and therefore accounts will need to be paid on the day, with clients then claiming the rebate directly from Medicare. The Medicare rebate is currently $51.95 per consultation (limited to a maximum of 5). The gap payment paid will be counted towards your Medicare Safety Net total. For more information about this program please download and read this Chronic Disease Management Program provided by Speech Pathology Australia. Please advise us when booking of the care plan so that we can properly prepare for your visit.
We are able to lodge claims for families on care plans on the day of their visit and rebates are paid back into their bank accounts, usually the next day. Alternatively we can provide a receipt to take to the Medicare office if clients would like their rebate the same day.
Follow-up Allied Health Services for Patients of Aboriginal or Torres-Strait Islander Descent
We are happy to work with clients who have a referral by a GP who has completed a health assessment and identified the need for speech pathology support. There will however be a gap payment and accounts will need to be paid on the day, with clients then claiming the rebate directly from Medicare. The Medicare rebate is currently $51.95 per consultation (limited to a maximum of 5). The gap payment paid will be counted towards your Medicare Safety Net total. This 5 sessions are available in addition to any sessions provided under the Enhanced Primary Care plan. For more information about this program please download and read this information about Follow Up Health Services. Please advise us when booking of the GP referral under this program so that we can properly prepare for your visit.
Better Start and Autism Early Intervention Medicare Items
On the 1st of July 2011 the Australian Government included additional item numbers for children to access eligible services under the Better Start for Children with Disabilities funding. These new Medicare items are an extension of the existing item numbers available for children with Autism. These item numbers provide a Medicare rebate for services provided by nominated allied health professionals, including speech pathologists. Further information about these item numbers can be obtained from the FaHCSIA website. The following links will take you directly to the page of interest.
Better Start Medicare Item Numbers
Autism Early Intervention Medicare Item Numbers
Children with an eligible diagnosis do not have to be registered for the Better Start or Helping Children With Autism early intervention funding in order to access the Medicare items. Access to the Medicare items is through the child's doctor, who will be responsible for developing the treatment and management plan and making referrals to allied health specialists for clinically relevant services.
Children with an eligible diagnosis can access the Medicare items at any time up to the age of 15, provided the appropriate treatment and management plan is in place before the child turns 13. Children are only able to access these items under one of these programs and are not able to double up.
Health Insurance
Sessions with a speech pathologist are claimable through your private health fund if you are covered for speech pathology services. Most funds cover around half of the costs for therapy sessions. There are sometimes larger gaps for assessment sessions. It is recommended you check your eligibility and the amount of your rebate with you health fund prior to your appointment.
Please note that speech assistant sessions, ready to read and succeeding with reading are not covered by private health funds.
Sessions that have been paid a Medicare rebate can not also be claimed under private health. Clients need to consider which rebate is most beneficial for them to claim as only one can be used per session.