Is MyMedicare Worth It? – My Honest Review

In late 2023, the federal government launched MyMedicare. In this blog I’m breaking down what it is and giving you my honest opinion on its worth you joining.

What is MyMedicare?

MyMedicare is a brand spanking new feature under Medicare. If you’re not too sure about Medicare you can check out my blog explaining what it is and how it works here.

To introduce something new to Medicare is a BIG deal! It’s like changing one of the key ingredients to great grandmas ANZAC biscuit recipe. You don’t mess with it unless you think you’re really onto something. These changes are part of a massive reform that’s been underway for a while now.

In a nutshell, MyMedicare lets you pick your GP out of the line up of all GPs in Australia and get extra perks from Medicare for making them yours truly. Your GP also gets perks as well, so it’s a win-win situation.

But Why?

Finding the right GP is like finding a unicorn. They are rare and absolutely magnificent in person, but damn hard to find. There are plenty of horses (regular GPs), but that unicorn (special GP) who has an interest or training in your condition is pure gold. They are the frontline for almost everything medical you’ll need. They do referrals to specialists, help with mental health access and medications, and help you manage your condition day-to-day.

When you find them, the evidence shows that you’ll want to hold onto them with both hands because statistically your health will be better off. Yes, that’s right, seeing the same unicorn of a GP makes you feel better for longer.

I gotta say, it was validating reading this. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly like seeing a new GP and having to explain my extensive medical history. It takes up most of my allotted time just explaining everything and then trying to work out what to do for my health is harder. By seeing the same GP, I just get in there with what’s happening right now, my GP can easily stitch together the whole story as she knows my medical history and we come up with a great way forward quick sticks. She also knows me well enough to call me on my BS and gives me a talking to when I need it.

How it works

MyMedicare needs you and your GP (and their practice) to opt-in. It’s an entirely voluntary and free thing. Once you’re both signed up, you both get benefits (see below). To opt-in, you’ll need:

1. A Medicare Card (should be an easy check off the list as 26 million of us have a Medicare card).
2. A record of at least 2 face-to-face visits in the past 2 years at the practice you’re trying to opt-in with.

As the patient, the process for opting in (or registering) is easy peasy lemon squeezy. I just did it in under a minute. Here are the steps to register:

• Open your Medicare app (or get it if you don’t already have it).
• Click on ‘MyMedicare’ (it’s the last item on the list of ‘services’ on the homescreen).
• Punch in the details of your GPs practice and select them when it pops up (if the practice doesn’t come up, it probably means they haven’t registered. Give them a bell to check).
• Select you GP for the list it gives you.
• Submit your registration.

Medicare will then notify the practice after you register, and then they need to confirm you’re in this together. Then the perks kick in.

If you’re not tech savvy, that’s ok you can do it the old fashion way of filling out a form. Check out more details about opting-in, including exemptions, here.

Don’t worry if you decide this isn’t for you and you don’t want to opt-in. You’ll still get everything you do now from Medicare and your GP.  You can opt in or out at any time.

Benefits

Once you’re all signed up, MyMedicare will open its doors to the following perks:

• Longer and cheaper telehealth consultations more often, because Medicare is footing more of the bill.
• Free telehealth consultations for children under 16, pensioners, and concession card holders, because Medicare is providing more money to pay the GP via bulk billing instead of you paying out-of-pocket.

The government are just kicking off MyMedicare with these perks, but plan to introduce more in in the coming years, like:

• Connecting people with chronic disease who visit hospital frequently (around 10 time a year) with appropriate care in general practice, from mid-2024. Details on this are pretty thin so far so we’ll have to wait to see what this means in practice.
• Extra help for people in residential aged care from August 2024, including more regular visits from the GP and better care planning. Again, the details are pretty thin.

If you move or need to change who your regular GP is, you can absolutely do this. Just see your new GP twice face-to-face and then use the app to change to your new GP.

If you have a My Health Record, the GP you pick in MyMedicare will pop up on it. But if decide you don’t want this, you can go into your My Health Record and deactivate it. If you leave it, this might be handy if you land yourself in hospital because they can then more easily find your regular GP and communicate with them.

Barriers

There are a few barriers to using MyMedicare, like:

• If you haven’t found your one true love GP yet, it can’t help you.
• If your GP and their practices haven’t opted in, you can’t use it.
• If you’re not tech savvy you’ll need help registering.
• You can only have one unicorn of a GP at a time, meaning you can only register in MyMedicare with your one true love GP and no one else. So, if you are very fortunate to have more than one awesome GP that you see regularly, you’ll have to choose one.

The Verdict

Yes, I think it’s worth opting in.

Improving Medicare and getting regular care from your GP is always going to be a good thing. But the devil is in the detail and there just isn't that much detail about MyMedicare yet. So, while I think it’s worthwhile opting in, its not really clear how it will help in the long run. It’s a bit of a mystery box at the moment.

In the short term, I think the only benefit I’ll get from MyMedicare is access to more longer and cheaper chats over the phone with my GP, which I’ll take! Living with chronic illness is expensive. On average, our out-of-pocket costs are two to three times higher than the average Joe, so every little discount helps.

I’m also curious as to what other benefits they will roll out and want to be first in line to get them when they eventuate. It’s also incredibly easy to opt in, it took me about a minute, and I know I can opt out at any time. 

If you like snagging a discount, then I reckon it’s worth opting in! Depending on your situation you might be up for additional savings.

P.S.

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