PRIVATE FEE
We understand that many children and adults do not want, or may not qualify, to go through the Medicare process and would like to access or require services. Change for Life provides several services on a private fee basis. This includes specific assessment services, therapy services, work related matters, family therapy, marriage and relationship counselling, and court based services. Please contact us on an individual basis to see how we can support your needs.
PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE
Change for Life allows you to claim through your private health extras.
Depending on your private health fund, you may be eligible for a private health rebate from your Psychology, Dietitian, OT, Speech Pathology sessions.
Your eligibility for a rebate amount depends the cover of your specific health cover.
Please check:
1) Services covered on your specific cover
2) Alterations on your rebates
3) Annual Limits on services per year
MEDICARE and the Medicare Safety Net
Children and Adults may be eligible for a Medicare rebate when accessing therapy services via Medicare. You need to get a Medicare Plan from your GP, Paediatrician, or Psychiatrist prior to your first session in order to claim the rebate. Please note there is a gap fee per session and you will have some out of pocket expenses.
You are responsible for paying any charges that exceed your Medicare rebate. However, these out-of-pocket expenses will count towards the Medicare Safety Net. The Medicare Safety Net is designed to help you from large out-of-pocket expenses.
If you or your family reach your Medicare threshold per calendar year:
1) Medicare benefits increase to 100 per cent of the Government-determined schedule fee under the original Safety Net
2) 80 per cent of your total out-of-pocket expenses for out-of-hospital services under the extended Medicare Safety Net.
Psycho-legal reports: For documents to be sent to court, immigration, or for any legal purpose please discuss this with us at the time of Intake. Psycho-legal correspondence is a fee-paying service. This service is not permissible under the Medicare rebated Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) sessions as per the Health Insurance Act (1973).
The following is an outline of the Medicare rebates available when receiving either Psychology, Dietitian, Speech Therapy, or Occupational Therapy services:
- CDMP – Chronic Disease Management Plan(One plan per Calendar Year)
– 5 sessions per calendar year to be used for either Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Dietitian services
– $52.95 current rebate,
- MHCP – Mental Health Care Plans
– Children and Adults are eligible for 10 individual and 10 group sessions per year
– This referral can be made by your GP, Paediatrician, or Psychiatrist
– Rebates for Individual sessions is $92.90
– Rebates for Group sessions is $34.60
- Pregnancy Support and Counselling : Three sessions of 30 minutes in length are available with a letter from your GP
- Telehealth Services – please discuss for suitability for this Initiative under Medicare for remote and rural access for services.
- ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder Plan
– 20 sessions (one time use) until 15 years of age provided the plan is in place before the child’s 13th birthday.
– This referral can be initiated by a Psychiatrist or Paediatrician
– Rebates under the ASD plans:
– – Psychology: $92.90
– – Speech Therapy: $77.10
- PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU CANNOT CLAIM THE GAP ON YOUR PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE to top up the MEDICARE REBATES
- You can either use Medicare or your private health insurance extra cover to pay for a services you receive.
- Hence, you can either access rebates from Medicare OR claim on your health insurance extras cover.
NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME (NDIS).
Change for Life is a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider for self managed and plan managed participants.
In order to provide your child with support, we require a copy of your NDIS plan in order to register you as a client
Contact us for more information or visit the NDIS website at http://www.ndis.gov.au/families-carers
Non attendance of Sessions at Change for Life
Our clinicians and staff work very hard to support all our children, adults, and families. Please provide us with a 7 day advance notice to change an appointment so this time can be used for someone else. Unfortunately, last minute cancellations or rescheduling on the day will incur a full charge to cover the cost of the service that is not attended.
Our cancellation is not aimed at being punitive to any child or client who is unable to attend their session. When a time is allocated to you or your child and the session is not attended, our clinic incurs a cost of running the service regardless of the attendance. In many situations this time cannot be allocated to any other client because it is reserved for you either on the day or on an ongoing basis. Our service is a self-funded business, we require that we maintain all our costs to be sustainable towards which this cancellation policy is aimed. Additionally, cancellation policies are included in funding packages such as the NDIS and align closely with our policy which applies for funded and private fee-paying clients.
Medicare, HCWA, Better Access, EPC, or Private Health Cover does not cover this charge and it will have to be paid privately.
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