That ICPA (Aust) advocate to the Federal Minister for Health and relevant government bodies to review and amend the current restriction of a maximum of two duplicate Medicare cards per family, to better accommodate families with multiple children living away from home for the purposes of education.
Currently, Medicare allows for only two duplicate Medicare cards to be issued per family. This restriction poses significant challenges for rural and remote families with multiple children (especially those under the age of fourteen who are unable to apply for their own personal Medicare card) who must live away from home to attend school, such as in boarding school arrangements.
For example, a family residing in Town A may have two parents and two or more children attending different boarding schools in Town B. Each child requires their own Medicare card to independently access medical services. However, due to the current limit of only two duplicate cards, families in this situation are unable to provide each child with an individual card, potentially delaying healthcare access or complicating medical appointments—particularly in emergency or unaccompanied situations.
This issue disproportionately affects families in rural and remote areas, where boarding school is often the only viable educational pathway from a young age. Amending the policy to increase the allowable number of duplicate Medicare cards in these circumstances would help ensure equitable access to healthcare and reduce unnecessary stress and logistical burden on families and health providers alike.
