The 1 January 2024 Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) files are available on the January 2024 Downloads page.

Summary of Change for 1 January 2024

From 1 January 2024 there will be several changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). These changes include indexation of the Extended Medicare Safety Net, the introduction of a new co-dependent pathology item, the cessation of 23 items and minor administrative policy changes.

Details of the changes are as follows:

Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN)
The EMSN provides an additional Medicare benefit once an annual threshold in out-of-pocket costs for out-of-hospital services has been reached. Out-of-hospital services include general practitioner, specialist and allied health attendances as well as many pathology and diagnostic imaging services. The Original Medicare Safety Net (OMSN) and EMSN thresholds are indexed annually on 1 January in line with the CPI (September Quarter). In addition to applying indexation, the latest changes also include:

• Indexation of the fixed dollar EMSN benefit cap; and
• Updating the caps of four obstetric telehealth and phone consultation items to align them with EMSN arrangements for equivalent face-to-face items.

2024 Medicare Safety Nets Thresholds	Threshold amount	Who it’s for	What counts towards the threshold	What benefit you’ll get back
Original Medicare Safety Net (OMSN)	$560.40	Everyone in Medicare	Your gap amount for the calendar year.	100% of the schedule fee for out of hospital services.
Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN)- General	$2,544.30	Everyone in Medicare	Your out of pocket amount for the calendar year.	80% of out of pocket costs or the EMSN benefit caps for out of hospital services.
Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN) - Concessional and Family Tax Benefit Part A	$811.80	Concession cardholders and families eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A	Your out of pocket amount for the calendar year.	80% of out of pocket costs or the EMSN benefits caps for out of hospital services.

COVID-19 services
A range of COVID-19 health measures are being extended. This extension will include Medicare-subsidised telehealth, vaccine suitability items, pathology and diagnostic imaging services.

As a part of these measures, amendments will be made to the Pathology COVID-19 items. These amendments will cease five publicly provided COVID-19 testing service items (69506, 69507, 69508. 69509 and 69510) and amend five privately provided COVID-19 testing service items (69511, 69512, 69513, 69514 and 69515). This amendment will provide patients with access to publicly and privately provided COVID-19 testing services under the same MBS item. The intention of this change is to ensure Medicare-eligible patients at risk of severe illness – including older Australians, patients with pre-existing conditions and residents of aged care facilities – can access MBS funded COVID-19 pathology laboratory testing. The amendment will also implement fee parity between public and private providers.

Cessation of services from 1 January 2024
From 1 January 2024, the 18 temporary items introduced on 21 July 2021 for smoking cessation counselling have expired and will no longer be available. These items were made temporarily accessible for patients for the provision of nicotine and smoking cessation counselling from General Practitioners and Other Medical Practitioners. The items ceasing are:

• The 6 face-to-face items for nicotine and smoking cessation counselling services – MBS items 93680, 93681, 93682, 93683, 93684 and 93685.
• The 6 videoconference items for nicotine and smoking cessation counselling services – MBS items 93690, 93691, 93692, 93693, 93694 and 93695.
• The 6 telephone items for nicotine and smoking cessation counselling services – MBS items 93700, 93701, 93702, 93703, 93704 and 93705.

These services can still be accessed through general time-tiered items with the patient’s usual provider.

Patients seeking support to quit smoking or vaping use are encouraged to speak to their usual provider or access Quitline services for help to quit smoking and/or vaping. You can call the hotline on 13 QUIT (13 7848), to talk to a counsellor or request a call back. More information and resources are available at www.quit.org.au. Resources for health professionals are also available through the Quit Centre - www.quitcentre.org.au

Introduction of a Co-Dependent Medicare item
From 1 January 2024, one new MBS item (73307) will be introduced to support homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) testing of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes of tumour tissue in patients with newly diagnosed advanced or metastatic high-grade epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer. The purpose of the test is to determine eligibility for access to poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor therapy under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), as HRD testing identifies an added subgroup of patients that may benefit from or are more likely to respond to a PARP inhibitor. This change is relevant for specialists, consultant physicians and pathologists who manage patients with ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer.

Relevant legislation

Health Insurance (Extended Medicare Safety Net) Amendment (Indexation) Determination 2023
The purpose of the Health Insurance (Extended Medicare Safety Net) Amendment (Indexation) Determination 2023 is to amend the Health Insurance (Extended Medicare Safety Net) Determination 2017 to provide an additional benefit for Australian families and singles who incur high out-of-pocket costs for Medicare eligible out-of-hospital services.

Health Insurance (Section 3C Co-Dependent Pathology) Amendment (No. 3) Determination 2023
The purpose of the Health Insurance (Section 3C Co-Dependent Pathology) Amendment (No. 3) Determination 2023 is to amend the Health Insurance (Section 3C Co-Dependent Pathology Services) Determination 2018 (the Principal Determination) to insert new item 73307 from 1 January 2024.

Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (2023 Measures No. 4) Determination 2023
The instrument makes amendments to the Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Telehealth and Telephone Attendances) Determination 2021, the Health Insurance (General Practice COVID‑19 Treatment) Determination 2022 and the Health Insurance (Section 3C Pathology Services – COVID‑19) Determination 2020.

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) Amendment Determination 2023
The purpose of the Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) Amendment Determination 2023 (the Amendment Determination) is to update the Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) Determination 2018 (the Principal Determination) to amend Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) items 38495, 38514 and 38522 to restrict inappropriate co-claiming with item 38270 for balloon valvuloplasty services.

Dental Benefits Amendment Rules 2023
The purpose of the Dental Benefits Amendment Rules 2023 is to amend the Dental Benefits Rules 2014 to reflect indexation of the amount of dental benefit payable for dental service items in Schedule 1 and of the benefit limits cap amount in Schedule 3 to the Rules, effective from 1 January 2024.

Please note that this news page is correct at the date of publication listed under “Page last updated” and does not account for any updates to the MBS since this time.