Can a psychologist bulk bill?

[WokingOnIt]

So.. the title is my questions. I know private psychologists don't usually bulk bill, but can they? Is it possible? On an ongoing basis, I mean. If my psychologist is not billing me out of pocket, is it *possible* (legal/allowed) that he is bulk billing me so I don't have to pay out of pocket? And if so, he'd be accepting a reduced fee from Medicare, right? If I am not paying a gap?

I know I could just ask him. But I won't. In the meantime it is stressing me out a bit as I don't really understand what's happening and how it's possible that he's not charging me personally. The only thing I can think of is bulk billing but I don't know if psychologists can do that.

[Bodgy]

Hi Workingonit

I can definitely say YES that psychologists can bulk bill as it happened to me. I talked to my psychologist saying money was really tight. He agreed to bulk bill his services however he did ask that I turn up to my appointments as he was doing me a favour. Good luck .

[WokingOnIt]

Hi Bodgy, thanks so much for your reply. Can I ask if that was through a MHCP and limited to the ten sessions? Or was it ongoing and unrelated to a MHCP?

[White_Rose]

Hello WokingOnit

Psychologist fees are not normally reimbursed via Medicare. The exception is when you have a MHCP and is restricted to 10 visits per year. The psychologist can charge what they like, just as any other practitioner can decide what to charge. If you are not paying an out of pocket fee I think the psychologist is bulk billing you and this is quite legal. It's also a benefit to you by keeping the costs down.

Once your ten visits for the year have been used you will need to pay the psychologist's fee yourself. This can get expensive if you continue your appointments. Once you are in a new calendar year Medicare will pay benefits as before for ten visits.

I think you need to discuss costs with the psychologist up front. However much help you are receiving it can still be an expensive exercise once past the subsidised fees. You do need to be informed about what this is costing you.

Mary

[WokingOnIt]

Hi Mary, Thanks so much for your reply. So they CAN bulk bill, but only for the 10 visits on the MHCP - after which they would not be able to get any Medicare rebate at all?

After the 10 visits, if he still isn't charging me anything... he's not getting paid anything for those sessions, because there is no way for Medicare to be reimbursing him for more than those ten sessions per year. Is that accurate?

I have an NDIS planning meeting tomorrow and will hopefully get some funding in my plan to cover my therapy with this psychologist, but in the meantime I am incredibly thankful he is making it possible anyway.

[Guest_9462]

My experience is they can..on a pension..with a mental health plan..it's usually about 10 visits...but I having found any that use that system any good..I prefer the private system.the level of professionalism and care is much better with private health care..also the mental health clinics are much better...with private cover....it shouldn't be, but is..fact.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi WokingOnIt,

Thank you for your post.

Just to answer your question to Mary -

Yes, they can bulk bill. Some choose to charge a gap, where as others completely bulk bill so there is no cost to you out of pocket. It's known as a sliding scale and completely up to the psychologist or their practice. They will be reimbursed by Medicare.

After these 10 sessions, Medicare won't reimburse them anymore, which means that they won't get paid. This is why for most psychologists, they'll resume their normal fees. Although sometimes people can get lucky and find someone who will continue to see them free of charge (especially if they have clients with concession cards).

Hope this answers your question. It's also okay to ask your psychologist these questions (I certainly did!) - they will be used to these questions and won't be offended by them.

RT

[WokingOnIt]

Thank you, RT, for your detailed reply. That, plus the other replies, confirms my suspicions. My truly amazing psychologist has been seeing me for free for the past few months, after bulk billing me for the ten initial sessions. I only just realised it, and I am having a lot of feelings about that! Gratitude, of course, but also guilt. I will need to talk to him about it in the next session.

[geoff]

Hello WokingOnIt, along with what the others have said some psychologists will bulk bill so you do not need a MHP, just a referral, especially if you are receiving benefits from the government.

My psychologist used to bulk bill her patients as the area has suffered from many closures, just as psychiatrists did, so it depends on the area you live in.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

[Aspie_Bob]

I have been seeing a great psychologist for over 3 years.

I first saw her under a mental health care plan in Sept 2016. We had the 10 sessions meeting fortnightly and she bulk billed. In 2017 another 10 sessions were medicare bulk billed, after those 10 sessions were used, she saw me at no cost until I got a NDIS support package in Sept 2017.

Since then , I have seen her every two weeks paid from the NDIS package. She has increased her charge from the Medicare $85 bulk billing rate to $170/hr which is still within the NDIS maximum rate for therapy.