Health Insurance (Medicare Benefits Payable in Respect of Professional Services – Services Rendered under the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program) Direction 2026

Health Insurance (Medicare Benefits Payable in Respect of Professional Services – Services Rendered under the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program) Direction 2026

I, Steve Dunlop, delegate for the Minister for Health and Ageing, make the following Notifiable Instrument.

Dated 12 January 2026   

Steve Dunlop

Acting Assistant Secretary
MBS Policy and Specialist Services Branch
Medicare Benefits and Digital Health Division
Health Resourcing Group

Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

Contents

1  Name...................................................1

2  Commencement............................................1

3  Authority................................................1

4  Repeals.................................................1

5  Definitions...............................................1

6  Medicare benefits payable in respect of the Medicare Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program              2

1  Name

  This instrument is the Health Insurance (Medicare Benefits Payable in Respect of Professional Services – Services Rendered under the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program) Direction 2026.

2  Commencement

1.     Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Note:  This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

1.     Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3  Authority

  This instrument is made under subsection 19(2) of the Health Insurance Act 1973.

4  Repeals

  This instrument is repealed on 12 January 2030 at 11:59pm, unless repealed earlier.

5  Definitions

  In this instrument:

Act means the Health Insurance Act 1973.

Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program means the program by that name administered by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (the Department).

Note: The Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program is described on the Department’s website at https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/bulk-billing-incentives-in-general-practice/, with guidelines available at https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-01/bulk-billing-practice-incentive-program-program-guidelines.pdf.  

Medicare benefit has the meaning given by subsection 3(1) of the Act.

professional service has the meaning given by subsection 3(1) of the Act.

6  Medicare benefits payable in respect of the Medicare Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program

  A Medicare benefit shall be payable in respect of a professional service if:

1.     the only reason a Medicare benefit would not be payable for that professional service is because a provider or practice associated with the provider has received payments or is eligible for payments under the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program; and
2.     a Medicare benefit would otherwise be payable for that professional service.