How a Medicare care plan works for physio
If you have a long-term condition, your GP may be able to cover part of the cost of physiotherapy. Here is how that works in plain terms.
Who it is for
Care plans are for people with a long-term medical condition — one that has lasted, or is expected to last, at least six months. Arthritis, diabetes, chronic back pain, heart and lung conditions, and many others can qualify.
The formal name changed on 1 July 2025. What used to be a GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangement is now a single GP Chronic Condition Management Plan. Plans written before that date stay valid, and most people still say care plan, CDM or EPC. If your GP uses any of those words, they mean the same thing.
Your GP decides whether you are eligible. They know your history, so it is a conversation to have at your next appointment rather than something you can arrange yourself.
What it covers
Once a plan is in place, Medicare pays a rebate towards a limited number of allied health visits per calendar year, shared across all the allied health you use. If you see a physiotherapist and a podiatrist, they draw from the same allowance.
The rebate is a fixed amount. Whether you pay anything on top depends on what the clinic charges. Some clinics bulk bill care plan patients, which means no out-of-pocket cost; others charge a gap. Ask when you book, because it varies between clinics.
The paperwork side
Your GP writes the plan and refers you on. Since July 2025 that referral can be an ordinary letter and does not have to name a particular provider, so you may be able to choose where you go. Bring the referral to your first appointment, or ask the clinic to send it through.
Plans get reviewed periodically, and the allowance resets each calendar year rather than twelve months from when the plan was written.
Worth knowing
A care plan is not the only path. NDIS participants, WorkCover and TAC claimants, and private health members all have separate arrangements, and you can always attend as a private patient with no referral at all.
Medicare rules and rebate amounts change. Your GP's practice and the treating clinic will have the current figures.
General information only, and not a substitute for individual advice. If something is worrying you, see your GP or book an assessment.