the only time PHI pay out for Dr's appointments is if you are an in patient in hospital. Which requires you to be admitted to hospita. The 20 week management fee does not require a hospital admission and is therefore not covered by PHI.

In regards to how much you get back, I'd probably grab the item number from the receptionist and then call medicare to ask what the rebate amount is if you pay after a certain date. Not sure why they will want you to wait until Jan to pay it though as my understanding is that the safety net scheme has been dramatically overhauled?