I'm going to book in for the NT blood test and scan in September, but I'm wondering if there's a Medicare rebate for them? I've heard they're quite expensive and my private health insurance doesn't cover any pregnancy things...
No, unless things have changed in the last 18 months (which I kind of doubt, they've probably gotten worse ). From what I remember I paid about $110 (in QLD). Because its considered optional, you don't get it free / a rebate unless you have a family history (I *think*).
im on low income (VERY low) and i heard that you get 2 free scans a pregnancy that medicare covers so im doing my 12 week scan NT with my dating so i dont have to pay for it. dunno if this helps but ring up your scanning place and ask.
I am in QLD and got a rebate for mine, but I think that was because I have had previous miscarriages - It wasn't too much of a rebate anyway lol I paid $199 and got $59 back - Hope this helps!
In Darwin - when I got the scan. The lady at the ultrasound place said Medicare rebates anything over the 110$.
I don't know if she was right, but our scan was 160$ and we got about 50$ back.
But I can't say for sure.
I paid $260 for my NT scan and recieved a rebate from medicare of around $55 - $60 (i cant remember the exact amount). My blood test was bulk billed, so didnt have to pay anything for it.
I had the scan in a private hospital (just because my midwife refered me to there), and the bloods were done through a pathology place run by the public hospital. The pathology place was just downstairs from the ultrasound rooms, and the Ob just told me to go there for my blood test.
Just to update i just looked at bill for bloods as on fridge as only came in other day and soes say take to medicare after payment for rebate so not sure how much i will get.
Just today I had a dating scan at $133, went straight to medicare after and got $116.60 back, but we have already gone over our safety threshold for the year hence the big rebate.
I would guess if I got a rebate for a dating scan, which was optional, I would get a rebate for the NT one? My GP did write on the scan referral re: previous miscarriage....?
I'm in Vic & I got something back from Medicare, but I can't remember how much. I had a number of scans during my pregancy & I got a medicare rebate of some sort for all of them.
squidipa - Make sure your "free" scans are bulk billed because if they aren't you will probably find you will end up out of pocket for them as Medicare doesn't fully cover any scans that you pay for upfront as their scheduled fee is way lower than what any scan place charges for a scan - particularly for the NT one. I had two scans that were bulk billed during the pregnancy - every other scan I had to pay for upfront & then claim back what I could through Medicare. None of them were covered fully.
With DS, I didn't get anything back from Medicare for the NT scan. The scan place actually put on the receipt that it was not covered by Medicare.
This time around, I used a different scan place and they must have used a different code or something because I got some back from Medicare for the NT scan.
with the NT scan, the rebate is dependent on how the referral is addressed by your doctor. it's an "optional" scan unless there is a medical reason. most GPs will pluck a medical reason to get you the rebate but most won't. for me, my aunt has a disability with similar physical characteristics to DS, and DH's nephew has something similar (don't have a lot of details due to family estrangement). due to that, we got the rebate. i think the IVF factor helped as well (and maybe me being a bigger person - apparently that increases the risks - go figure!)
if it was a healthy person, without family history, BMI or IVF/miscarriage (so basically a sticky beak at bub) then you get no rebate.
as i said, most GP's now will list a clinical reason why it's required which will get you the rebates from medicare
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