HICAPS: what is it and which providers use it?

HICAPS has made claiming health fund rebates easier than ever before.

If you need to lodge a claim on your private health insurance or on Medicare, it can be annoying to have to go through the process of claiming online; or even worse, having to go into a Medicare branch to lodge your claim. So it’s a relief that many, if not most, health service providers now offer HICAPS, a service that makes claiming your health fund rebate infinitely easier.

What is HICAPS?

HICAPS stands for Health Industry Claims and Payments Service. It’s a way for a health service provider such as a dentist or a GP to process your private health insurance or Medicare claim for you on the spot at the time of payment.

HICAPS is available to members of most private health funds in Australia and covers services from a variety of health service providers such as physiotherapists, optometrists, psychologists, chiropractors and GP services.

Which Providers Use HICAPS?

At the time of writing, providers using HICAPS include:

You can check an updated list of service providers here.

So back to your appointment – all you do is hand over your private health fund card or Medicare card at the time of payment, and your claim can be processed in a matter of minutes. Once the claim has been processed, you pay the difference between the cost of the treatment and your rebate. Easy!

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