Starting January 2, Services Australia will introduce new operating hours for the Medicare phone service and telephone claims lines. The service, which is currently available 24/7, will transition to a schedule operating between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
This decision follows a review of the system, which identified minimal usage outside these hours.
Evaluating Usage Patterns
A spokesperson from Services Australia explained that the adjustment aligns with efforts to improve efficiency:
“We regularly evaluate our business practices to make sure we’re delivering our services efficiently and effectively. A review of the 24-hour Medicare program and Medicare telephone claims lines found they have an exceptionally low call volume after hours and on weekends.”
The review revealed that fewer than 1% of calls occurred outside the new planned operating hours, supporting the decision to reallocate staff to more critical Medicare tasks, such as processing claims and responding to calls on other 24-hour lines.
Alternative Options for Medicare Customers
To maintain accessibility, Medicare customers will continue to have 24/7 access to the online self-service portal. Services Australia highlighted the success of its new Medicare claims tracker, which has significantly reduced call inquiries. Customers are using the tool over 1.8 million times on average, with each status check taking about 12 seconds.
Addressing Call Wait Times Across Services
The changes come amid broader government efforts to tackle long wait times for both Medicare and Centrelink services. Between April 2022 and April 2023, the average call wait time for Medicare inquiries rose from 14 minutes to 25 minutes, with over 11 million calls going unanswered.
Calls to Centrelink saw even longer delays, with family and parenting payment inquiries averaging 52 minutes in queue—a jump of 21 minutes from the previous year.
Recent Improvements
In response to these challenges, the government has hired 3,000 additional staff. This move enabled Services Australia to process 1.4 million claims and answer 1.9 million calls, significantly reducing pending claims. Medicare and Centrelink claims fell by 66%, from 1.35 million in February to 460,000 by mid-July.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten emphasized the progress made, while acknowledging room for further improvements:
“There’s more to do, particularly in processing complex claims, but we’re making significant inroads across the board.”
Federal Budget Boost for 2024-25
Looking ahead, the Federal Budget has allocated funding for 4,030 staff for the 2024-25 financial year and 3,530 staff for 2025-26. These resources aim to further reduce processing and wait times, ensuring more efficient delivery of essential services.
