Changes to Commonwealth Seniors Health Card eligibility could save you thousands

About 50,000 additional older Australians could be looking at savings of around $3000 per annum, and some of them might not know it. This is the number of people estimated to be eligible for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) following the Government’s income test threshold increase.

Who can access the concession card and what are the benefits?

The cards are open to anyone over 66 and six months and not receiving a social security pension or benefit.

Access to certain bulk-billed benefits that some people on higher incomes typically miss out on these.

Recipients must be living in Australia when they receive the card, and have either Australian citizenship, permanent residency, or a Special Category visa.

What are the changes, and who will benefit?

As of November 4 2022 income limits dictating CSHC eligibility increased from $61,284 to $90,000 for singles, $98,054 to $144,000 for combined couples and $122,568 to $180,000 for couples separated by illness.

With the mounting cost of living pressures, having more retirees on the CSHC could make a real difference as our seniors grappling with inflation.