The Australian Health Care Card is a card issued by the Australian Government which evidences the entitlement of the cardholder to concessions, such as the cost of some prescription medicines, medical services, and other government concessions.
This includes periods in which the holder received a "zero rate" of payment due to income reported.
[1] This is assessed through a separate claim to a health care card, based on the average weekly income received by the claimant (and their partner, if applicable) in the eight weeks prior to claiming the card.
[1] Income thresholds for the card vary depending on the claimant's circumstances (i.e.: if single, a member of a couple, and a member of a couple with children), which the threshold increasing based on the number of children in care.
Advantages of holding the card can include reduced: Some private businesses may also give discounts to cardholders, which are subject to the discretion of the provider, and are not administered by Centrelink.