Better Medicare Support for Speech Therapy is Finally Here!

We have some wonderful news to share with our community. After years of hard work and advocacy from clinicians & peak bodies across Australia, the Federal Government has officially updated Medicare to provide more support for children’s communication.

As of March 1, 2026, children with specific speech challenges now have access to a much larger "bucket" of Medicare rebates.

What has changed?

In the past, many children were only able to access speech pathology support through Medicare on a "Chronic Disease Management" plan. This only gave families 5 rebated sessions per year to share between speech therapy, occupational therapy, and any other allied health needs. For most children, 5 sessions just wasn't enough to make lasting progress, despite clinicians best efforts.

Now, Medicare has moved several common speech areas into a higher level of support called the "Eligible Disability" (M10) group.

Is my child eligible?

This new support is available for children and young people under the age of 25 who have:

• Stuttering: Difficulty with the flow or smoothness of speech.

• Speech Sound Disorders: Difficulty saying sounds clearly (including conditions like Childhood Apraxia of Speech).

• Cleft Lip or Palate: Support for communication challenges related to these conditions.

What does this mean for your family?

Instead of just 5 sessions, eligible children can now access:

• 8 Assessment Sessions: To help a therapist get a deep understanding of your child's needs and create a roadmap.

• 20 Treatment Sessions: To provide a solid block of therapy and see real results.

• The Rebate: Medicare will pay back $87.25 for each of these sessions (as of Feb 2026), significantly reducing your out-of-pocket costs.

This is a huge win for the families who might not qualify for the NDIS but still need more than just a few sessions to help their child succeed at school and in life.

How do we get started?

To access these new sessions, you will need to follow these three steps:

1. Book a GP Appointment: Let them know you want to discuss the new "M10 Eligible Disability" items for Speech Pathology.

2. Get a Referral: Your GP (or a Paediatrician/Specialist) will need to write a specific referral letter for these items.

3. Take it to your local clinic: Once you have that letter, provide a copy to your local speech pathology provider. They can then use those specific codes to process your rebates.

   
   

This is a great new opportunity for families & children with these concerns to be able to seek more clinical support with the financial assistance of Medicare. A huge thank you from the Yarn team to those who have advocated for this change over time.