The Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN) helps if your out‑of‑pocket costs for out‑of‑hospital medical services add up over the calendar year. Once you reach the annual EMSN threshold, Medicare can pay up to an extra 80% of your out‑of‑pocket amount for eligible services, on top of the usual Medicare rebate meaning your consultation costs are significantly lower.

Example: The fee for a standard review session with a psychiatrist is $480 with a Medicare rebate of $134 leaving an out-of-pocket cost of $346.

If you have already reached the EMSN threshold for the year:

- Medicare can pay up to 80% of this $346 as an extra EMSN rebate, subject to the item‑specific EMSN cap. This amounts to an additional rebate of 80% of $346 = $276.80.

In this example, once you have met the EMSN threshold, a $480.00 psychiatry review consultation results in:  

- Standard Medicare rebate: $134 
- Extra EMSN rebate: $276.80
- Total paid back by Medicare: $410.80
- Your net out‑of‑pocket for that visit: $69.20

For 2026, the EMSN threshold is $2,699.10 and $861.20 for concession cardholders. Families/couples who are on the same Medicare number share the threshold allowing everyone to reach it faster. 

The EMSN is automatically tracked by Medicare and you do not need to do anything. Once you reach it, you will automatically receive a higher rebate. If you are a couple or a family but are on different Medicare cards, you should contact Medicare to put everyone on the same card to share the threshold.

Each year, Medicare adjusts the threshold so for the latest information please visit: https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=note&q=GN.10.27