New Medicare expansion aims to improve speech pathology access – What GPs should know

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The Australian Government has expanded access to support services for children and young people with severe speech and language disorders.

From 1 March 2026 the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) M10 group has expanded to now include stuttering, speech sound disorders, and cleft lip and/or palate. This expansion now allows for Medicare-rebated assessment and treatment for eligible patients under 25 years of age.

For general practitioners (GPs), this change aims to make it easier to refer patients, while enabling speech pathologists to provide care that is funded under primary healthcare, such as through GP chronic condition management plans.

For patients, this change works to expand access to funded speech pathology services through the primary healthcare system.

What are the Medicare changes from 1 March 2026?

From 1 March 2026, the following conditions have been added to the eligible disabilities list for the Medicare M10 group:

• stuttering
• speech sound disorders (SSD), including
  • an articulation disorder
  • a phonological disorder
  • childhood apraxia of speech (also known as dyspraxia, developmental verbal dyspraxia, or speech apraxia)
  • dysarthria
• cleft lip and/or palate.

The expanded MBS services will mean children with cleft conditions, who undergo surgery at an early stage of life and may require intensive speech therapy, will have greater access to these services during a critical developmental period.

What does this mean for referrers, including general practitioners (GPs)?

• GPs can refer patients suspected of having stuttering, SSD, or cleft conditions to allied health professionals for assistance with diagnosis or development of a treatment and management plan. See more information on the MBS webpages for assessment referrals.
• If a patient has been diagnosed with either stuttering, SSD, or cleft conditions, GPs can refer for allied health treatment services. See more information on the MBS webpages for treatment referrals.

Providers are responsible for ensuring Medicare services claimed using their provider number meet all legislative requirements.

Are your patients eligible?

Eligible patients can access a range of services through referral to a speech pathologist or other allied health professional by their general practitioner (GP).

Eligible patients must:

• be under 25 years of age
• be suspected of, or diagnosed with, an eligible condition under the newly expanded M10 list.

Further information about the Medicare expansion for speech pathology

Read the full media release from the Minister for Health and Ageing.