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Medicare Australia - Australian Government
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London Assist

What is it?

London Assist is an Australian Government initiative for Australians who have out-of-pocket healthcare costs arise as a direct result of the London bombings which occurred on 7 July 2005. Out of pocket costs means those costs which are not covered by Medicare or normal government programs, or private travel or health insurance.

Australians who were physically injured by the explosions will be eligible for assistance for a wide range of health care including medical gaps, costs of medicines, physiotherapy, hearing devices, artificial limbs, psychological services and counselling.

The following kinds of people will be eligible for assistance with the costs of counselling, psychological services and psychiatric services:

  • Australians who were not physically injured but were in London and were directly exposed to the aftermath (for example by seeing injured or deceased people, or assisting in the disaster response by providing counselling etc)
  • Immediate family members of Australian residents who died, were physically injured, or were seriously psychologically injured as a result of the bombings
  • Immediate family members of non-Australians who died as a result of the bombings

Assistance will be provided only for costs of health care provided in Australia.

Note: most Australians in the United Kingdom are eligible for immediately necessary care from the UK National Health Service either as UK residents or under the reciprocal health care agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom.

How to register and claim out-of-pocket expenses

  1. Complete and sign a London Assist registration form [PDF, 116Kb]PDF reader required
  2. Provide either a certified photocopy of your passport showing that you were present in London, or a statutory declaration advising that you were in London on 7 July 2005.
  3. Any services received must be claimed through Medicare and/or private health insurance and/or any other insurance or compensation scheme before claiming through London Assist.
  4. Complete a London Assist claim form [PDF, 131Kb]PDF reader required
  5. Attach all Medicare and/or private insurance benefit statements to the claim form. Where services do not attract a Medicare benefit and are not covered by any other insurance, attach all accounts and/or receipts for a case by case assessment.

Lodging your claim

Claims can be lodged in one of the following ways:

  • at your local Medicare office
  • fax to 08 9214 8129
  • post to:
    Medicare Australia Special Assistance
    Medicare Australia Reply Paid 9822
    Perth WA 6848

For claim forms and reply paid envelopes call the Medicare Australia Special Assistance Line on 1800 660 026 (Monday to Friday between 7.30 am and 5.00 pm Australian Western Standard Time) or visit your local Medicare office.

Payments for paid accounts can be made to the person making the claim either by cheque or by EFT deposit into a nominated financial institution account.

For unpaid accounts cheques will be made payable, and sent directly to the provider of the service.

Please note: ensure that a Medicare claim form [PDF, 204Kb]PDF reader required has been submitted for all medical services before submitting a London Assist claim form.

For more information freecall the Medicare Australia Special Assistance Line on 1800 660 026.

Registration and Claim forms

Replacement Medicare cards for survivors of the London Bombings

Australians who lost their Medicare card in the London Bombings can still easily access their Medicare benefits.
Doctors are able to obtain a patient's Medicare card number by calling Medicare Australia on 132 150 while they are seeing the patient.

Replacement Medicare cards can be requested by calling 132 011.

Additional information

Centrelink is operating dedicated 'London Assist’ hotlines to provide information about the Government's other assistance package. The hotlines are (180 22 77) for callers within Australia, and a reverse charge number (00 61 8 9202 9944) is also available for Australians calling from the United Kingdom seeking information on the package.

Download a copy of the London Assist Scheme information sheet [PDF, 167Kb]PDF reader required for information about what is covered, how to determine eligibility, how to register and lodge a claim.

Some documents on this page may require the free Adobe PDF reader.

Last updated: 16 October, 2008

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