Who makes up a Safety Net family?
A Safety Net family consists of the Medicare card holder and their: • spouse/de facto partner If a person marries or starts a de facto relationship during the year, the new family members’ names (including dependent children) may be added to the PRF. Prescriptions that were supplied before the marriage/de facto relationship began can be counted towards the new family’s threshold limit. • dependent child A dependent child must be under the age of 16 and wholly or substantially in the care of the Medicare card holder or their spouse/de facto partner. • dependent student A dependent student must be under the age of 25, studying full-time and wholly or substantially dependent on the Medicare card holder or their spouse/de facto partner. Examples of groups who are not considered a family for PBS Safety Net purposes are: • full-time students 25 years of age and over and their parent(s) • separated couples (unless separated due to illness or infirmity) • two or more adult siblings • an adult
