Handy: Tiarn Pauletto thinks accessing Medicare will be more convenient. Others disagree. Picture: ROBERT PEET
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Medicare will soon close its doors in Wollongong Central and move into Centrelink’s Burelli St premises.
From June 18, Medicare customers will have to go to the ‘‘Wollongong Service Centre’’ at 43 Burelli St to process claims and make inquiries.
It will also stop providing cash payments, switching totally to electronic refunds.
The relocation is being promoted as part of a wider move by the Federal Government to ‘‘modernise’’ services, by abolishing cash refunds and centralising services under the one roof.
The Government hopes to move all Centrelink, Medicare and child support services around the country to ‘‘one-stop shops’’ by the end of 2014.
Yesterday, Wollongong Medicare customers’ opinions of the changes were divided.
Student Tiarn Pauletto, who regularly visits Centrelink, said it would be handy to have the services in the same place.
Others, including Dapto father Warren Wall and Lake Heights woman Renee Stevens, said getting to the new premises would be difficult.
‘‘I think it’s more convenient having it where it is - there’s better parking,’’ Mr Wall said.
Ms Stevens agreed. ‘‘Personally I don’t think it will be a good move at all, because it won’t be as convenient and accessible, being all the way down the end of town, especially for the elderly.
‘‘I also think [abolishing cash refunds] would be harder for the lower income earners, who need the cash straight away, but it would probably be better for most people in the end.’’
Department of Human Services general manager Hank Jongen said Medicare was the only government program to still manage large volumes of cash.
‘‘Medicare offices around the country are modernising to offer people new electronic payment methods,’’ he said. ‘‘Only 8 per cent of Medicare payments were processed using cash last year, and just 4 per cent using cheques.
‘‘Thirty-five Medicare sites around the country have already moved away from cash ... and more sites will continue to roll out throughout the year.’’
Customers will be able to claim Medicare refunds electronically by registering their bank account details with Medicare, to receive their refunds straight into a bank account, or by swiping their debit card.
Medicare at Wollongong Central will close on Friday, June 15.