Can You See a Dietitian on Medicare? Rebates and Plans in 2026

Yes, Medicare can help with the cost of seeing a dietitian, but only through a GP plan and only with an Accredited Practising Dietitian. The rules changed on 1 July 2025, when GP Chronic Condition Management Plans replaced GP Management Plans and Team Care Arrangements, and a lot of information online is now out of date. This guide covers who is eligible, how many sessions you can claim, what the rebate is in 2026, and the other ways to cover the cost.

Who is eligible?

You need a medical condition that has been, or is likely to be, present for at least 6 months (or is terminal), and a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan. There is no list of eligible conditions: your GP decides. GP Chronic Condition Management Plans started on 1 July 2025 and replaced GP Management Plans (GPMPs) and Team Care Arrangements (TCAs). The plan is prepared by your usual GP, or by your MyMedicare practice if you are registered with one.

For a Medicare rebate on dietitian sessions, the plan must have been prepared or reviewed in the last 18 months, and your GP must write you a referral. If you already had a GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements from before 1 July 2025, they can still be used until 30 June 2027, and referrals written before 1 July 2025 stay valid until the number of sessions they list has been used.

How many sessions, and what Medicare pays

Each pathway has its own limit. The rebates below are the Medicare benefit from 1 July 2026, which is 85% of the schedule fee.

The 5 sessions are counted from 1 January each year and they are shared: if you use 3 with a physiotherapist, you have 2 left for a dietitian. Sessions must run for at least 20 minutes. Video and phone sessions are covered too, and they count towards the same limit. Your GP can explain the diabetes group and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pathways if they apply to you. If you live in residential aged care, different arrangements apply, so ask your GP.

Eating disorder plans

An eating disorder treatment and management plan gives access to up to 20 sessions with an Accredited Practising Dietitian in 12 months, alongside up to 40 psychological sessions. It is available for anorexia nervosa, and for bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) when certain criteria are met. ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) is not among the eligible diagnoses. Under the MBS rules, dietitian sessions claimed under a chronic condition plan in the same 12 months count towards the 20, although some guides say otherwise, so check with your GP if you are using both.

The dietitian reports back to your GP after the first session, as needed during treatment, and after the last session, and your GP reviews your progress along the way. Our guide to the Medicare eating disorder plan covers this in more detail.

Your referral

For referrals written from 1 July 2025, the referral does not need to name a particular dietitian: you can take it to any Accredited Practising Dietitian. It also does not need to state a number of sessions for chronic condition plans, and if no end date is written on it, it is generally valid for 18 months from the first session.

Does Medicare cover a nutritionist?

No. Medicare dietetic services can only be provided by an Accredited Practising Dietitian with a Medicare provider number. As Dietitians Australia puts it, not all nutritionists are dietitians.

Other ways to cover the cost

• Private health insurance. Most funds cover visits to Accredited Practising Dietitians under extras cover. You cannot claim Medicare and your health fund for the same session, but extras can help once your Medicare sessions are used.
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs. DVA may cover dietitian visits for Gold Card holders, and for White Card holders with an accepted condition.
• NDIS. Dietitian support can be funded through an NDIS plan when it relates to your disability and goals. See NDIS dietitian support.
• Seeing a dietitian privately. You do not need a referral to book with a dietitian. A referral is only needed to claim a government benefit such as Medicare.

Medicare pays a rebate, not the whole fee. Practitioners set their own fees, and the gap is the difference between the fee and what Medicare pays back.

When to talk to your GP

If you think you might be eligible, ask your GP whether a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan suits you and whether a dietitian referral makes sense. If you have an eating disorder, or are worried you might, your GP is the right first step for an eating disorder plan.