Medicine price freeze and $2.2bn for home and aged care among Australia’s federal budget health measures

New mental health service and Medicare urgent care clinics funded alongside ways to keep pensioners and older Australians out of hospital

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Older Australians will have access to 24,000 new home care places to support them staying in their own house rather than entering aged care, part of a $2.2bn package delivering recommendations from the royal commission and to improve services.

The government will also stand up 29 new Medicare urgent care clinics, freeze increases to prescription medicines and give the states $882m for programs for older patients staying long-term in hospitals.

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