Heart Foundation welcomes three-year extension to Medicare Heart Health Checks

Media release: Thursday 29 May 2025

Medicare funding secured for Heart Health Checks through to June 30, 2028

The Heart Foundation has welcomed the three-year extension to the Medicare Heart Health Checks, announced alongside the Australian Government at an event in Adelaide today.

The announcement by Health Minister Mark Butler secures Medicare funding for the Check through to June 30, 2028.

A Medicare Heart Health Check is a 20-minute check-up by a GP that assesses a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke. Based on the results, the GP works with their patient to develop a proactive plan to drive down risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Medicare Heart Health Checks were first introduced in 2019 following strong advocacy by the Heart Foundation and broader heart sector.

Since its introduction, more than 870,000 Heart Health Checks have been carried out saving countless lives, including those of Pete Marnock, 59, from Queensland.

In 2022, a Heart Health Check with his local GP led to him having lifesaving bypass and valve repair surgery.

“At my check-up the doctor listened to my heart, and he said I had a ‘noisy heart’; that it didn’t sound right. He said to me: ‘Something’s wrong here’ and that’s what started my journey,” Mr Marnock explained.

“I was sitting there with the ‘widowmaker’ not knowing about it. My doctor said to me there would have been no coming back from the issues I had, had they not been found.”

Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd welcomed the Government’s announcement and said stories such as Mr Marnock’s highlighted the importance of Heart Health Checks.

"We are so very grateful to the Australian Government and to Health Minister Mark Butler for this vital extension,” Mr Lloyd said. "Heart disease is a silent killer - all too often the first symptom is a heart attack. And it almost was for Pete. That's why we urge eligible people to speak with their GP about a Heart Health Check today.”

For more information on Heart Health Checks please visit: What is a Heart Health Check? | Heart Foundation