The Albanese government has revealed a new system called “My Medicare patient ID” to help both government and doctors understand why individuals go to emergency departments. This move follows the Australian Medical Association’s report on record-high emergency wait times in nearly 30 years. The new system is part of the government’s $2.2 billion scheme to overhaul Medicare. The package includes plans to improve accessibility to after-hours medical care, expand the nursing workforce, and introduce flexible funding for multidisciplinary team-based models. The suite of measures aims to take pressure off public hospital systems and keep patients out of emergency departments. The establishment of “urgent care clinics” has already been announced in some states, and the government plans to announce more in the coming days. The national cabinet has also agreed to reduce the growth of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to make it more financially sustainable. A new annual target growth rate of eight percent will be implemented by July 2026.