Heart Health Check Explained: What's Covered and Who's Eligible

Key Takeaways

• The Heart Health Assessment is a 20-minute GP appointment funded by the Australian Government.

• Eligibility is age 30 and over with no known cardiovascular disease. No referral required.

• The check combines a conversation, simple measurements, and a brief blood test to estimate your 5-year risk of a heart event. The result is a starting point for a plan, not a diagnosis. Your GP will explain what your risk band means and what to do next.

What Is a Heart Health Check?

A Heart Health Assessment is a 20-minute GP appointment, funded by the Australian Government, designed to estimate your 5-year risk of a heart attack or stroke and identify what can be done to lower it. The check has been funded since April 2019 and is now an established part of preventive care for adults.

The appointment combines a conversation with a GP, a few simple measurements, and a brief risk calculation. You often leave the appointment with a written summary and, where it makes sense, a short plan you have built with your GP.

A Heart Health Check is preventive, not diagnostic. It is for adults who have not been diagnosed with heart disease and is designed to identify risk factors before they cause problems.

How Common Is Heart Disease in Australia?

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death and disability in Australia. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in twenty Australians (5.2%, or 1.3 million people) had heart disease, a stroke, or vascular disease in 2022, with the condition slightly more common in men (5.9%) than women (4.6%).

Despite the burden, uptake of preventive heart screening is low. A Heart Foundation survey of 1,000 Australians aged 45 to 74 found that 64% had not had a Heart Health Check in the previous two years, as reported by RACGP newsGP. For context, the Heart Foundation reports that nearly 440,000 Australians have had a Medicare-funded Heart Health Check since the program launched in 2019.

Who Qualifies for a Heart Health Check?

The Heart Health Check is available to adults aged 30 and over who hold a Medicare card and have not been diagnosed with heart disease. Your GP confirms eligibility at the consultation, so you do not need to work out the details in advance.

Patients with established cardiovascular disease are managed under a different pathway. That care is ongoing rather than preventive, and the Heart Health Check is not the right framework for it.

Heart Foundation Recommended Tiers

The Heart Foundation recommends a Heart Health Check in three age and risk tiers:

• Aged 45 and over with no known cardiovascular disease.

• Aged 35 and over for people living with diabetes.

• Aged 30 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Even if you are 30 and have no medical conditions, your GP may still recommend a Heart Health Check based on your family history or other risk factors. The recommendation is shaped by your situation, not only your age.

If you are in your late forties, you may also want to look at the 45-49 Chronic Disease Risk Health Assessment. If you are aged 40 to 49 with a calculated high risk of type 2 diabetes, the 40-49 Diabetes Risk Health Assessment may also apply.

What's Included in a Heart Health Check

The Heart Health Check usually takes around 20 minutes. It combines a conversation with the GP, a few simple measurements, a blood test if not done recently to check cholesterol and screen for diabetes, and a brief risk calculation.

You typically leave with a written summary and, where appropriate, a follow-up booking. The structure mirrors how the Heart Foundation frames the appointment: discuss, check, assess, plan.

The Conversation with Your GP

The first part of the appointment is a conversation. Your GP asks about the factors that shape heart risk.

These typically include family history of heart disease, kidney disease or high cholesterol, smoking or vaping, alcohol use, physical activity, eating patterns and diet, sleep, stress, ethnicity (where relevant to risk modelling), current medications, and any current symptoms.

The conversation is respectful and confidential. The GP is gathering the information needed to build an accurate picture of your risk.

The Measurements and Tests

The measurement portion of the appointment is brief but specific. Your GP records the inputs that feed into the Australian CVD risk calculator.

• Blood pressure, with two readings if the first is high or borderline.

• Height, weight, and BMI, likely with a waist circumference measurement.

• A cholesterol blood test if recent results are not on file.

• A blood glucose or HbA1c test to screen for diabetes risk.

Some clinics complete the blood tests on the same day, while others ask you to return for a fasting test. Your GP combines the results into the Australian CVD risk score, which estimates your 5-year risk of a heart attack or stroke.

The Lifestyle Plan the GP Writes With You

The appointment often ends with a short plan. The plan is not a verdict; it is something you can act on starting that week.

The plan typically lists one or two specific lifestyle changes to focus on (eating, activity, sleep, smoking, alcohol), any referrals being made at the visit (dietitian, exercise physiologist, cardiologist), and a next review date. You build the plan together with your GP.

Understanding Your 5-Year Cardiovascular Risk Result

The Australian CVD risk calculator gives a percentage estimate of your chance of a heart attack or stroke in the next five years. The result is not a diagnosis. It is a number that informs the next conversation.

Most adults sit in one of three bands.

• Low risk: the focus is on reinforcing what is already working, with a routine repeat check.

• Moderate risk: a more active conversation about lifestyle and risk factors, often with allied health referrals and a closer follow-up schedule.

• High risk: a more detailed plan that may include medication consideration and specialist referral.

Most healthy adults aged 45 to 79 land in the low or moderate band.

After Your Heart Health Check: What Happens Next

What happens after the Heart Health Check depends on your risk band.

For low-risk patients, the GP usually reinforces lifestyle and books a repeat check in two to five years depending on age and other risk factors.

For moderate-risk patients, the next steps often include a more active lifestyle conversation, a possible referral to a dietitian, exercise physiologist, or cardiologist, consideration of further heart investigations, and an annual repeat Heart Health Check.

For high-risk patients, the conversation includes a more detailed lifestyle plan, possible medication consideration (such as cholesterol-lowering or blood-pressure lowering medications), and likely specialist referral.

If your heart health check identifies your weight as playing a part in your risk profile, your GP may also point you toward weight-management care. That is a separate pathway that can run alongside cardiovascular follow-up.

If chronic disease management is the right next step, a structured management plan may be built through your GP.

Is a Heart Health Check Free? Bulk Billing Explained

The Heart Health Assessment is often bulk-billed at most GP clinics. Blood tests ordered at the appointment are also bulk-billed under Medicare in most cases.

Bulk-billing policy varies clinic to clinic, and within Myhealth varies by location, so it is worth calling ahead to confirm what applies at the location you plan to visit.

Common Misconceptions About the Heart Health Check

Here are some common myths about having a heart health check:

• "I feel fine, so I don't need one." The check is designed for healthy adults without any symptoms. Catching risk factors before symptoms appear is the point.

• "It's just for older people." Standard eligibility starts at age 30.

• "I'll need a referral." No referral is required. A GP runs the Heart Health Check directly.

• "It costs a lot." Most Heart Health Checks are bulk-billed.

• "A cardiologist would be better." The Heart Health Check is preventive screening; a cardiologist is for diagnosis and ongoing management of established heart conditions.

When to Book a Heart Health Check

A short list of moments worth booking:

• You are aged 30 or older and have not had a recent check.

• It has been more than a year since your last Heart Health Check.

• A parent or sibling has been diagnosed with heart disease, particularly at a young age.

• You have been told you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or at risk of diabetes.

• You are getting back into exercise after a long gap and want a baseline.

If a family member has had a heart event recently and you are worried, you can book a Heart Health Assessment at any age. Your GP will walk you through it.

Book a Heart Health Check at a Myhealth Clinic

A Heart Health Check starts with a GP appointment. Your GP confirms your eligibility, runs the check, and talks through the result and any follow-up with you. If you are not sure whether it applies to you, the appointment is the place to find out.

Book a Heart Health Check at your nearest Myhealth clinic today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Heart Health Check covered by Medicare?

Yes. The Heart Health Check is funded by the Australian Government and is bulk-billed at most GP clinics. Blood tests ordered at the same appointment are also usually bulk-billed.

How often should I have a Heart Health Check?

Most patients have a Heart Health Check every two to five years, with the exact interval guided by age and risk factors. Patients in the moderate band often repeat the check annually, especially if there is an active management plan in place or a recent change in risk profile.

What's the difference between a Heart Health Check and a cardiologist visit?

A Heart Health Check is preventive screening run by a GP for adults without diagnosed heart disease. A cardiologist visit is specialist care, used for diagnosis and ongoing management of established heart conditions. The Heart Health Check often comes first; a cardiologist referral happens when findings call for it.

What happens if my Heart Health Check shows a high risk?

A high-risk result leads to a more detailed lifestyle conversation, possible medication consideration (such as cholesterol lowering or blood-pressure lowering medications), and likely specialist referral. The risk score is an estimate, not a diagnosis, and high-risk results respond well to a structured plan built with your GP.

Can I do a Heart Health Check at home?

A genuine Heart Health Check requires a GP appointment. Online heart-age calculators exist for awareness only and are not a substitute for the clinical check, which combines a conversation, measurements, blood tests, and the Australian CVD risk score.