The fallout from the Essendon drugs scandal could end up costing professional sports clubs and athletes millions of dollars through a recent change in government policy regarding Medicare claims and rebates.

Medicare, through Health Minister Peter Dutton, recently enacted legislation that will require clubs and sports groups to bear the full costs of operations and other medical procedures that would previously have at least been partly covered by Medicare.

Malcolm Speed of COMPPS. Credit:Reuters

One senior figure from an AFL club predicted on Friday that the move posed an astronomical threat to clubs’ annual medical bills.

Another senior AFL club figure estimated that the additional cost would be between $100,000 and $150,000 annually per club. He said his estimate was conservative, however, and that the move clearly had the potential to affect poorer clubs far more profoundly than wealthier outfits.