GP bulk-billing rates plunge as Labor’s $8.5bn health reform starts
New data reveals a dramatic decline in free GP visits across Australia, despite the Albanese government’s promise to make seeing the doctor more affordable. SEE HOW YOUR AREA FARES.
GP bulk-billing rates have fallen sharply in dozens of electorates over the past three years, as the Albanese government’s $8.5 billion overhaul of primary care kicks in.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal bulk-billing rates – the proportion of GP visits where patients have no out-of-pocket costs – have fallen by 15 per cent or more in 32 electorates around the country since 2022.
Fresh statistics provided by the Department of Health following Senate Estimates show that, in NSW, the biggest falls were recorded in Cook (18.8 per cent), Bennelong (18.2 per cent), Sydney (17.2 per cent), Newcastle (16.7 per cent), and Wentworth (16.2 per cent).
Nationwide, the bulk-billing rate has fallen from 87.7 per cent in June 2022 to 77.9 per cent in June this year.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has previously claimed figures were skewed during Covid, when vaccinations – and some telehealth consultations – were bulk-billed.
Earlier this year, Health Minister Mark Butler announced an $8.5bn investment in Medicare to expand bulk- billing for all Australians and support GP practices that bulk-bill all their patients.
On Wednesday, Mr Butler said the reforms – aimed at ensuring nine out of 10 GP visits are bulk-billed by 2030 – had already prompted a flood of practices to commit to bulk-billing all patients.
“1000 practices have already told the government this week that they’re charging gap fees and next week they’ll start bulk-billing every single patient that comes through their door,” he told the ABC.
The government claims the changes – which came into effect on Saturday – will save families hundreds a year.
The Coalition’s health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said Australians “are being forced to pull out their credit cards” to pay for the GP.
“Anthony Albanese lied to Australians on at least 71 occasions when he said that all they would need was a Medicare card and they could ‘see a GP for free’.
“The data tells us a very different story,” she said.
“The Prime Minister can wave around his Medicare card all he wants, but that doesn’t change the fact that more Australians are being forced to pay almost $50 to see a doctor.
“It’s no wonder that bulk- billing rates have plummeted under Labor, considering most GPs are small family businesses struggling to cope with skyrocketing energy bills and the rising cost of doing business.”
Originally published as GP bulk-billing rates plunge as Labor’s $8.5bn health reform starts
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