Why under 35s should get bulk-billed GP appointments

The Royal Australian College of GPs is pushing for the bulk-billing incentive to be expanded to include a specific age group that was considered the most likely to delay care.

RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said patients under 35 should qualify for the bulk-billing incentive, because they are most likely to delay care. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

Australians under 35 would qualify for the bulk-billing incentive at their GP in a bid to create an extra 2.2 million zero-fee doctors’ appointments for young adults.

The peak GP group is calling on the government to offer an extra Medicare payment to GPs every time they bulkbill a young adult, and reduce out of pocket fees for longer consults across all ages.

The proposals, set to be released on Tuesday by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, come amid growing concern about the future of primary healthcare.

RACGP president Michael Wright said “long-term under investment” in Medicare meant it was “harder” for practice to bulk-bill, and out-of-pocket costs were rising.

“If we don’t have a major rethink and support for patient rebates, that’s going to get worse,” Dr Wright said.

“I don’t want people getting sick because they can’t get in to see me or my colleagues because of cost.”

The college’s proposals include increasing the Medicare rebate by 40 per cent for longer consults and 25 per cent for mental health appointments, and extra funding to train an additional 1500 GPs over five years.

The college also wants the Medicare rebate for longer consults increased by 40 per cent. Picture: Mike Burton

They said independently verified modelling found their reforms would deliver an extra 6.5 million bulk-billed GP appointments, halve long appointments out-of-pocket costs, save families $268 million and prevent more than 42,000 hospitalisations.

RACGP president Michael Wright said they wanted the bulk-billing incentive expanded to patients under 35 because this age group was most likely to delay care.

“More and more Australians are putting off seeing a GP because of the increased cost and the group who’s most likely to do that is people between 25 and 34,” he said.

“That’s why we’ve said for this group, there’s an argument for expanding that bulk billing incentive … so they don’t put off the treatment and care they need.”

“If people are putting off seeing a GP because of the cost of the appointment, or of medication, their condition is likely to get worse, they’re more likely to need to go to hospital or use emergency departments,” he said.

“It’s a lot more expensive, so that’s bad for the taxpayer as well.”

The bulk-billing incentive is an extra fee, ranging from $20.65 in metropolitan areas like Melbourne and Geelong to $39.65 in remote communities, paid on top of the Medicare rebate to GPs when they bulk-bill eligible patients.

It is currently restricted to kids under 16 and concession card holders.

It does not guarantee young Australians a bulk-billed appointment – particularly as the average gap fee for a GP consult is above $20 – but the college argued it would create an extra 2.2 million bulk-billed appointments.

They said modelling also found it would save patients a collective $27.8 million, and – by preventing visits – save hospitals $48.9 million.

Dr Wright said they expect to see “savings in the hundreds of millions of dollars downstream” if all their recommendations of their 2025 Federal Election Platform were followed.

“[It] would get the bulk-billing rate back up to 85 per cent for people who need it most,” he said.

Originally published as Why under 35s should get bulk-billed GP appointments