Logan super clinic promise as nine bulk billing services slashed

Residents in one of southeast Queensland’s poorest areas are facing an uphill battle to receive medical attention after nine GP surgeries slashed bulk billing, including for pensioners and children.

Some of the poorest communities in southeast Queensland are facing a huge medical shortfall as nine doctors’ surgeries stop offering bulk billing consultations.

Logan medical practices at Waterford, Logan Village, Upper Coomera, Cornubia, Rochedale, Marsden, and Eagleby, have stopped or slashed free consultations.

Waterford West Medical Centre is the latest in Logan to cut back bulk billing for everyone, including pensioners and children, starting today.

Australian GP Alliance data shows patient Medicare rebates have only increased by 0.5 per cent a year compared to inflation which has been 5 per cent a year since 2019

Logan doctors said a nine-year Medicare rebate freeze had forced many clinics to stop bulk billing in the area, which has one of the country’s highest unemployment rates at 8.7 per cent and lowest average weekly incomes of about $1054.

Logan Village GP Dr Melissa Ford said poorer patients were not seeing doctors because they could not afford to pay the upfront $75 consultation fee, of which they would get back $39.10 under Medicare.

Healthcare costs have skyrocketed compared to the rise in Medicare rebates since 2010.

She said doctors wanted to bulk bill for the benefit of patients but could not afford to.

“I stopped bulk billing last year to stay afloat only to be forced to return to bulk billing when patient numbers dropped dramatically,” she said.

“Because of a nine-year freeze in the rebate to doctors, bulk billing does not work and private billing is deterring patients.

“Logan needs a GP clinic to be attached to the Logan Hospital where all patients who want bulk billing services can go,” she said.

Eagleby GP Dr Thomas Lyons said cuts to Medicare payments to doctors was killing the system.

Eagleby Dr Thomas Lyons says Logan patients will suffer if bulk billing is completely phased out.

He said a fall in the number of bulk billing surgeries had saved the federal government billions of dollars over nine years but would ultimately cost the system by deterring patients from seeking early treatment.

“Bulk billing doctor surgeries help to alleviate pressure on already overstretched hospital emergency departments but this is unsustainable because the government has frozen the amount it pays doctors while the cost of running a practice has risen out of control.”

Labor candidate for the area, Rowan Holzberger said if the ALP won this month’s election, 50 urgent care clinics would be set up across the country with one in Logan.

“Patients would be able to see doctors for free at any of these clinics when they need to without putting any added pressure on hospital emergency departments,” Mr Holzberger said.

“In inner Brisbane, people will visit private billing doctors but in Logan it’s different and people seek out bulk billing services and won’t go to the doctor at all if they have to pay.”

Forde MP Bert van Manen said bulk billing was at an all time high and spending on Medicare would grow to $36.6 billion by 2025–26.

But doctors said Covid vaccinations across Logan had distorted recent bulk billing figures.

Rankin MP Jim Chalmers, whose electorate would also benefit from the proposed Logan urgent care clinic, said the location would be determined after the election and a formal tendering process.