Sydney GPs don’t bulk bill enough patients for rebates

There’s a new rebate to boost bulk-billing, but in Sydney, GPs are just charging higher fees and not bulk-billing enough patients to qualify for tax relief, new data shows.

Doctors in Sydney aren’t meeting the bulk-billing threshold to qualify for new tax rebates.

Patients in Sydney won’t feel the effects of the Minns government’s GP rebates if doctors don’t quickly up their bulk-billing rates.

Exclusive new data shows GP clinics across Sydney are not bulk-billing enough patients to qualify for the tax rebate, instead charging patients higher fees.

This comes after the Minns government announced a $189 million bulk billing package in Tuesday’s budget, which waived historical GP payroll taxes and included $77 million in tax rebates for clinics that meet bulk-billing thresholds.

Clinics in Sydney will need to bulk bill more than 80 per cent of their patients to be eligible with regional clinics having to bulk bill more than 70 per cent.

Western and south western Sydney are the only metro locations where GP clinics are bulk billing more than 80 per cent of their patients, according to Medicare data for the March quarter.

Premier Chris Minns hopes the tax rebate thresholds will encourage GP clinics to bulk bill more patients. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Meanwhile Sydney’s southern Shire, eastern suburbs and the CBD are only bulk billing less than around 77 per cent of patients. Clinics in Sydney’s north bulk bill the least — just over 70 per cent of patients.

Patients in regional NSW are being bulk billed above the required 70 per cent across all areas, meaning most GPs will be eligible for the tax rebate.

Premier Chris Minns hopes the tax rebate thresholds will encourage GP clinics to bulk bill more patients, giving families much needed cost-of-living relief.

“We know people have been cutting back on healthcare because of affordability,” he said.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said it was important Sydney doctors increased their bulk billing rates to take the pressure off hospital emergency departments.

“NSW hospitals are shouldering the burden with emergency departments under record pressure,” he said.