Eye-watering cost of seeking a GP revealed, amid looming doctor exodus from workforce

How much should a GP visit cost? As costs keep rising, it’s hard to know. See how yours compares and why doctors say they have no choice.

More than 40 per cent of General Practitioners charge more than $85 for a standard appointment, a report has found, while about a third plan to leave the workforce in the next five years.

The survey of more than 3000 Australian General Practitioners also found a staggering 60 per cent of the doctors with no plans to quit were considering reducing their hours, while average patient fees have gone up again.

The latest Royal Australian College of General Practitioners national survey found the average 20-minute GP appointment has increased from $75 last year to $78 – including the $41.40 Medicare rebate.

The report, released on Tuesday, also revealed the number of GPs charging more than $90 per consultation had increased, while just 13 per cent of doctors bulk-billed all patients.

The average 20-minute GP appointment has increased from $75 last year to $78 now.

Just two years ago, one in four GPs did not charge any patients a gap fee, with the report blaming the Medicare rebate for falling behind inflation.

But RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said “green shoots” showed change was possible when the government took action, like increasing the incentive paid every time a GP bulk-bills a child or concession cardholder.

“Funding delivers results,” she said.

She said one in four GPs reported bulk-billing more patients since the incentive’s increase and GP job satisfaction was up, with the survey also finding 37 per cent – up from 30 in 2023 – of GPs bulk-billed the “majority” of patients.

“There’s a lot of good news, but there’s also some concerns as well,” she said.

“We need to do more to retain our workforce.

“The need for general practice care is skyrocketing . . . (and) demand and unmet need is going to increase in the future as our population gets older and sicker.”

She said clinics were still under pressure “after decades of underinvestment and the Medicare freeze”.

RACGP President Nicole Higgins. Picture: Gary Ramage

“It’s time to rethink how we split our funding in Australia, and it’s time to flip the system where we invest more in the foundations of the healthcare system, which is general practice.”

The college has called for a 20 per cent increase to the Medicare rebate for 20-minute or longer appointments.

The report also showed doctor shortages remained a risk, with almost a fifth of the surveyed, practising GPs 65 or older and the share of new GPs under 35 declining.

The number of medical graduates selecting GP as their first specialty preference declined again to 10 per cent, well below the college’s goal of 50 per cent, and eight in ten practice owners said they were concerned about the “viability of their practice”.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said there “is more to do” after years of “cuts and neglect” to Medicare, but the survey contained “a lot of hopeful signs”.

“We made the largest investment in bulk billing in Medicare history and in this survey doctors tell us it is having an impact with more GPs bulk billing, more of the time,” he said.

“Since our investments into Medicare there have been almost five million additional bulk billed visits to the doctor.”