GPs not at risk of being named and shamed if they don’t bulk bill, Health Minister says

Australians who can’t get access to a bulk-billing doctor have been told to simply do a “ring around” to find one.

Australians have been told they should just “ring around” to find a bulk-billing GP in their area amid concerns the government’s incentive boost hasn’t improved access.

But Health Minister Mark Butler rejected suggestions that GPs unwilling to send the bill directly to Medicare for vulnerable patients should be named and shamed.

“We want patients to know, if one practice in their area has changed their behaviour around bulk billing and another hasn’t, it’s entirely your right to vote with your feet,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“People can ring around and ask ‘are you bulk billing a consultant for my kid who’s 14? Are you bulk billing me, I’m a concession card holder?’

“We want an active community discussion about this.”

GPs aren’t at risk of being named and shamed. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The government last year tripled the incentives paid to doctors who bulk bill children under the age of 16, pensioners and concession card holders.

It was estimated the change would benefit around 11 million people.

Mr Butler said anecdotally there had been a “significant return” to bulk billing when asked if the data reflected the uptick following the increase, he conceded it had yet to be fully pulled together.

“We’ll have more to say about it in the coming days”.

Patients who are bulk billed do not pay anything for their consultation.

The number of Australians who delayed seeing a GP due to rising costs increased over the last financial year to almost 1.2 million.

Mr Butler said it was his job to make bulk billing as attractive as possible. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

A recent survey from online healthcare directory Cleanbill found fewer than one in four clinics will bulk bill every patient.

Meanwhile, patients are now paying $41.69 on average in out-of-pocket costs.

Mr Butler acknowledged it was his job to try to make it “attractive as possible” for GPs to bulk bill all of their patients but particularly those who were more vulnerable.

But when asked what he would consider an acceptable gap fee – the difference between the Medicare rebate and what is charged to a patient – he said his focus was on bulk billing.

“That is where the vast bulk of the investment we put into general practice into last year’s budget went,” Mr Butler said.

“The more that we can incentivise and reward GPs for bulk billing those concession card holders, pensioners and kids, the less pressure there is to impose gap fees on the rest of their patients as well.”

Meanwhile, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has ramped up its push for a 20 per cent boost to the Medicare rebate for long appointments and mental health consults.

It also wants free yearly health checks for children under five.

“Key measures in last year’s budget, including a tripling of the bulk-billing incentive for certain patient groups and a new Medicare item for longer consults, are a positive step forward in supporting vulnerable patients,” president Nicole Higgins said. 

“We are also calling for funding to enable patients to see their GP after an unplanned hospital visit so they don’t end up straight back there. Keep in mind that whilst a standard GP appointment costs the taxpayer $40, a hospital visit costs $600.

“Cost-of-living pressures are biting hard for many households, and I understand that some patients are seeking a bulk-billing GP. The long-term solution to making health care more affordable for all Australians from all walks of life is increased investment in general practice care. That way, no patients will be left behind.”