It should be easier for young Australians to visit a GP

Australians are fortunate to have one of the world’s best health systems.

But there are many signs that the system is under pressure, one being the out-of-pocket costs many pay to visit a GP.

While targeted incentives offered to GPs by the Albanese government has lifted bulk-billing rates for children and older people, many are missing out.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners wants extended bulk-billing incentives for under-35s.

The Herald’s Natassia Chrysanthos reported last month that adults aged 16 to 64 had about 80 per cent of their GP services bulk-billed in 2022. That dropped to an average of 70 per cent in 2023 and to 69 per cent in the months to October 2024. (Bulk-billing is when the full cost of a GP visit is covered by Medicare rebates, without the patient paying extra fees.)

Meanwhile, the average out-of-pocket payment for a GP appointment has climbed to $47 – a major impost for families struggling with cost-of-living pressures.

It’s hardly surprising that more and more Australians are putting off seeing a GP because of the expense. An annual survey of patient experiences by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 8.8 per cent of the population had delayed or did not use a GP last year because of the cost, up from 3.5 per cent in 2022.

Young people have been disproportionately affected: more than 15 per cent of those aged 25-34 said they had delayed or not seen a GP because of the cost.

Chrysanthos also reports the average bulk-billing rate for those under the age of 16 stands at 90 per cent, but that slumps to 72 per cent for those between 16 and 18 because current bulk-billing incentives cease to apply.

A Productivity Commission report recently praised Australia’s health system for delivering “some of the best value for money of any in the world”. But it’s unacceptable that about one in six people aged 25-34 feel they can’t afford to visit a doctor. Every citizen should have access to healthcare when they need it, regardless of their age or income.

For this reason, a new proposal by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to extend bulk-billing incentives to under-35s is welcome. Under the plan, GPs would be offered an additional Medicare incentive payment every time they bulk-bill a young adult.

Extending bulk-billing incentives to under-35s would benefit a group that has been acutely affected by recent cost-of-living pressures. The college says young people would save more than $40 a visit in average doctor’s fees.

“We know young people are doing it especially tough and are more likely to have delayed care due to costs,” said RACGP president Michael Wright.

It would also deliver long-term benefits; according to the college, encouraging young Australians to visit a GP when they need to could prevent about 9000 hospitalisations a year because people would stay healthier through better preventative care, earlier diagnosis and chronic disease management.

A political battle over health policy looms at this year’s federal election, with both Labor and the Coalition under pressure to demonstrate how they will tackle cost-of-living challenges.

Making it easier for under-35s to visit a GP should be a priority for all political parties.

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