One year on from the Australian Government’s record investment in Medicare, more Australians are seeing a GP for free, taking the pressure off household budgets.
More than 4,000 GP practices across Australia are now fully Medicare Bulk Billing Practices, compared to 2,300 just 12 months ago.
Now, 50% of all general practices exclusively bulk bill, compared to 30% a year ago, saving Australian patients and families hundreds of dollars a year on out-of-pocket costs.
The number of fully bulk billing practices has more than doubled in South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.
More than 97% of Australians now live within 20 minutes’ drive of a general practice that bulk bills all patients.
The Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program provides substantially higher Medicare rebates to GPs and practices if all doctors in the practice bulk bill all of their patients, all of the time.
The proportion of bulk billing clinics in each jurisdiction is currently:
- 58% in New South Wales, up from 39 % a year ago;
- 55% in Victoria, up from 32%
- 45% in Queensland, up from 24%
- 43% in South Australia, up from 19%
- 32% in Western Australia, up from 15%
- 47% in Tasmania, up from 17%
- 80% in the Northern Territory, up from 60%
- 21% in the ACT, up from 10%.
The biggest jump has been in rural areas, where the percentage of bulk billing practices has lifted by 27% to 59%.
Remote areas continue to have the highest proportion of bulk billing clinics, at 77%.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
“Australian patients are paying less for their GP visits, with one in two general practices across the nation now committed to bulk billing all patients.
“For doctors and practice managers, bulk billing is now an attractive option for the first time in many years.
“Strengthening Medicare and delivering free visits to the doctor have only happened due to the Albanese Labor Government’s investments."