REBECCA WHITE, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING: The Albanese Labor Government's commitment to strengthen Medicare is all about enhancing bulk billing across the country. I'm really thrilled here on the Tasman Peninsula that the Tasman Medical Service has moved to a fully bulk billing practice. This has been a mixed billing practice for the last 18 months. So, this decision has been made by practice management because it makes sense for them financially and it's also great for patients. And that's the underlying principle of strengthening Medicare. It's about making sure patients can access healthcare close to where they live and for them to see a bulk billing GP, but to also support our hard-working doctors and practices so that they are rewarded for bulk billing patients.
Across Tasmania, we've seen one of the greatest uptakes of bulk billing for anywhere in the country, a nearly 400 per cent increase in bulk billing practices since 1 November, and that's great news for Tasmanians. No matter where they live, they can now hopefully have the choice of a bulk billing GP, and for many Tasmanians, that could be the difference between them choosing to go and get the healthcare they need or not.
MAREE WALKER, TASMAN MEDICAL PRACTICE MANAGER: When we first came down here, it was a bulk billing practice. And about 18, 19 months ago, we did decide to try and mixed billing. However, we found that we were bulk billing 95 per cent of the patients. And then, of course, when this initiative came, we just grabbed it.
JOURNALIST: So, a bit of back and forth there. Why weren't you sure? What kind of challenges and things did you think wouldn't initially work for the practice?
JOURNALIST: What are some of the costs and other things that you have to think about as a practice, that a patient, wouldn't consider?
WALKER: The costs we have to consider as a rural practice are the overheads like reception staff wages and consumables.
JOURNALIST: But then when you heard about this rebate, you kind of changed your mind and it's been going well?
WALKER: Absolutely. The whole point is really the community and that’s why we changed, it was for the community. I think there are so many younger people out there that don't come to the doctors because they can't afford to come if they're not on a healthcare card or a concession card. So, I think we will start seeing a lot of those come back to us.
JOURNALIST: We hear about capacity being an issue as well. There's not enough actual doctors on the ground. Do you find that you've been able to keep up with that increase in patients?
WALKER: We have one full-time doctor down here, and we have around four to five regular locums that keep coming. We could certainly do with one more doctor on the ground. We always have two doctors at the practice, but to have a third doctor down here would be fantastic.
JOURNALIST: I think that's a pretty common widespread problem.
WALKER: Totally, and the patients down here are wonderful. They realise that we've come down here and what we've done is for them, and so they are very patient. And if it was an emergency, we would never turn anybody away.
JOURNALIST: And when you had the split practice or split billing procedure, if that's the right word, what kind of dictates who gets what?
WALKER: Concession cardholders and people on pension cards were bulk billed, anybody without one of those, we charged them, a very minimum fee.
JOURNALIST: And is mixed billing something you would go back to?
WALKER: Never. No. This is the best thing that's happened down here for the community. And for us. It's a win for the community. It's a win for us with the incentives.
JOURNALIST: We know in regional areas, health outcomes can often be worse. Is that a challenge for you? Is there an aged population out here?
WALKER: There is. But since we've been down here, we have built it up with so many allied health coming down here now, which never did. We have one nurse who does chronic disease, which is health assessments, care plans to keep people in their homes longer. I think that we've built up quite a good practice since we've been here to keep people in the community and keep people in their homes longer.
JOURNALIST: Can you understand why some practices are hesitant to jump on board?
WALKER: I can if they're up in town, absolutely. But as far as rural practices, no.
COLLINS: I'd just say that this is the single largest investment in Medicare since Labor created Medicare. This is about ensuring that more Tasmanians and more Australians can access bulk billing.
The other thing that I would say is, as Rebecca has highlighted, the fact that we have Tasmanian practices moving to bulk billing is terrific. But what I would say to those that aren't at the moment is that they should consider it. We've got practices that can bulk bill in the middle of Sydney and Melbourne. There's no reason why we can't in Hobart and Launceston, so I'd like to see more practices take up this initiative. It's a very huge investment from the Federal Government in local communities right across the country to ensure more Australians can see a GP.
JOURNALIST: So that four-year goal, you're confident you'll reach it?
COLLINS: What I would say is we're investing the single biggest investment ever in Medicare since we created Medicare. We're talking about $8.5 billion that went into Medicare from 1 November to ensure more Tasmanians and more Australians can get bulk billed at the GP.