BELINDA KING: No one likes to really go to the doctor because you're not 100% well. But the Albanese government has a record $8.5 billion Medicare investment, which is going to mean more local clinics will now fully bulk bill every patient. And yes, that does include Tasmania. From November 1, this past weekend, Launceston's First Point Healthcare Clinic has made the switch, meaning you'll only need your Medicare card, not your credit card when you visit. Let's find out a little bit more about this with the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and Member for Lyons, Rebecca White. Good morning.
REBECCA WHITE MP: Good morning BK.
BELINDA KING: Now, this announcement sounds like a very big win for Tasmanians. What's it in practical terms for people visiting their GP?
REBECCA WHITE MP: It is a great outcome for Tasmanians and all Australians, but what it means for people here in our state is that when you go to see the GP, you should be able to see a bulk billing GP. And it's important to still check because some practices haven't converted from mixed billing to fully bulk billing. But I am pleased to let people know that we've had 33 practices say that from the weekend they are going to move to fully bulk billing, which is a massive increase for Tassie because previous to that we had quite a small number that were bulk billing, only around nine. So, an extra 33 have said, yep, we're going to do this because the incentives work for us and we know patients need access to cheaper healthcare. So that's really great news.
BELINDA KING: And you spoke about one practice in Newstead, First Point Healthcare.
REBECCA WHITE MP: On the weekend, I was in Westbury at the Westbury family practice and they're fully bulk billing. And the great thing about both of those is their books are still open so people can get an appointment and see a doctor and it's free because it's fully bulk billed.
BELINDA KING: Well that's a big challenge, isn't it? I remember when I first moved to Tassie some quarter of a century ago now being absolutely flabbergasted when I did the ring around for a doctor's appointment hearing, “No our books are closed thank you, go away.” And I was just stunned. So, both of these clinics are bulk billing and both of them take new patients.
REBECCA WHITE MP: That's exactly right. And if people want to see if their local practice is bulk billing, you can jump on the government website called healthdirect.gov.au and you can search for services. Just pop your postcode in and it'll let you know what's available and it'll tell you if they're bulk billing or mixed billing or, of course, just give them a call. And we know there are some practices that have expressed interest in moving to fully bulk billing but haven't done it this weekend, but I know they will have moved that way by Christmas. So, we'll see a gradual uptake across the state as our practices understand what this means for them and we'll see more options for patients to access a bulk billing GP, which is terrific news.
BELINDA KING: We've heard that this is the single largest investment in Medicare in its 40-year history. What's driving this major push now?
REBECCA WHITE MP: Well, I think you talked about it at the start of the programme. It's the fact that people were struggling to access a GP because cost was a real barrier.
And then we see people, and I've talked to people who've been in this situation, they become more unwell and then they end up in the emergency department, or they just live with poor quality of life because they haven't been able to access a GP to get the healthcare that they need.
This is about making it easier for people to access a health service close to where they live that means they don't have to worry about whether they can afford to go or not. We want people to be able to prioritise health because they need to be able to get that care rather than thinking they have to worry about if they can fund it this week or if they have to save up to find money for that gap fee.
It's really about making sure we look after people and care for their health and I'm really encouraged by the sign we're seeing in Tassie to have 33 practices say they're moving to fully bulk billing actually, shows us that here in Tassie we've had the greatest percentage change for any state or territory, which is really great news.
BELINDA KING: So not all practices though, are going to be bulk billing, are they? They're not all going to be offering this. The recourse or the opportunity is there for people to, as you say, visit Health Direct and look for another GP. This is all still about, for some clinics, it's still about the cost to run the clinic and charging what they consider a gap fee.
REBECCA WHITE MP: Yeah, that's right. And there will be some clinics who don't move immediately, and I hope they eventually do choose to move because this incentive is about supporting patients to access healthcare. And we know when we tripled the bulk billing incentive for concession card holders, pensioners and children, 9 out of 10 appointments to a GP then were free.
They were fully bulk billed and it's that modelling that led us to say, well let's expand this for all Australians and hope that by 2030, nine out of ten visits to a GP will be fully bulk billed, so a free doctor's visit. But there will be some practices who assess what this means and whether they can move here straight away.
The incentives are quite significant and if you move to a fully bulk billing practise so all your GPs are bulk billing, on top of that the federal government's providing an extra 12.5% uplift which is shared between the GPs and the practise to fund the cost of running the building and all of those things that go with having a business but also incentivising the GPs and rewarding them in recognition of the work they're doing to support patients to access a bulk billing GP. There are lots of benefits to GPs. There are lots of benefits to the practice if they move to be a fully bulk billing practice not to mention the benefits to patients who can access a GP for free close to where they live.
BELINDA KING: So looking ahead, you mentioned a target by 2030 for, what was it, 9 out of 10 GPs should be bulk billing by then. Are we on track to achieve that?
REBECCA WHITE MP: Well, I'm pleased to say that since the 1st of November, we've seen more than 1,000 practices across the country move to fully bulk bill. We have about 7,000 GP practices in Australia. About 1,500 were already bulk billing and we've had more than 1,000 just this weekend move to bulk billing. That is a significant increase in the number of bulk billing practices across the country. And here in Tasmania, we've seen a huge uplift in the number of bulk billing practises from just nine to now 43. So that's great news and we've got lots more who are saying they're going to move that way.
It'll take time. You've got to remember particularly for some smaller practices who are managing their business as a small business, they're working their way through that, and the department has provided a lot of resources to assist them with the transition. But some may take a little bit longer. But I do encourage people, ring your practice and ask. The receptionist is there to support you, so please be kind to them. If they're not bulk billing, then respect that the receptionist isn't the decision maker about that.
But also jump online and have a look at healthdirect.gov.au and see what services are in your community because there are a lot more bulk billing doctors in Tasmania today than there were this time last week.
BELINDA KING: Right. Okay. Healthdirect.gov.au, that's the website?
REBECCA WHITE MP: That's exactly right.
BELINDA KING: Brilliant. Okay. So if it's not your local clinic that's doing it, there are options available there. And yes, good advice. Don't shoot the messenger. Be good to person that answers the phone at the clinic, please. What's next on the agenda for you?
REBECCA WHITE MP: Well, I'm very excited because we committed to more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Tasmania and very soon we're going to be announcing the three successful sites which will provide access to other options for people who are dealing with urgent care. We've got five Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Tassie, including one in Launceston, which is the busiest urgent care clinic in the country.
And we are going to be announcing another one for Burnie, Sorell and Kingborough region before Christmas. So that's the next big thing for us to be able to provide greater access to healthcare services for Tasmanians, whether it's seeing a GP and having a bulk billing appointment or accessing urgent care, being fully bulk billed in our Medicare urgent care clinics too. So there's good news for people who are accessing health care in Tassie under a federal Labor government.
We're strengthening Medicare because we know that strengthens people's health care. And I'm really pleased to be able to talk to you about this today because I think there's a lot of good news in this space. And often we hear a lot of doom and gloom around health in Tassie, but there is a lot of good work happening from the federal government to support people to access primary care. And I'm really pleased to be able to share some good news with you today about this.
BELINDA KING: Indeed. Rebecca, we'll catch up with you again before Christmas, I hope. But thank you very much for joining us this morning and outlining what's going on.
REBECCA WHITE MP: Thank you so much. Good morning to all you listeners and have a great day.
BELINDA KING: Cheers. Rebecca White with us this morning, Assistant Minister of Health and Aged Care and, of course, our Federal Member for Lyons.