Building a stronger Medicare
The Australian Government is committed to improving primary health care for all Australians, announcing an $11.8 billion investment toward Strengthening Medicare through the 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25 Budgets to lay the foundations for a stronger Medicare.
The government is responding to the recommendations of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce through investments to:
- address declining bulk billing rates and doctor availability
- expand the number of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics from 58 to 87
- ease pressure off hospitals through investments agreed by National Cabinet
- focus on mental health, women’s health and equity and access
- start to rebuild primary care as the core of an effective, modern healthcare system for all Australians.
Find out more about:
- Budget 2024–25: Strengthening Medicare
- Budget 2023–24: Building a stronger Medicare
- Budget October 2022–23: Strengthening Medicare and rebuilding primary health care.
Strengthening Medicare priority areas
The Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Report outlines a vision for Australia’s primary care system of the future. The report recommends significant changes to how primary care is funded and delivered. Its vision is to enable quality, integrated and person-centred care for all Australians, building on Australia’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan 2022–2032.
The taskforce identified 4 priority areas for primary care reform:
- increasing access to primary care
- encouraging multidisciplinary team-based care
- modernising primary care
- supporting change management and cultural change.
The government is funding a range of measures to support these priorities.
Increasing access to primary care
We want to support Australians to be healthy and well, regardless of where they live and when they need care. We are investing in a system that is simple and easy to navigate for people and their healthcare providers.
Measures include:
- tripling bulk billing incentives
- increasing the number of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics
- reforming after hours programs.
Find out more about measures under this theme: Increasing access to primary care.
Encouraging multidisciplinary team-based care
We want to harness the full strengths and skills of our diverse health workforce to deliver high-quality continuity of care by supporting well-connected teams working together to address people’s health needs.
Measures include:
- a national Scope of Practice Review
- increased incentive payments for practices to support multidisciplinary team-based care
- programs to expand the nursing workforce.
Find out more about measures under this theme: Encouraging multidisciplinary team-based care.
Modernising primary care
We want to invest in digital health technologies to build a more efficient, connected and collaborative healthcare system. This will make it easier for all Australians to access, manage, and share their own health information and find the right care to keep them healthy for longer.
Measures include:
- investing in a modernised My Health Record
- funding a General Practice Grants Program to enhance digital health capability, infection prevention and control, and accreditation status of general practices
- strengthening electronic prescribing and targeted digital medicines enhancements.
Find out more about measures under this theme: Modernising primary care.
Supporting change management and cultural change
We want to work with consumers and providers from across the primary care system to ensure that:
- businesses are supported to successfully transition to new ways of working
- patients understand and actively participate in their care.
Measures include:
- funding to drive consumer engagement in primary care reform
- the Medical Research Future Fund Primary Health Research Plan grant opportunities, which fund research that supports
- patient access to multidisciplinary team-based care
- integrated health services providing patient-centred care
- the use of data to improve patient care.
Find out more about measures under this theme: Supporting change management and cultural change.
Governance
The implementation of Strengthening Medicare reform measures will be guided by a Strengthening Medicare Implementation Oversight Committee (IOC) made up of peak bodies, industry leaders and experts from across the sector.
A range of focused committees has been set up to provide targeted advice on specific Strengthening Medicare reform measures.
Consumer engagement
The Australian Government’s vision to strengthen Medicare includes empowering consumers to have a voice in the design of services. This helps us ensure services meet people’s needs, particularly the needs of priority population groups.
The Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) and the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia (FECCA) will be funded $13 million over 4 years (2023–24 to 2026–27) to drive consumer engagement in primary care reform. FECCA has been funded to establish the Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative (AMHC).
Monitoring and evaluation
After extensive consultation with stakeholders, we developed a monitoring and evaluation framework overseen by the IOC. Published in December 2024, the framework tracks the progress and impact of the Strengthening Medicare reforms.
It may be adapted in the future to use emerging data and information sources and reflect changes and additions to strengthening Medicare measures.